Arsenal v AZ Alkmaar Preview

Arsenal have a chance to secure qualification to the knockout stages tonight and that is Arsene Wenger’s “first objective”.

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager

We want to finish first in the group, but to be qualified in early November would be good, and that is our first objective. Although we have not won the Champions League, I consider us as an élite club because we are in the eight top-seeded teams in Europe. We have been in the final, the semi-final, and I think we will eventually win it. It does not concern me that I have never beaten Ronald Koeman. I see it as Arsenal against Alkmaar. He organises his teams well, they fight well, but I’ve never been obsessed with these things. I’m confident we can do it, but we have to show that we can focus and play for each other every three days and prepare for all the games with the same attitude.

Ronald Koeman, AZ coach

It is a nice feeling to be back at this fantastic stadium. I remember one moment very fondly, my success with PSV when we got a 1-1 draw that was enough to knock Arsenal out. Now we face the most difficult of the six matches in the group. We got a good result at home, so we are confident. We know our qualities but we respect Arsenal. They will put us under a lot of pressure, but the important thing is how we deal with that pressure. Individually the players will have to be at their best and we have to take the opportunity to rest when we can because Arsenal cannot keep up the pressure for the whole game.

Team news

Arsenal
Gael Clichy will be out for up to two months as the defender has a stress fracture of his back. Apparently Clichy has been playing with the injury all season and a recent scan revealed the extent of the problem.

Wenger, who is also without striker Nicklas Bendtner for up to a month with a groin strain, revealed Clichy’s injury was related to the one that kept the Frenchman out at the end of last season. He said:

“Clichy will be out for one month or two months and that is too much. It is his vertebrae. He has a stress fracture on one side and it has happened on the other side. Normally it happens on both sides but this happened [before] on one side. It was a gradual thing. The pain after every game became worse so we made a scan and we found a little fracture.”

Out: Gaël Clichy (back) Johan Djourou (knee), Denilson (back), Tomáš Rosický (knee), Theo Walcott (knee), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Carlos Vela (knee), Łukasz Fabiański (thigh), Nicklas Bendtner (groin)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Gaël Clichy, Robin van Persie
AZ
Out: Mounir El Hamdaoui (muscle)
Doubtful:
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background

• With the draw at AZ Arsenal lead the group on seven points, one clear of Olympiacos FC and five above third-placed AZ.
• In seven competitive home games against Dutch opposition, Arsenal have only posted two victories. Four of the fixtures finished all-square with their only defeat coming in the first meeting – a European Champion Clubs’ Cup quarter-final in 1971/72 when AFC Ajax won 1-0 at Highbury to complete a 3-1 aggregate triumph.
• AZ have lost all four previous games in England, conceding 12 goals. The most recent reverse was a 4-2 loss at Newcastle United FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16.

Prediction:

Arsenal win this 2-1 and lock up qualification and first place in the group