Arsenal will travel to St. Jakob-Park to take on FC Basel in their final Champions League group game on Tuesday (6 December).

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 7.45pm BST. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 2 and 2 HD.

Overview

Arsenal are staring at another second place finish in the Champions League group stages unless Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets pull off a shock upset and take some points off Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. Unless they do that, even a win for the Gunners will ensure they go in with a disadvantage for the last-16 draw.

Arsene Wenger's side were on course to top the group, but a 2-2 draw ensured PSG took the lead in the table owing to the away goals rule. The French manager however is keen to keep his team's momentum and is unlikely to rest too many players despite having qualified for the next stage of the competition.

Olivier Giroud has returned to the squad after missing the last two games against Southampton and West Ham United, while Francis Coquelin is suspended after picking up a yellow card in the previous game. Granit Xhaka is likely to start in midfield alongside Mohamed Elneny, who was given a breather at the weekend against the Hammers.

Arsenal
Arsenal first-team train at London Colney ahead of their game against FC Basel on Tuesday (6 December) Getty

Basel, meanwhile, are coming into the game after a disappointing 3-1 loss against Swiss Super League title rivals Young Boys FC and will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Arsenal in the Champions League.

Urs Fischer's side needs just a point to ensure they qualify for the Europa League, but the manager has made it clear that they will be going for a win rather than a draw. The corresponding fixture at the Emirates Stadium in September ended with a 2-0 loss, and they will be keen to have more of an impact this time around at their home ground.

The Xhaka brothers – Granit and Taulant – will come head to head in the midfield yet again. This is only the second meeting between the two sides, but Arsenal have played Swiss opposition in Europe on five occasions and remain unbeaten thus far.

What managers say

Urs Fischer: "We do not go into the game with the goal of a draw. That would be too dangerous. I think we need to score goals, especially against a team like Arsenal. Arsenal have that quality that even when you think you are quite good, they still score a goal. Alexis Sanchez didn't have to score three goals for us to know he is an excellent player.

I did see the 5-1 match - West Ham dominated that match. What I could see is that Arsenal have really dynamic movement and good forward runs," as quoted on ITV news.

Arsene Wenger [on Group standings]: "The advantage of finishing first is you play the second leg at home, and possibly 30 minutes of extra time at home.

"We'll see - PSG are favourites to beat Ludogorets at home and win the group, but we can assess that scoreline at half-time and see where we go," as quoted by the Express.

Betting Odds (Betfair)

  • Basel Win: 13/5
  • Draw: 5/2
  • Arsenal Win: 11/2

Team News

Basel

Possible XI: Vaclík; Lang, Suchý, Balanta, Traoré; Xhaka, Zuffi; Bjarnason, Delgado, Steffen; Šporar.

Arsenal

Possible XI: Ospina; Gabriel, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal; Xhaka, Elneny; Walcott, Özil, Iwobi; Giroud.

Champions League Arsene Wenger