Alexis Sanchez
Arsene Wenger is confident Alexis Sanchez will have a better season than 2014 Getty

Arsenal travel to Croatia on Wednesday, 16 September to take on Dinamo Zagreb where they need a win in order to make their route to qualifying for the knockout stages that much easier. The Gunners face a side who are unbeaten in their last 41 games in the league and are no pushovers by any stretch of the imagination.

Where to Watch Live

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

Overview

Zagreb are inching closer to replicating Arsenal's Invincible feat of the early 2000s when they went 49 games unbeaten in the league, creating a niche for themselves in Premier League history. The Croatian club are currently eight games adrift to match that record, but manager Zoran Mamić will also realise that this is a competition where they have struggled for consistency in recent years.

This is Zagreb's third qualification in the group stages over the past five years, having failed to make the knockout stages a single time in the given period. On both occasions they finished last in the group, losing 11 out of the 12 games, while drawing 1-1 against Dinamo Kiev to secure their only point.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been extremely consistent in qualifying for Europe's most revered club competition, 18 years on the trot, where they have progressed into the knockout stages for 15 years running. However, Arsenal's problem over the last five years has been their failure to make it out of the round of 16, where they have been habitually pitted against opposition by the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.

In 2014, they had the best chance for progression but they failed to beat Monaco over two legs after a despicable show at home, where they lost the game 3-1. A brilliant come-back in the second leg to win the game 2-0 still saw the Gunners crash out of the tournament yet again on away goals.

Arsene Wenger will be hoping for a better showing this time around after a poor start to their Premier League campaign, where they have dropped five points from their first five games, losing and drawing one each in the process. The Gunners are without Danny Welbeck, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere, who are all out with long-term injuries. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey and Hector Bellerin have not travelled with the squad for this game.

What Managers Say

Arsene Wenger: "Croatian football produces always top level technical quality, that is their strength. We have to focus on our own performance and to beat them have to play at our best and without speculating on any weak link in a team that has not lost a game for 11 months. What is important is we focus on our game. You are quickly out in the Champions League if you do not start well. We know we have a vital game and it is important we focus on that."

Zoran Mamic: "Arsenal are a top-quality team - better than us - but our aim is not to sit back and defend. We will try to pose them problems. We have been playing a style of game for the whole season, so to change just for one match is not good, so it will be our desire to play the same way tomorrow. I expect a full stadium and great atmosphere."

Betting Odds

  • Dinamo Zagreb Win: 6.25
  • Draw: 4.2
  • Arsenal Win: 1.55

Team News

Dinamo Zagreb

Possible XI: Eduardo, Pinto, Taraval, Sigali, Pivaric, Rog, Antolic, Machado, Pjaca, Hodzic, Henriquez

Arsenal

Possible XI: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott

Arsenal FC