Through 12 matches in the Barclays Premier League, the Arsenal Gunners find themselves atop a group that features Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham among others. Indicating that his side's goal heading into the new season was to improve upon last season's fourth place finish in the BPL, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has done a strong job in guiding his club to nine victories and a draw thus far, while watching his team endure losses in just two league contests. While life in the BPL has certainly been enjoyable - with the Gunners holding a four-point lead over Liverpool and Chelsea - Wenger's club is also playing well in the highly competitive UEFA Champions League.
Sitting atop the UCL's Group F, Arsenal can propel itself to the knockout round with a strong performance and some help in their next league showdown against group bottom-feeder Marseille. A win by the Gunners coupled with a Borussia Dortmund draw with Napoli will send Wenger's side to the next round. Hoping to lock up the advancement, Arsene Wenger isn't blind to the fact that Group F is extremely tough but notes that you can't ask for anything more than to have an opportunity to move on in front of the home crowd at Emirates Stadium.
"We know that this is a very big game in that final stage of the qualifiers," Wenger said. "We have an opportunity to do it at home. You say 12 points may not be enough, it is true, but it might as well be enough and maybe already tomorrow, so let's get the 12 points. I always think to win helps. The confidence of the team is vital, in the Premier League the differences are so small that the confidence can make a difference. We are in November, you are not in a calculating mode, you are in the moment of just showing that we are a strong team, and let's improve. We have still a lot of room for improvement and that is what is at stake for us, to become a stronger team from game to game."
While Arsenal has big plans for the remainder of the Champions League, Marseille is looking to get anything positive started. Dropping each of the four matches they've played in Group F, the Ligue 1 affiliate sits dead last in the four-team field, unable to earn a single point thus far. Though they've been able to stay competitive in the French league by earning 24 points in 14 matches, Les Phocéens remain 10 points behind Paris Saint-Germain for the top spot in the league.
Suffering a loss to Arsenal back on September 18 to open the UEFA league, the task of earning their first points certainly won't be easy against an Arsenal team thinking big picture.
Arsenal vs. Marseille: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Tuesday, November 26
TIME: 2:45pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: FOX Sports 2
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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