adminARSENE Wenger’s side have already recorded victory over the French opponents in matchday one of the Champions League and will be looking to complete a double today. A win in France would give Arsene Wenger’s side 12 points in Group F but qualification with one match remaining would still not be sealed unless Borussia Dortmund fail to beat Napoli.
Key to Arsenal’s form has been the efforts of Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, with the former having netted 11 goals in all competitions so far this season.
Ramsey’s contribution from midfield has been crucial for a side who are still short on firepower beyond Giroud.
The 27-year-old Frenchman netted both goals in the 2-0 Premier League win over Southampton on Saturday, taking his tally to 10 for the season, but the club’s fans will be hoping for a new signing in January to give him some support.
Theo Walcott returned from an abdominal injury in the win against Southampton and is a welcome inclusion for a side still missing Lukas Podolski (hamstring), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and midfielder Abou Diaby (both knee).
Arsenal won the first meeting between these two sides in France in September, with goals from Walcott and Ramsey giving them a 2-1 success.
They also met twice in the 2011-12 Champions League, and although the fixture in London ended goalless, Ramsey scored a late winner in a 1-0 victory for Arsenal in France.
While Arsenal top the group with nine points, Marseille are rock-bottom and are yet to get off the mark after losing all four of their matches so far.
Qualification is now beyond them, but coach Elie Baup will be looking for his side to restore some pride.
A winless run of seven matches put serious pressure on Baup, but successive Ligue 1 triumphs over Sochaux and Ajaccio have now lifted Marseille to fourth in the table. Youngster Florian Thauvin scored in Friday’s 3-1 win at Ajaccio, his seventh goal in six matches for club and country.
Thauvin also netted a hat-trick and provided two assists for France’s Under-21s in a 6-0 romp against Armenia earlier this month.
Marseille have won just once in their 11 Champions League visits to England, losing six, and they will be without forward Andre Ayew, who could miss the next two months with a knee injury, while Rod Fanni (muscle strain) is also sidelined.
Meanwhile, Barcelona’s 20-match unbeaten record this season will be tested at Ajax in Group H of the Champions League today.
The Blaugrana have not lost a competitive match since manager Gerardo Martino took over, and with three wins and one draw in their four group matches, the Spanish champions only need to draw in Amsterdam to secure first place and a berth in the last 16.
They strolled to a 4-0 win over Liga rivals Granada on Saturday, with first-half penalties from Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas setting them on their way. Alexis Sanchez and Pedro wrapped up the points with strikes after the break as Barca remained top of the table.
It will be a slightly weakened side that makes the trip to the Dutch capital, though, with Lionel Messi (thigh) and goalkeeper Victor Valdes (calf) ruled out for the rest of the group stage.
Dani Alves sustained a calf injury on international duty and missed the win over Granada, left-back Jordi Alba (hamstring) has not played since September and midfielder Jonathan dos Santos (knee) could be out until April. In addition, Isaac Cuenca has not played this season following knee surgery, Ibrahim Afellay is yet to return from a thigh operation and just to compound Barca’s woes, Alexis is suspended.
The Chilean, who has scored 11 goals in his last 12 matches for club and country, has picked up three bookings in the group stages.
This fixture will be Barcelona’s 250th in the history of the Champions League, while a draw would be their 100th in Uefa competition.
Barcelona, who have a pass completion rate of 87 per cent – the best in the competition, won the reverse fixture 4-0 at Camp Nou in September, with Messi scoring a hat-trick.
That defeat was Ajax’s joint-heaviest in the Champions League but they boosted spirits with a 1-0 home win over Celtic earlier this month that keeps their hopes of reaching the round of 16 alive.
Fixtures
TODAY: Zenit St Petersburg v Atltico de Madrid, Petrovski Stadium 19:00, Ajax v Barcelona, Amsterdam Arena 21:45 , Celtic v Milan, Celtic Park 21:45, Arsenal v Marseille, Emirates Stadium 21:45, FC Porto v FK Austria Wien, Estadio do Dragao 21:45, Borussia Dortmund v Napoli, Signal Iduna Park 21:45, Basel v Chelsea, St Jakob-Park 21:45, Steaua Bucharest v FC Schalke 04, Stadionul Ghencea 21:45
TOMORROW: CSKA Moscow v FC Bayern Mnchen, Arena Khimki 19:00, Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Manchester United, BayArena 21:45,
RSC Anderlecht v Benfica, Constant Vanden Stock 21:45, Shakhtar Donetsk v Real Sociedad, Donbass Arena 21:45, Manchester City v Viktoria Plzen, Etihad Stadium 21:45, Juventus v FC Kbenhavn, Juventus Stadium 21:45, Paris Saint Germain v Olympiakos, Parc des Princes 21:45, Real Madrid v Galatasaray, SantiagoBernabu 21:4-Goal.com
Online Reporter