So our Champions League Group (Group B) consists of German outfit Schalke, Greek champions Olympiakos and Ligue 1 holders Montpellier – not a bad outcome, but it could have been a little kinder.
Schalke finished third in the Bundesliga last season behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dormund, thus automatically qualifying for the Champions League.
They did not partake in the competition last season, but two years ago they surprisingly made it all the way to the semi-final before being spanked by Manchester United.
The Germans do have some very talented players in their squad, Jose Manuel Jurado Julian Draxler and Benedikt Howedes are to name but three, and should not be taken lightly.
We can’t seem to get away from Olympiacos. We have been drawn with the Greek side three times in the last four years!
Last season we bagged a goalless draw at The Emirates and lost 3-1 in Greece. In the 2009-10 season we beat them 1-0 and lost 1-0. So it’s not always a given when we go up against the Greeks.
Should be able to bag a victory at home, but away could prove to be a tight affair.
As for Montpellier, well all I know is they won the Ligue 1 title last season.
The French outfit have no Champions League experience but do have one or two quality players in their squad – Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Younes Belhanda.
We should have enough to deal with them both home and away, as they lost arguably their best player and top scorer to us this summer, Olivier Giroud.
Bit of a dodgy group, but I believe we have enough about us to make it through to the knockout stages of the competition.
CLICK HERE to see when and where we play Schalke, Olympiakos and Montpellier.
Like what you read? Then follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/Gunnersphere
Visit and Join our Facebook page, click HERE to do so.
Gunnersphere is currently looking for new writers to join the squad. Contact via twitter or at Gunnersphere@snack-media.com for further details.
