It keeps getting worse for Arsenal fans. Not only have the English stalwarts been hit by a massive rash of injuries, rashes not included, at least not to the public’s knowledge, but they had been largely inactive on the transfer market. Something that looked bad before the Mesut Ozil signing considering Spurs and Man City spent a lot of cash to improve their teams.

Anyways, this is a tough go for the Gunners. Any of the four teams would be favored to go through in Group G, or possibly even C, but alas all are stuck in Group F. It’s hard not to see Dortmund going through to the next round while Napoli also looks strong. The Paternopei have augmented an already strong side with numerous signings from Real Madrid as well as reliable keeper Stanley Tucci Pepe Reina.

I previously had Arsenal last in this group before the Ozil signing. Now I’m not so certain. Dortmund is definitely going through; who goes second is more of a tough decision. Ultimately it comes down to picking your poison. While overall, I think Napoli is a more balanced squad, they are largely untested as a group and haven’t jelled yet. Yes, a 3-0 thrashing of Bologna is nice, and a 4-2 win at Chievo is lovely, the level of competition is nowhere near that of their CL group.

Arsenal has also shown that they are deft at beating newly-formed, “jelling” squads. See the derby win over Spurs as exhibit A. Ozil and Napoli’s inexperience as a group propels Arsenal into the knockout stages again. Sorry Marseille.

Prediction- Dortmund, Arsenal, Napoli, Marseille.