The Game

How massive is it today? If you ask me, this is one of the most important games of the season so far since, as I said in the preview, a win would definitely be the start of something special.

The last few days have been very positive for Arsenal. We won at home against Sunderland, Robin van Persie continued to show why he’s one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe, Thomas Vermaelen extended his contract, Tomas Rosicky and Andrey Arshavin showed the form of old and, most importantly, we suffered no injuries ahead of tonight’s game.

In a way, a draw would also be a positive result but a win would basically mean making it through to the next round although in all fairness it’s never say never with the Gunners as last year’s Group Stage demonstrated.

Kieran Gibbs is, surprise surprise, ruled out as he will be sidelined for two weeks with a stomach problem but Aaron Ramsey is back in the squad although to be honest I would be surprised not to see Tomas Rosicky from the first minute after the fantastic display against the Black Cats.

Anyway, as I said, this is a very, very important game and from what I’ve been told the French side is very menacing when on the counter so we have to be extremely careful not to get caught as they could easily punish us if we make the same mistake that we have done so far this season.

And, until you wait for kick-off, check out Arsene Wenger’s opinion on Thomas Vermaelen’s contract extension and the rumours linking the Gunners with Andre Ayew and also why our manager believes that the two games against Marseille could decide our future in Europe’s most prestigious competition.

As always, please do join the discussion in our chat room which will also be active after the full time whistle. You will be glad to know that from this season, to provide a better chat experience to our readers, users can be banned if they post offensive comments.

Streaming Links

For those who don’t know where to watch the game, maybe we can help, follow this link for streaming options. Links are updated before and during the match.

The Line-Ups

Olympique Marseille

Mandanda, Azpilicueta, Diawara, N’Koulou, Morel, Diarra, Gonzalez, Cheyrou, Valbuena, Remy, Andre Ayew

Subs: Bracigliano, Gignac, Kabore, Traore, Amalfitano, Sabo, Roland

Arsenal

Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Andre Santos, Song, Arteta, Walcott, Rosicky, Arshavin, van Persie

Subs: Fabianski, Ramsey, Djourou, Gervinho, Chamakh, Benayoun, Coquelin

Half-Time Thoughts and Analysis

As the chat room has grown in popularity, my half-time thoughts as well as the comments of other Arsenal fans are now being discussed in the Arsenal Interactive chat room to which you can find a link at the bottom of this page. Please feel free to join the fun and share your point of view.