Dortmund v Arsenal: Injury boost for the Gunners? Team news and line-ups

Arsenal’s loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last time out has left Group F delicately poised, with three of the four teams all tied on six points, and the London side will be hoping an injury at the heart of Dortmund's back four does them a favour.

The Gunners may be flying high at the top of the Premier League, but their return trip to Germany could shape their season, as Arsene Wenger’s men look to take a step towards qualifying for the knockout stages of Europe.

Aside from the 2-1 scoreline in favour of the Germans, the stand out statistic from the last clash at the Emirates was Dortmund’s collective running distance of 117km – 11km more than Arsenal.

At the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund have been imperious, winning each of their last seven Champions League fixtures on home soil and are yet to drop a point there in any competition this season.

Following their victory against Arsenal, Dortmund have won their last two fixtures, scoring nine goals in the process.

Arsenal certainly have a mountain to climb, but will expect a positive performance following their victory against Liverpool at the weekend. They will have to cope without Jack Wilshere who is likely to miss out, while midfield enforcer Matheiu Flamini may also fail to feature due to a groin injury.

Arsenal possible XI

The only real change on the cards looks to be at full-back, with Nacho Monreal deputising for Kieran Gibbs, who is recovering from a calf strain.

Following an early season blip, Arsenal’s defence has been impressive, but it is perhaps their attacking options which are the most eye-catching. Mesut Ozil looked a little lethargic towards the end of the Gunners’ victory against Liverpool, but he has certainly turned on the style in the Champions League, while Olivier Giroud will look to extend his scoring run in European competition.

Borussia Dortmund possible XI

The most notable absence from Dortmund’s line-up is Mats Hummels, who is struggling with a hamstring injury. The German international was one of the stand-out performers last time around, but boss Jurgen Klopp said that he is “97.5 per cent” likely to miss out this time. That should mean the inclusion of summer signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who kicked off the scoring in Dortmund’s 6-1 rout over Stuttgart at the weekend.

Arsenal fans, how do you think you will line-up? Do you have enough to beat Dortmund? Comment below…