Champions League: Wenger cautious

Borussia Dortmund v Arsenal

Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal not to ease off after a Premier League win against Liverpool that has silenced many of their doubters.

The Gunners were hugely-impressive in their 2-0 win against the in-form Reds and take on Borussia Dortmund away in the Champions League tonight.

Dortmund showed their strength — they lost last year’s final to Bayern Munich don’t forget — with victory at the Emirates two weeks ago and Wenger is conscious of the need to keep on improving.

Speaking to Arsenal Player, he said: “We passed the test against Liverpool in a convincing way.

“The focus of the team and the togetherness you could feel from the outside. Let’s enjoy it, take a lot of encouragement from it and continue to develop as a team.

“But as well we must be cautious and be on our toes because we changed the season in an emphatic way so let’s make sure we continue to grow and do not think, ‘okay, let’s have a little breather’.”

Arsenal are likely to be without Jack Wilshere, who injured an ankle in training, meaning Tomas Rosicky is in line to face his former club.

Rosicky, 33, signed from Dortmund in May 2006 and made 126 league appearances for the Bundesliga side during five seasons in Germany.

“I won the league there and played in the UEFA Cup final there, so obviously I have a lot of attachments with the club and it will be a special game for me,” he said.

Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, in an inteview with the Telegraph, drew an interesting comparison bewtween himself and his opposition number.

He said: “He is really something. I love him. He is Sir. Sir Arsène Wenger for me.

“I think he likes having the ball, playing football, passes, it’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song, yeah? And I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud!” 

‘Ba and Eto’o have to step up’

Chelsea v Schalke

Jose Mourinho has challenged his strikers to seize their chances after Fernando Torres was ruled out of tonight’s game with a muscle injury.

Torres showed signs recently of a return to form but his absence means opportunities for Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba.

Mourinho said: ‘Fernando has a muscular injury.

“We don’t know the dimension but we await the scans. But for today he is out and out for the weekend, too.

‘’After that comes an international break. Let’s see if he can recover after that.’’ 

He added: “Samuel and Demba want to play and they are waiting for opportunities to play.

‘’So when they have that chance, and they know they are going to have it in this game and the next game against West Brom, they know it’s in their hands, the job to play up front.

‘’I think it has to be a good motivation for them. Hopefully they can express on the pitch the way they work during the week.’’

Mourinho also told the club’s website that his team needed to win against Schalke after the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle in the Premier League. 

He said: “We are in a stable position to qualify in the Champions League but if we lose again we are in a difficult position, so Wednesday is an important game for us.”

“But I don’t want to see the changes I make tomorrow as somebody’s paying for the defeat against Newcastle, which is not the case.” 

Milan eye redemption

BARCELONA v AC Milan

AC Milan are a club under fire.

Dismal form in Serie A has not been to the fans’ liking, with a hostile San Siro crowd jeering the team of the pitch at the weekend after a 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina.

It was the Rossoneri’s fifth defeat of the season, they are 11th in the table and it is their worst start to the season in 31 years.

“This is the most difficult situation I’ve faced in my three-and-a-half years at Milan,” AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri admitted. “I’m responsible for everything.

“We cannot play as bad as we did against Fiorentina.

“We need to come out of this ugly situation.

“In football, results count and we have a week to put things right, starting with the game at Barcelona.

“One thing is clear, we need to give much more because what we’ve done so far, is simply not enough.”