Arsenal must claim European prize to join game's greats
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Given their haul of 12 league titles, eight FA Cups, two league cups and another brace in Continental competition Arsenal's trophy room can stand comparison with most. There remains, though, a glaring omission among the gleaming silverware. Unlike Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, Arsenal have never won Europe's premier competition.
This is just the half of it. Arsenal have not even reached the last four, a feat achieved by Leeds, Derby and, most galling of all, Tottenham. Arsenal's best, achieved in 1972 and 2000, is the quarter-finals, a stage also reached by Burnley, Chelsea, Everton and Wolves. Clearly, if Arsenal are to be truly regarded as one of the greatest clubs in Europe, as they would like to be, they need to lift their cross-Channel performance.
Not that Arsenal need telling. "If we want to be one of the big clubs in Europe we have to win the Champions' League," said Patrick Vieira, their captain, yesterday. "Every big club has won it and we have to do so."
The manager, Arsène Wenger, added: "I believe a massive club like Arsenal deserves to win the Champions' League. The support deserves it. The name and history of the club demand it."
Tonight their quest begins anew with a home Champions' League group stage tie against Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga champions. It is the first of six matches in a demanding group which also includes PSV Eindhoven and Auxerre. While Arsenal and Dortmund, ought to qualify the group's makeweights are anything but.
One area Arsenal will have to improve upon is their away form and Wenger hopes a good result tonight, coupled with the club's superb domestic form, will give them the confidence to be themselves on the road. He also believes they now have the experience to handle the competition.
"We are mature enough now," he said after training at Arsenal's Hertfordshire base yesterday. "The players know what is expected of them. When I arrived the Champions' League was the unknown. Experience is one of the most important things in this competition. The other is top-level quality. The standard is now very high."
It is Real Madrid who set the benchmark with three victories in the last five seasons. They appear to have raised the bar again with the signing of Ronaldo. Wenger believes they can be beaten. "A team is not just about buying players," he said. "It is growing together, slowly building up the belief, the confidence, the connections in the team. We are getting there."
A key element of that was persuading Vieira, for the moment, to resist the blandishments of Madrid. Their success was an obvious attraction but Vieira hopes he can gain a winners' medal with Arsenal.
"We are better equipped than ever before," he said. "We know we are close to the best. We have a great spirit and front players who can score at any time. Last year we beat Bayer Leverkusen at home and should have done away [Leverkusen equalled in the last minute with Arsenal down to 10 men]. So when we saw them in the final we thought it should have been us."
Vieira denied ever claiming he needed a rest and added: "I was feeling tired but I was happy to play Saturday and again this week. I was not happy with the way I was playing but I am always hard on myself."
Arsenal hope to have Lauren back after injury, but Edu will need to pass a fitness test before the match. Kolo Touré stands by to replace him. David Seaman also has a minor injury but is expected to play while Fredrik Ljungberg makes a welcome return to the squad and may figure on the bench. Ray Parlour remains out as do Robert Pires and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The Germans are without Marcio Amoroso but have the 6ft 7in Jan Koller to lead the line. Though unbeaten this season they lie seventh in the Bundesliga, already six points behind Bayern Munich, having won only one of their five matches. Matthias Sammer, their coach, said their inability to win games could cost them the German title but he would be happy with a draw tonight. For Arsenal only victory is acceptable.
Arsenal (4-4-2): Seaman; Lauren, Keown, Campbell, Cole; Wiltord, Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Edu or Touré; Henry, Bergkamp.
Borussia Dortmund (4-4-2): Lehmann; Reuter, Kehl, Metzelder, Heinrich; Evanilson, Frings, Dede; Rosicky; Ewerthon, Koller.
Referee: A Frisk (Sweden).
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