Arsenal put on an impressive attacking show against Stoke City at the Emirates on Saturday, and now Arsene Wenger will ask his players for a similar performance when they travel to Dinamo Zagreb for their opening match of the UEFA Champions League.
Strikers were the name of the game for the entire summer transfer window from an Arsenal point of view, but Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott showed they can do the job with a goal apiece against Stoke on Saturday in the 2-0 stroll.
Walcott got the nod ahead of Giroud for that match, and is likely to be given a place in the starting lineup again by Wenger, who believes the England international has all the attributes to become a top centre-forward.
"I think he has an eye for the goal," Wenger was quoted as saying by the club's official website. "The quality of his receptions in the box is at the top. He will become an instinctive finisher when he has a couple of goals behind him.
"He needs a few more goals to score a bit more spontaneously. He is quick and gets into good little pockets."
Playing away from home in the Champions League is never easy, but Arsenal know they cannot afford any slipups in Zagreb come Wednesday, especially with Bayern Munich in the same Group F.
"You don't play too many games so if you make a mistake you pay for it," Arsenal left-back Nacho Monreal said. "You have to be really focused in each game and the level is higher. The difference is small but we have to be really focused.
"In every single game there is a lot of pressure, [especially] when you play away, but we are accustomed to this so in this case it is more psychological than it is physical. It won't affect us.
"We want to pass through into the next stage and we know that the favourite is probably Bayern Munich so we can't lose against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos as well. It would be really positive for us to start with three points as we will have more confidence in ourselves and it is the best way to start."
After this opening away match against Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal will host Olympiakos. Then comes the big back-to-back matches again Bayern Munich, the games which will probably decide the winners of Group F.
Before that, however, Arsenal need to ensure they make a sound start against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.
UEFA Champions League Schedule: Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb.
Date: 16 September, Wednesday.
Venue: Stadium Maksimir in Zagreb.
Timings: 8.45 pm CET, 12.15 am IST (next day), 7.45 pm BST, 2.45 pm ET.
Where to Watch Live: Ten HD (India), BT Sport Europe (UK), ESPN 3 (USA) and Bein Sports (Australia).
