Injury-hit Arsenal visit Belgium on Wednesday night in the Champions League Group D clash with Anderlecht in Brussels.
Anderlecht have just one point from their two previous matches in Group D; the 1-1 draw against Galatasary in Turkey on the opening day was followed by a 3-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund in gameweek 2.
However, Besnik Hasi's men are doing well on the domestic front, and currently sit atop the Belgian Pro League table with 23 points after 11 matches, three points above second-placed Club Brugge.
"Arsenal are without a lot of players. They seem to be in less good shape and less intimidating than usual, but Arsenal are still a top team and it will be difficult to beat them. We have to focus on ourselves and be clever when we have the ball," Hasi stressed.
"Arsenal play in the Premier League, while we play in a smaller competition and have a very young team. It is a very good opportunity for us to learn and it will be a mistake to think Arsenal are weaker without a few top players."
The Gunners, on the other hand, are in the middle an injury crisis - even according to their standards - as Hasi pointed out. Arsene Wenger has 11 players out with various injuries, while club no.1 Wojciech Szczesny is suspended for this tie.
The north London outfit lost their opening match to group favourites Dortmund 2-0 in Germany but came back to beatGalatasaray at home 4-0 in the second match. Arsenal are not having the best run of results in the Premier League, with the club managing just two wins after eight matches.
And Wenger - who celebrates his 65th birthday today - knows it is high time his club puts on a winning streak in all competitions.
"It is very important to win. We know that we play in the Champions League, away from home, and it will be a battle - we need to produce quality in our game. I see Anderlecht as a young and dynamic side. They could cause problems to us. They are not here by chance," the Frenchman pointed out
"We lost some enthusiasm but we have lost only one game in the Premier League. We do not have enough points compared to the potential and performances of the players. It is important for my team to perform well. I put all my energy into my team. We need to reduce the gap between performances and points."
Team News
Anderlecht
Out: Fabrice N'Sakala (knee) Doubtful: Bram Nuytinck (toe) and Matias Suarez (unspecified)
Arsenal
Out: Laurent Koscielny (Achilles), Nacho Monreal (back), David Ospina (knee), Mesut Ozil (knee), Mikel Arteta (calf), Mathieu Debuchy (ankle), Olivier Giroud (leg), Theo Walcott (knee), Serge Gnabry (knee), Tomas Rosicky (calf), Yaya Sanogo (hamstring) and Szczesny (suspended)
Probable Lineups
Anderlecht: Proto; Deschacht, Mangulu, Nuytinck, Najar; Tielemans, Defour; Acheampong, Praet, Conte; Mitrovic
Arsenal: Martinez; Bellerin, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Flamini; Sanchez, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla; Welbeck
Where to Watch Live
The game is set for a 12.15am IST (7.45pm BST, 2.45 pm EDT) start, with live coverage on Ten Sports in India. Indian viewers can also stream the match live on Ten Sports Live.
Catch the action in the UK live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD, with an option to live stream the match online on Sky GO. Viewers in the US can watch the Champions League game on Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Sports 2 USA, with an option to live stream on FoxSoccer2Go.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can watch the match on beIN Sports Arabia 4 HD, or via live streaming online courtesy beIN Sports Connect . South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can watch the match on SuperSport 5 Africa or SuperSport online.
