We at Football FanCast are brimming with excitement ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League action, which sees Arsenal play hosts to FC Basel at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners will enter this fixture bursting with confidence after a resounding 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend, suggesting Arsene Wenger’s boys will be serious contenders in this season’s title race.

That being said, FC Basel are no easy customers. They may seem like European minnows, mainly famed for their domination of the Swiss Super League, but the St. Jakob-Park outfit boast some serious giant killings against English clubs in their recent history – beating Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea over the last five years.

With that in mind, although some rotation seems inevitable, it’s imperative Wenger picks the right starting XI for Wednesday’s 7:45pm kickoff – or the Gunners could find themselves on the receiving end of another Basel-inspired upset.

Using our Arsenal knowledge and a dash of tactical insight, FFC have outlined the starting line-up Le Prof should pick to dispose of Basel in a calm and effective fashion.

GOALKEEPER

Petr Cech remains Arsenal’s undisputed No.1 but David Ospina deserves all the game-time Arsene Wenger can afford him this season, patiently waiting on the subs bench since the Czech international’s arrival from Chelsea last summer.

Despite serving as understudy, the Colombian is a reliable goalkeeper and just as strong as Cech when it comes to shot-stopping – although other aspects of his game do occasionally leave something to be desired.

Most important for Ospina on Wednesday night is concentration; Basel are unlikely to get much of the ball or create a plethora of chances at goal, so he must stay switched on for the whole 90 minutes to defend the few shooting opportunities the Swiss will have.

DEFENCE

We’ve gone with two changes from the backline that kept a clean sheet against Chelsea on Saturday, with the need for rotation in mind.

Rob Holding looked a fantastic prospect during the first two games of the season, especially considering he’d just made the jump up from being relegated into League One with Bolton, and exposure to Champions League football can only further aid his development.

There’s a natural inclination to rest Laurent Koscielny as Arsenal’s most important defender, but the Frenchman and Holding worked to great effect against Leicester City last month and familiarity – no matter how limited – is always key at the heart of defence.

Meanwhile, after spending the last 18 months playing second fiddle to Nacho Monreal, FFC would like to see Gibbs get the nod. Arsenal are playing at home against lesser opposition, so it makes sense to field their more attacking left-back anyway.

DEEP-LYING MIDFIELD

With Francis Coquelin out injured, the time is right to bring summer signing Granit Xhaka into the starting line-up. Despite much fanfare surrounding his arrival, Arsene Wenger has utilised the Switzerland international sparingly thus far, starting him just twice in the Premier League.

But Xhaka’s combination of aggressive playbreaking and control of possession is made for Champions League ties like this. Furthermore, the 24-year-old began his career at Basel, so he should know a thing or two about how to beat them.

In terms of partners, we see Mohamed Elneny as Xhaka’s most suitable accomplice. Santi Cazorla was fantastic against Chelsea but an overload of game-time can be dangerous for a 31-year-old and neither he nor the Swiss enforcer are the quickest.

Elneny, coincidentally an even more recent former Basel star, offers mobility and industriousness in abundance. His relative speed could play a crucial role in snubbing out counter-attacks.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD

With Theo Walcott in fantastic form, notching up three goals and one assist already this season, we want to keep the good times rolling for the England international. Furthermore, his goal threat is proving a real asset for the Gunners on the right-hand side, easing the scoring burden on the centre-forward.

Likewise, although some will want to see Mesut Ozil rested, it remains to be seen if the Gunners can function in the same way without him. That’s not the kind of test you want to self-implement against Basel, who are more than capable of punishing the Gunners in their own back yard.

However, FFC are backing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to get the nod on the left, simply because he’s played relatively well when called upon this season but is still waiting to hit top gear. An outing against somewhat lesser opposition might give him the chance to do so – and take some confidence into the Gunners’ domestic campaign.

STRIKER

Alexis Sanchez is in red hot form and rarely takes well to being left on the bench, but the settling in process won’t get any easier for Lucas Perez unless Arsene Wenger issues his summer signing a fair portion of game time.

With Olivier Giroud also an injury doubt for the weekend, Wenger can’t afford to lose Sanchez as well. Although Basel are a better side than Burnley, the Premier League must take precedent for the Gunners as they continue to search for their first title since 2004.

Admittedly, this game doesn’t particularly pander to Perez’s strengths as a lightening-quick attacker, because Basel will line up pretty deep anyway. Nonetheless, it’s a good opportunity for the Spaniard to continue his scoring run after netting twice past Nottingham Forest in the League Cup.

Liverpool are really hitting their stride now.

After beating Arsenal and losing to Burnley, many Reds fans were worried it was going to be another season blighted by inconsistency that would eventually lead them to finishing out of the top four – the real aim for this season.

Now, though, things are looking very bright. The Anfield outfit have bounced back from the defeat against the Clarets in emphatic style with great performances against Chelsea, Leicester and, at the weekend, Hull to put them well in contention for the Champions League places as well as, say it quietly, the title.

Whether the Reds can keep it up remains to be seen, but much of their storming start has been down to both the improvement of their squad, Jurgen Klopp’s tactics and one signing in particular – Sadio Mane.

The former Southampton man has been in stellar form so far this season and we think, albeit six games in, he could be the signing of the year. Here are FOUR reasons why…

Goals and assists

Mane has quickly found his feet this season scoring three goals and adding another assist, with the best of the bunch that fine solo effort against Arsenal on the opening day.

Many wondered if he could score with the regularity needed to take Liverpool to the top four, but so far he’s doing enough alongside Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho.

Added an extra dynamic

One of the glaring weaknesses, aside from the Reds’ defence, from last season was the lack of genuine pace on the flanks.

Coutinho and Adam Lallana were often deployed on the wings but preferred to come inside rather than stretch the opposing full-backs. Mane has given the side the ability to do this.

Relatively cheap

The initial reaction to the fee Liverpool paid was one bordering on ridicule – it looked as though the Reds had overspent.

Now, though, the argument is, surely, that it seems good value for a player scoring goals and causing havoc for opposition defences. Many players were bought for more in the last window and have had less of an effect than the former Saints man, so it’s looking a better and better deal by the day.

Big game player

He’s shown this season, much like the rest of the Reds squad, that the big fixtures do not bother him at all and, if anything, they make him even better.

He was outstanding on his debut against Arsenal whilst he also gave Spurs a headache and took last year’s champions, Leicester City, apart too. The Reds fans will hope this continues.

Roy Keane is clearly not a fan of Leicester City prioritising the Champions League this season and like so many of his opinions his views were laced with cyanide earlier this week.

“They have to remember what got them to the Champions League, their bread and butter by doing well week in week out in the Premiership. I’ve been really disappointed with this group of players so I’m cutting them no slack”.

That same evening the Foxes beat FC Copenhagen to secure a five point lead in Group G after just three games meaning they only require a minimum of two draws to proceed to the knock-out stages. The result also guaranteed a Europa League spot in the latter rounds should they unexpectedly implode from here on in.

It is not the first time that the former very good player who now scowls for money has been wrong, but on this occasion the reasons behind his ignorance are worth exploring. It is not because he is merely mistaken. It is not because his take on a subject differs from the majority. It is because the motivations that lie behind Caludio Ranieri’s decision to rest his key personnel ahead of Champions League games – and arguably sacrifice league points for a better chance at European joy – goes so against Keane’s core beliefs that he cannot compute what is happening before his – and everyone else’s – eyes.

What Leicester are doing is a continuation of their swashbuckling approach that took them to the most unlikeliest of title wins in the history of the game. They’re not hedging their bets but going all-in on the miracle.

That’s why they rested players in their domestic cup competitions last term while all the experts wrote off their chances of finishing top four never mind achieving immortality. And that’s why just last week they left record signing Islam Slimani and Riyad Mahrez on the bench for a testing trip to Stamford Bridge.

It would be a stretch to suggest that Ranieri and his men believe they can go all the way to the Millenium Stadium next June and lift the jug-eared trophy but that is entirely missing the point. The point is the journey and equipping yourself best for the adventures en route. The point is chasing the dream.

At the start of this season two paths lay ahead of Leicester. One was boring and straight and led to a top ten finish with all the condescending empty praise that came with it. The other headed into thicketed woods and resembled a divergence from a fairy tale. Down there, so they say, you will encounter Camp Nou. The bright lights will guide you.

That they chose the latter contrasts so greatly with the pragmatic, soulless adherence to the sensible that has nullified this glorious game it makes you want to stand up and whoop your fist in the air.

That Roy Keane fails to see the romance in this is wholly unsurprising.

Ranieri said post-Chelsea defeat: “My players made the world crazy with what happened last season. All the world was behind us”. And we were. We invested not only in the incredible events but in the ethos behind it. Leicester haven’t sold out on that or us. They have gone for it. They have realised this probably won’t ever happen to them or their supporters ever again and they’ve gone for it. I for one celebrate that.

The third paragraph was written matter-of-factly: that Leicester City are topping Group G and are now clear favourites to progress to the last 16. It has only been five short months since Wes Morgan held aloft the Premier League crown just seven years after they languished in the third tier of English football yet already the achievement has been dulled to fact. We shouldn’t forget however – and nor should Roy – that this is not a normal situation where the usual rules apply. This is chapter two of a fairy tale.

Where were you when the Berlin wall fell? I was penniless, naked and spent the majority of that day evacuating my bowel. I was two. For so many seminal moments in World History, I have no answer to give regarding my whereabouts when Kennedy was shot, when Armstrong walked on the moon or when Dirty Den handed Angie the divorce papers in Eastenders. As is the case for many of us, “where were you when David Beckham scored that free kick against Greece?” will have to suffice

Picture the scene: it’s 2001, England have demolished Germany 5-1 in Munich and now stand a single point against lowly Greece away from qualification for the World Cup in Japan and Korea. Shockingly, England have failed to show up for their big day and trail 1-2 heading into injury time. If you weren’t aware, that bloke who models tighty whities for H&M, was a footballer back then. David Beckham was probably the best we had at the time, certainly the best that day and it is he who finds himself standing over the ball, 30 yards from Greek goalkeeper-cum-George Clooney lookalike Antonis Nikopolidis. Beckham was known for his trademark swerving free kicks, yet curiously, only scored a small percentage of them.

Still, there is no one else the England fans would rather have with a sight on goal in this moment. The ink is still wet on the morning headlines that read ‘Greek Tragedy’ when deafening silence suddenly turns to pandemonium as a deft ball is curled around a wall of blue and into the top corner. David Beckham’s name was etched into sporting folklore and the fans left Old Trafford eternally grateful that day… but should they have been?

How’s this for a theory? David Beckham’s free kick was the worst thing to happen to the English national team since Graham Taylor. Consider the fact that if England had lost that day, they would have faced a two-legged play-off against Ukraine. An intimidating Kiev atmosphere aside, Ukraine certainly weren’t oozing talent and had just emerged as runners-up from a qualifying group containing Wales, Belarus, Norway and Armenia. Just as Germany did, England would have easily disposed of them over 180 minutes. Should that set of circumstances unfolded, England and Germany would have swapped places in the draw for the finals in 2002. Could this have been the alternate fate of Sven’s men?…

England v Saudi Arabia (Group E)

Sapporo Dome, Japan, 1st June 2002

Group E kicks off with England facing one of the worst sides to ever turn up to a World Cup. Haiti were rotten, El Salvador hummed but Saudi Arabia absolutely stunk. England manage to Sheik them off 4-0 without ever getting out of first gear. The perfect start.

Real score: Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia

England v Rep Ireland (Group E)

Kashima Soccer Stadium, Japan, 5th June 2002

England go into their second match suffering from overconfidence. The fans at home have had this one circled on their wall charts for months. However, Mick McCarthy’s side boast a togetherness and spirit that makes them a match for anyone on their day. Sure enough, arrogance gets the better of England’s superstars and they find themselves 1-0 down at half time. A late surge sees England salvage a point thanks to Trevor Sinclair – because, you know, why not? Food for thought.

Real score: Germany 1-1 Rep Ireland

England v Cameroon (Group E)

Shizuoka Stadium, Japan, 11th June 2002.

With the score goalless at halftime, England have started the game against their African counterparts in cagey fashion after their Irish humbling. Qualification hangs in the balance but Beckham and Co hit their stride in the second half, eventually running out 2-0 winners. Failure to win the group would have meant facing Spain in the next round, but England will be quietly delighted that Paraguay lie in wait instead.

Real score: Germany 2-0 Cameroon

England v Paraguay (Round of 16)

Jeju World Cup Stadium, South Korea, 15th June 2002

A nice change of scenery as England swap Japan for Korea. The game proves to be an extremely drab affair without England looking in any real danger. 1-0 in extra time.

Real score: Germany 1-0 Paraguay

England v USA (Quarter Final)

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, 21st June 2002

Having conceded only once in the tournament so far and with only the USA and Spain/South Korea standing between England and a first World Cup final since 1966, expectation levels swell to boiling point. Thousands back home have pulled sickies at work and school assembly halls fill to the brim with hopeful, yet pessimistic children. “Surely, this is too good to be true?” a nation ponders. Thankfully, England find their groove at the perfect point in the competition and leave the Yanks seeing stars and stripes in a 3-0 rout.

Real score: Germany 1-0 USA

England v South Korea (Semi Final)

Seoul World Cup Stadium, Korea, 25th June 2002 

Matters only get better for England as the only surviving hosts; South Korea, emerge triumphant from a penalty shootout with Spain. Surely, there’ll be no repeat of our well-documented semi-final heartache this time? Holidays and weddings are cancelled as England march into a 2-0 lead with the efficiency and precision of a North Korean army. Remember, this is England after all. The Koreans, buoyed by the home support hit back after an hour before a controversial late equaliser is gifted to them by a linesman failing/refusing to spot an elbow on David Seaman in the build-up. With penalties looming, talk of witchcraft and curses are etched on the lips of England fans worldwide. Are the brave Three Lions really doomed to fall at this hurdle on penalties for all eternity? Not today! The final proves to be a step too far for the plucky Koreans and their team of linesmen. England have done it! Motson says something memorable but culturally inaccurate about dragons.

Real score: Germany 1-0 South Korea

England v Brazil (Final)

Yokohama International Stadium, Japan, 30th June 2002

Prior to kick off, the England players stalk the halfway line on the pitch of their 7th different stadium this tournament. Each take in the sights and smells of what could be the venue for the greatest day of their lives before it all becomes a dizzying blur. Their heads wish they were playing Turkey but their hearts know it has to be Brazil. This is how they imagined it. England have been impressive, even dazzling at times but neither the stats, nor the fact that they are playing the weakest Brazil team in generations, can prepare them for kick-off.

A frenetic opening few minutes sees Rivaldo give Brazil an early lead. Queen Elizabeth sheds a single tear. But England weather the storm and are fortunate not to be 5-0 down at half time. The second half sees the real England we’ve grown to know and love this summer emerge from the tunnel and put the Brazilians on the back foot. Eventually, the towering head of Sol Campbell meets the ball from a Beckham corner and England start to believe as a satisfying ripple is heard from the back of the net. Brazil are masters in the art of winning a World Cup and they refuse to submit as Ronaldinho causes England’s defence all kinds of problems. That is, until the 90th minute when the buck-toothed wonder proves his defensive qualities aren’t as potent as his attack and makes a rash challenge on the edge of the Brazil penalty box. Red card. Free kick. 30 yards. David Beckham….

Real score: Germany 0-2 Brazil

What happens next is irrelevant. England would have surpassed the achievements of any side since 1966. England may have lost to Brazil in real life but that was only because of a Seaman mistake and anything can happen in a final, especially against a side that scraped through qualification for that tournament by three points. Who knows? The scenario up until that point is more assured, based on the fact that Germany were a team reeling from a group stage exit at Euro 2000 and one that was finally dismantled after failing at the same stage in Euro 2004. They managed to reach the final but Sven Goran Eriksson had far more talent at his disposal. If England’s captain had saved his moment of magic for a slightly grander occasion, I wouldn’t mind betting that your children may well be asking you “where were you when David Beckham scored that free kick against Brazil?”

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]