Arsene Wenger wary of Basel’s Champions League threat as Gunners bid to move on from humbling of Chelsea
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is wary of the threat posed by reigning Swiss champions Basel as the Gunners bid to establish themselves as Group A frontrunners during their Champions League clash on Wednesday.
Basel have been crowned Swiss title winners in eight out of the past nine seasons and their back catalogue of European victories includes toppling Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
“It’s a team that dominated the Swiss championship for many years and have had excellent results in England,” said Wenger. “They’ve beaten everybody in England – Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
“I don’t expect them to be intimidated at all. On the other hand, they have nothing to lose as well. That’s always dangerous.”
All four teams in Group A are locked on one point, with Arsenal having drawn against Paris Saint-Germain during the opening round of fixtures, while Wenger is keen for his side to build on Saturday’s Premier League humbling of Chelsea.
“The humility is to accept that you have to start from scratch again,” added the Frenchman. “We had a good game on Saturday but let’s show that we can go from good game to good game, and put the effort in every single game.”
Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is set to be sidelined for three weeks with the knee he sustained on Saturday, while striker Olivier Giroud is suspended.