Arsenal will be hoping to improve upon their recent record in the Champions League when they start their group stage campaign against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners have been knocked out in the last 16 of the tournament for the past five seasons, but they will be encouraged by the promising opening that they have made in the Premier League.

Dinamo Zagreb

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Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb have enjoyed great success in their domestic league over the past two decades, but they have rarely been able to transfer that form to European competition.

They have never before made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League, and after being drawn against Arsenal and Bayern Munich, many fans will be expecting them to compete with Olympiacos for third spot in the group.

This will mark the club's third appearance in the group stage in the past five years, but on the last two occasions they have been dumped out of Europe after finishing rock bottom.

Zagreb have lost 11 of their previous 12 games in the group stage, and the last time that they managed even a point was when they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Dynamo Kiev three years ago.

However, they have begun their domestic campaign in fine form and currently sit top of the league after going unbeaten in their first nine matches. The most recent of those was a 4-0 win over NK Lokomotiva last Friday, which saw them take their tally to 10 goals in the past three games.

Recent form: WWDWWW

Arsenal

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The Gunners are embarking on their 16th straight season in the group stage of the Champions League, but European success has proved elusive for long-serving manager Arsene Wenger.

The closest that they have come to lifting the trophy was during the final in 2006, where Barcelona came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory at the Stade de France.

An appearance in the semi-finals followed three years later, but in the past five seasons they have been unable to make it beyond the last 16, after a number of poor first-leg displays that they have failed to recover from.

It was the same story last season, as the Gunners were handed a favourable draw when they were paired against Monaco. However, they stumbled to a 3-1 defeat at the Emirates, and despite winning 2-0 at the Stade Louis II, the damage had already been done.

Wenger will be hoping that his team can finally achieve their potential this season, and they have begun their Premier League campaign in positive fashion, after recovering from an opening-day defeat to West Ham United to win three of their last four games.

They warmed up for their trip to Zagreb by claiming a 2-0 victory over Stoke City at the weekend, with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud both finding the net to move them up to fourth in the league table.

Recent form: WLWDWW

Team News

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Arsenal are expected to name the same side that beat Stoke on Saturday afternoon, with Walcott keeping his place in the attack.

Gabriel Paulista will also continue alongside Laurent Koscielny in the heart of the defence, as Per Mertesacker has not travelled with the squad after being involved in a car crash on Monday.

Long-term absentees Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky are still ruled out, while Jack Wilshere requires surgery on a hairline fracture on his left leg and is set to be out of action for another three months.

Meanwhile, Zagreb have no fresh injury worries, with former Manchester United striker Angelo Henriquez expected to lead their attack.

Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup:
Eduardo, Pinto, Taraval, Sigali, Pivaric, Rog, Antolic, Machado, Pjaca, Hodzic, Henriquez

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott

Head To Head

These teams last played each other in the third qualifying round of the Champions League nine years ago, with Arsenal coming out on top.

The Gunners eased to a 3-0 victory away from home, and despite an early goal from former Arsenal star Eduardo da Silva at the Emirates, they recovered to earn a 2-1 win to seal their place in the group stage.

We say: Dinamo Zagreb 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal have started the season well, and although they are not scoring freely, they have been solid at the back and have been able to grind out results. Their opponents are also in good form, but the Champions League should prove to be a major step up for the Croatians, which is why we are tipping the Gunners to claim a vital win.

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