Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb will meet at the Emirates on Tuesday knowing that their Champions League fate is out of their hands.
Both sides need a victory in this fixture to close the six-point gap to the two sides above them in Group F, while that a draw between Bayern Munich and Olympiacos would eliminate both.
Arsenal
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Arsenal's Champions League campaign has been an uphill battle this season, with the Gunners having to play catch-up since suffering a 2-1 defeat to Zagreb in their opening fixture of the campaign.
Arsene Wenger's side briefly gave themselves hope at the halfway point, beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in London, but they were thrashed 5-1 by the German champions last time out, leaving them bottom in Group F.
Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires has admitted that he is concerned about the team's chances of reaching the last 16, with a fixture against second-placed Olympiacos still to come after this match.
There was disappointment for the team in the Premier League at the weekend though as Arsenal let a lead slip in their 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Arsenal have conceded more goals than any other side in their group in the Champions League, letting in 10 in their first four fixtures, while keeping just one clean sheet.
The Gunners have scored in all of their matches though, netting six times in total, with two each from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud, who was sent off in the opening fixture.
Recent form: LWLLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WLWLDL
Dinamo Zagreb
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Dinamo Zagreb made a bright start to the group stage of the competition, beating Arsenal in their opening fixture, but they have lost all three of their outings since then.
Two narrow defeats to Olympiacos in their last two matches have all but ended the Croatian side's hopes of reaching the next stage of the competition, but a win over Arsenal would send Zagreb into the Europa League.
Since their last outing in Europe's top club competition, Dinamo have secured back-to-back domestic wins, defeating Slaven Koprivinica 2-1 in their first outing since the international break.
This week's visitors have been the least prolific in front of goal in Group F, netting just three times in four matches, including just once in their last three fixtures.
Defending has also been a struggle for Dinamo, with the side yet to keep a clean sheet in the group, while letting in nine goals, just one more than this week's opponents.
Zagreb have never progressed from the group stage in four previous attempts, with this being their first appearance at this round of the competition since 2012.
Recent form: WWWLLL
Recent form (all competitions): LWLLWW
Team News
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Arsenal have been hampered by a string of injuries in the early part of this season, and still have a number of players sidelined for this match, including Francis Coquelin, who suffered a knee injury in the loss to West Brom at the weekend.
Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are among the other absentees, but Aaron Ramsey will be in the squad after picking up a hamstring problem in the win over Bayern last month.
The visitors will be without Josip Pivaric after he was sent off in their last outing, while Arijan Ademi, who featured in the reverse fixture, has been handed a four-year ban after failing a drugs test.
Captain Domagoj Antolic is available again though after missing time with a back injury, but Gordon Schildenfeld is still out as he recovers from a long-term thigh problem.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Sanchez, Ozil, Ramsey, Gibbs, Giroud
Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup:
Eduardo, Pinto, Sigali, Taravel, Musa, Machado, Antolic, Rog, Soudani, Fernandez, Pjaca
Head To Head
Zagreb ended their 16-year wait for a group-stage win when the sides met in Croatia earlier in the competition, securing a 2-1 victory over the Gunners.
Current Dinamo manager Zoran Mamic captained the side when the teams met in a qualifying round in the 2006-07 season, which Arsenal won 5-1 on aggregate, winning both legs of the tie.
We say: Arsenal 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb
Arsenal will be desperate to keep their hopes of European football in the New Year alive, and the potential return of Aaron Ramsey will be a much-needed boost for the Gunners following a difficult couple of weeks. Scoring has been a real problem for Dinamo in this campaign, while they are yet to keep a clean sheet, making a home win the most likely outcome.
Sian Cowper
