The Champions League challenge

The draw for the Champions League Group Stages has been concluded placing Arsenal (seeded 1st) in Group F alongside Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli.

This will prove a stern test for the Gunners who have often had little trouble in qualifying to the knockout rounds of the competition. Of course I don't think there are many fans who believe the club have the capabilities to win the Champions League just yet, but I am concerned, looking at Group F, that Arsenal will even be able to go on past the groups.

Arsenal struggled against Napoli in the Emirates Cup earlier in the summer, as both sides battled to a 2-2 draw (which included a Giroud overhead kick). Of course that was pre-season and Arsenal didn't look ready for the new season at that point, as proved two weeks later in their opening day disaster against Aston Villa.

Higuain featured that afternoon; the striker reportedly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, before moving to the Italian side. He was booed, and I am sure he will be again when the sides meet in the Champions League. They looked good on the attack, showing the vulnerabilities in Arsenal's lacklustre defence.

Dortmund meanwhile have the likes of Subotic, Hummels, Bender, Blasczczykowski, and Lewandowski and German teams, as we are seeing, are making names for themselves in modern football. They finished second in the Bundesliga last year and were runners up against Bayern Munich in last year's Champions League final which they lost 2-1. Of course the last time we came close to the cup was the final of 2006, but let's not linger our thoughts there.

Flamini re-signs on a three-year deal

In other news, Flamini has signed for the club, making his second spell with Arsenal. He had been training in pre-season after completing his contract with AC Milan, who he signed for in 2008. The 29-year-old is a versatile midfielder who can also play at either left or right back, and I think all Arsenal fans will be pleased to have him back.

Of course supporters still want money to be spent, but time continues to be against Arsene, who has reiterated he is still looking to spend big before Monday's deadline.

2013/14 Champions League Group Draw:

Group A - Manchester United; Shakhtar Donetsk; Bayer Leverkusen; Real Sociedad.

Group B - Real Madrid; Juventus; Galatasary; Copenhagen.

Group C - Benfica; PSG; Olympiakos; Anderlecht.

Group D - Bayern Munich; CSKA Moscow; Manchester City; Viktoria Plzen.

Group E - Chelsea; Schalke; Basel; Steaua Bucharest.

Group F - Arsenal; Marseille; Borussia Dortmund; Napoli.

Group G - Porto; Atletico Madrid; Zenit St. Petersburg; Austria Vienna.

Group H - Barcelona; AC Milan; Ajax; Celtic.  

The draw is made in Monaco