By DAN KARELL
Life on the pitch is going quite swimmingly for Arsenal following their 2-0 victory against Liverpool last Saturday.
Now in the middle of their most difficult stretch of the season thus far, the high-flying Gunners travel to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund, a team that defeated them two weeks ago, 2-1. It was a scoreline that flattered Arsenal, as the German club dominated large portions of the game and showed how far Arsenal still has to go. The English club will be without Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs, but the real question of the match will be to see if they’re thinking about Sunday’s massive encounter with Manchester United.
A slumping AC Milan side is facing a crisis period as it travels to face Spanish giants Barcelona. Lionel Messi hasn’t scored in four La Liga matches but his last goal did come against the Italian side, which lost at home last Sunday to Fiorentina, dropping the club to 11th in the table. Mario Balotelli is also looking to exit a goal-scoring slump of his own.
Also on Wednesday’s UCL slate, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea host Jermaine Jones and FC Schalke, Atletico Madrid and striker Diego Costa host Austria Wien, and Celtic travels to play Dutch champions Ajax.
Here is a rundown of today’s UEFA Champions League action:
12pm – Zenit vs. Porto – Fox Soccer Plus/Fox Deportes
2:45pm – Barcelona vs. AC Milan – Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes
2:45pm – Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal – Fox Sports 2
2:45pm – Chelsea vs. Schalke 04 – Fox Soccer Plus
2:45pm – Ajax vs. Celtic – Fox Sports Net/MSG Plus
2:45pm – Atletico Madrid vs. Austria Wien – Fox Soccer 2Go
2:45pm – Napoli vs. Marseille – Fox Soccer 2Go
2:45pm – Basel vs. Steaua Bucharest – Fox Soccer 2Go