Dortmund’s Klopp out to silence Arsenal

LONDON - Ruhr valley rivals Borussia Dortmund and Schalke renew acquaintance with London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea for crucial Champions League matches Wednesday.Dortmund’s 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium two weeks ago and Chelsea’s 3-0 victory in Gelsenkirchen have left their respective groups in the balance with three group-stage games remaining.Dortmund have now got the edge in Group F, with both Arsenal and Napoli to visit the 80 645-capacity Signal Iduna Park fortress, with all three teams on six points.Juergen Klopp’s side - beaten by Bayern Munich in last season’s final -are seeking an eight successive home win in the Champions League.Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga, a point behind Bayern, have never lost a home game against an English side in its European cup history -with a record of four wins and three draws.The Premier League leaders might be happy enough with a point, having carelessly thrown away at least a draw at the Emirates Stadium when Robert Lewandowski hit a late winner for the Bundesliga side.Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta summed up the feeling at the club by saying it was a match the Gunners should not have lost.“No (they weren’t the better team), we conceded a goal when we were on top in the game, and were likely to score a second to kill the game,” the Spaniard told the club’s website.Arsenal are confident after a 2-0 defeat of Liverpool Saturday allowed Arsene Wenger’s side to open a five-pont lead at the top of the Premier League.“It is a massive game again (in Dortmund). We knew this week was going to be very tough, so beating Liverpool is a good way to start it. Dortmund will be a very different game, with the way they play, so we will have to get ready for it,” he said.Arsenal will be without midfielder Jack Wilshere, who has an ankle injury, but in-form midfielder Aaron Ramsey believes they are well-equipped to get a result. Dortmund have had a day longer to rest, having thrashed VfB Stuttgart 6-1 Friday, Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick.Another home win would be a huge step towards the last 16 on a night when Serie A side Napoli are at home to Olympique Marseille, who have lost all three games.Group E is also close, with Chelsea and Schalke now level on six points, two ahead of Basle, who greet Steaua Bucharest.Chelsea were clinical in their 3-0 win in Gelsenkirchen, with two goals from Fernando Torres before a third from Eden Hazard.However the Blues were beaten 2-0 at Newcastle Saturday while improving Schalke won 2-0 at Hertha Berlin and have now climbed to sixth in the Bundesliga.Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he will make changes to his starting line-up. “I don’t know my best team because we have this kind of performance,” he said after the Newcastle defeat.Schalke hope to have striker Adam Szalai fit after the Hungarian had to undergo minor surgery on an ear after taking a knock in the defeat of Hertha.

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Dortmund’s Klopp out to silence Arsenal