Borussia Dortmund vs. Arsenal: Comparing Robert Lewandowski and Olivier Giroud

Last year’s beaten finalists, Borussia Dortmund, welcome Arsenal to Westfalenstadion in Germany for their crucial Group F clash on Wednesday night.

Both sides currently sit tied with Napoli on six points, and they will be desperate to keep the pressure on the Italian side, who host Marseille in Matchweek 4.

Robert Lewandowski (3) and Olivier Giroud (2) are their team’s top goalscorers in the group stages of the competition, and when the game kicks off at 7:45 p.m. GMT, both sets of fans will be expecting big performances from their front men.

	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Giroud	13	7	4
Lewandowski	15	13	4

Lewandowski and Giroud lead the line for their respective clubs, but there are notable differences in the way each player goes about their business.

Lewandowski is a born finisher. He operates on the shoulder of the last man, and he can shake off a defender in an instant through intelligent movement rather than sheer speed.

The Polish forward is an old-school No. 9 with a knack of being in the right place at the right time. His off the ball movement in and around the area is exquisite, and he creates space in areas where he has no right, as demonstrated in his four-goal haul against Real Madrid last season.

Lewandowski can often appear casual in front of goal, but his lacklustre manner is due to his impeccable composure rather than laziness or over confidence. His delicate first touch bides him time, and he is unflappable when he gets a look at goal, in the way Ruud van Nistelrooy used to be when he was at the peak of his powers at Manchester United.

The majority of his goals come from inside the box, and he benefits from being the lone front man in a team of selfless players.

The stats offer an accurate account of what the Ballon d’Or nominee can do. In 45 appearances for BVB last season, Lewandowski netted 35 times from 162 shots—per ESPN—which demonstrates just how clinical he is.

One of Lewandowski’s biggest contributions to Jurgen Klopp’s side, however, is his ability to draw fouls. In his 45 appearances in the 2012-13 season, he was fouled 100 times—per ESPN—handing his team possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Giroud was incomparable to Lewandowski last season, but the Frenchman has come on massively in recent months. His confidence has risen dramatically, and he is now one of the first names on Arsene Wenger’s team sheet each week.

Giroud’s importance to the Gunners was notable by his absence in Arsenal’s 0-2 defeat to Chelsea in the Capital One Cup last week. He may not rack up the numbers that Lewandowski boasts, but Giroud spearheads his team’s attacks, and his overall influence on his side is just as important.

While Lewandowski looks to get in behind the last defender, Giroud prefers to take the ball with his back to goal. His ability to hold up possession while under pressure is second to none, and the majority of Arsenal’s attacking play goes through him.

It could be argued that Giroud’s most vital contribution to Arsenal is his link up play rather than his goalscoring ability. He is the pivot point at the top of the Gunner’s attack, and he brings his teammates into play with deft touches and lay-offs.

Last season, Giroud scored 17 in 35 appearances while bagging 10 assists—per ESPN. This season, he has already found the net seven times with four assists to his name.

At 6’3’’, Giroud possesses a greater aerial threat than Lewandowski, although the Frenchman spends most of his time with the ball at his feet due to Arsenal’s preference of playing with the ball on the ground.

Both players are coming into Wednesday’s game high on confidence. Giroud has experienced a resurgence in form this season, while Lewandowski netted a hat-trick—his fourth for the club—in Dortmund’s victory over VfB Stuttgart at the weekend.

Both Lewandowski and Giroud are more likely to score a tap in than a cracker from outside the box, but come Wednesday night, neither Wenger nor Klopp will mind how the ball crosses the line.