UEFA Champions League Draw: Analyzing Arsenal's Matchup Against Udinese

Though Arsenal supporters would surely have wanted to bypass the qualifying stages for the Champions League, their collapse at the end of last season relegated them to a fourth-place finish.

With that comes the inconvenience of having to go through the qualifying rounds of the Champions League just to get to the lucrative group stages.

Since the qualifying games are sandwiched between Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United, a good draw was crucial for Arsenal.

And while Arsenal certainly could have been given an easier route, its draw against Udinese is not the worst the Gunners could have gotten. In fact, it actually could prove to be a rare bit of luck.

On the surface, Udinese may seem like quite a tough opponent. After all, in a draw that could have yielded FC Zurich, facing a quality Italian club seems like a bit of misfortune. However, teams are at this stage because of their success last season, and Udinese stand no chance of replicating that this year.

Specifically, there are three gaping holes in their squad that were left by the departures of their three best players: Alexis Sanchez, Christian Zapata and Gokhan Inler.

The loss of this trio of players will surely be devastating to a club like Udinese, especially that of a world-class player like Sanchez to Barca.

When you eliminate the three main reasons that Udinese are in the position they are now, it makes it quite hard to picture them advancing into the most prestigious club tournament in the world.

Arsenal have their own problems to contend with, though. Arsene Wenger, Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri are suspended for their conduct in the 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and no one knows whether Cesc Fabregas will play.

He will most likely not, however, as the minute he steps onto the field, he is cup-tied for the rest of the season. Barcelona would probably not take to that gesture very well.

Add to that the fact that both games are midweek clashes and that they are sandwiched between fixtures against Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool, and Arsenal find themselves in quite a sticky situation.

It could have been worse, though. A fixture at the Emirates followed by a trip to Italy is a far better situation than being faced with a tricky Rubin Kazan side that is as unpredictable as Alex Song's hairstyle.

So though it certainly could have turned out better for Arsenal, the Gunners should consider themselves lucky after their draw against Udinese.

Look for a comprehensive home win, followed by another classy performance in Italy to finish the job and get Arsenal into the group stages for the 14th consecutive year.

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