Udinese vs. Arsenal: TV Schedule, Game Time, Analysis and More

Where: Stadio Friuli

When: Wednesday, August 24th, at 2:30 p.m. (EST)

Watch: Fox Soccer Channel in USA; Setanta Sports in Canada

Arsenal is set to travel to Italy to take on Serie A side Udinese in the second leg of a UEFA Champions League playoff. The Gunners opened the playoff series with a 1-0 home victory, but are going to need to play just as well in this match if they want to advance to the group stages of the Champions League.

They have disappointed in their last two matches against Newcastle and Liverpool, and will need to put together a more well-rounded effort in this match.

On the other hand, Udinese will be fresh as they have not played since their match at Emirates Stadium. They will certainly have fresh legs in this match, and this could easily be a trap game for the Gunners. 

Biggest Storyline: Will Arsenal Avoid the Red Card?

Arsenal appears to enjoy getting red cards so far in the English Premier League. They have played two matches and have picked up two red cards on immature plays. Gervinho received a red card for smacking Joey Barton, while Emmanuel Frimpong was red carded after picking up his second yellow card.

If the Gunners pick up another red card in this match, things could get extremely ugly for Arsenal. They put forth a terrible effort after Frimpong picked up the red card against Liverpool, and could ill afford to have that happen against Udinese. 

Player to Watch for Arsenal: Robin van Persie

If Arsenal is going to come away with a favorable result against Udinese, they are going to need van Persie to play a solid match.

He led the Gunners in goals last season and they need him to be more explosive on offense in this match.

His teammates need to get him the ball in space for him to be effective, as he does not do a very good job of going to get the ball. However, when he has the ball he is lethal and can score from nearly anywhere on the pitch. 

Player to Watch for Udinese: Antonio Di Natale

Was it really a question? Di Natale is the engine of this team's attack. He registered 28 goals for the club in Serie A last year, while no one else had more than 12. 

If Udinese is going to have any chance at winning this match, Di Natale will have to create some offense for the Italian side. If he can register a goal, the potential is there for this club to advance to the group stages.

Key Matchup: Di Natale vs. Arsenal's Depleted Back Line

The status of Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou is still up in the air for the upcoming trip to Italy; they both missed the EPL match against Liverpool this weekend.

Carl Jenkinson and Wojciech Szczesny were forced into action against the Reds and did a solid job on Andy Carroll, but they couldn't handle the skill of Luis Suarez following Frimpong's red card.

If Jenkinson and Szczesny are called into action again, Di Natale may be able to have his way against the Arsenal back line.

What They're Saying

Udinese star Di Natale has all but said this it the biggest game in his professional career. Di Natale spoke with the Gazzetta dello Sport about how big of a match this is for Udinese. ESPN has the translation.

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I think this is the biggest game of all existence of Udinese. I can think of only the match against Ajax in 1997, but that was played in the UEFA Cup, while here we are in the Champions League.

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While Udinese is confident and focused, Arsenal are trying to pick up the pieces after their 2-0 loss to Liverpool. Gunners boss Arsene Wagner discussed with The Daily Mail the fact that his team is extremely young but very talented, and that they can certainly succeed in both the EPL and the Champions League.

 However, The Daily Mail seems to think that Arsenal may be more concerned with the financial implications of the Champions League than anything else.

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Defeat by Udinese will cost the club at least £25million in lost revenue and more in lost prestige. It will do nothing to attract new players at a time when they cannot take a top-four finish for granted.

At worst, this could be Arsenal's last involvement in the Champions League for some time.

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Final Score:

Arsenal 1
Udinese 1