Udinese vs. Arsenal: Assessing Key Battles in the Champions League Playoff

As Arsenal look to secure qualification for the 2011-12 Champions League, they will be tasked with a very tough tie against Udinese in Udine.

The Italians proved to be a very tricky side in the first leg, and they dominated play for long stretches while slicing through the Arsenal defence like a scalpel through a wedge of cheese.

If the Gunners are to advance in a hostile environment, stifling Udinese's potent attack will be crucial, and the task will be made more difficult by the inexperience of the team that is travelling due to injuries and Arsene Wenger's inexplicable stinginess.

The good news, though, is that Robin van Persie is back to score goals and to alleviate some of the pressure on the defence by doing so and adding to the 1-0 advantage that Arsenal already has.

With that, here are some key match-ups that will determine the tie and seal Arsenal's Champions League fate. 

Alex Song vs. Kwadwo Asamoah

During the first leg at the Emirates, the young Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah showed himself to be an electrifying midfield man at times, and frequently wreaked havoc in the Arsenal defence with his incisive runs.

Tasked with matching him in midfield will be Arsenal's Alex Song, whose domestic ban still leaves him eligible to play in European competition.

Song's strength and commanding presence in front of the back four will be crucial to stopping the lively Asamoah in his tracks before he can torment the likes of Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen or slip a ball through to Antonio Di Natale.

Asamoah is a player that I would not mind seeing in an Arsenal shirt, but while he is still wearing the black and white of Udinese, it will be crucial for the Gunners to have Alex Song at his rested best suppressing any threat and holding play in midfield.

Theo Walcott vs. Joel Ekstrand

After getting booked within 50 seconds of the kickoff, Joel Ekstrand proved himself to be a very volatile player throughout the first leg, which is exactly what Theo Walcott needs to exploit.

If not played centrally (as he should be, but that's another article), Theo Walcott should have fun tormenting the inexperienced 22-year-old Sweden international for 90 straight minutes.

The Englishman proved to be the Gunners' most threatening player throughout the first leg, and without his goal, Arsenal would be in a much worse position heading into their away tie in Italy.

Walcott's pace and incisive runs could prove crucial to Arsenal's success in attack, and scoring one or two goals early will be crucial to giving the defence some breathing room and putting the Gunners into the group stages.

Pablo Armero vs. Bacary Sagna

Udinese's little Ecuadorian right back was arguably the most consistently dangerous player for the Italians during the first leg, as he was constantly running straight at—and many times through—the Arsenal defence.

The man tasked with stopping Armero's blazing runs and quickness will most likely be Bacary Sagna, who again will be forced to play out of position at left back due to injuries to Kieran Gibbs and Armand Traore and Wenger's reluctance to spend on a reliable left back.

The good news, though, is that Sagna is defensively inclined, and he certainly possesses the ability to stifle the threat of the pesky Armero.

If he does his job well, Udinese will look a much less threatening side and the whole back four will be relieved of a significant amount of pressure.

Robin Van Persie vs. Danilo

Arsenal will be tremendously boosted by the return of Robin van Persie to the side from suspension, and he will be tasked with doing what Marouane Chamakh seems perpetually unable to do nowadays: score goals.

If the Dutchman can chip in with one or two of his clinical strikes, it will go a long way towards settling down the whole squad and providing the Gunners with more freedom and breathing room with which to play.

But standing next to van Persie at all times will be Udinese's strong Brazilian center back Danilo, who had little trouble stifling Chamakh but will face a much tougher test against a quality striker.

Much of van Persie's success hinges on service from midfield, but his one-on-one battles with the Brazilian Danilo may prove crucial to determining whether Udinese will sink or swim during the crucial second leg.

Thomas Vermaelen vs. Antonio Di Natale

The premier matchup.

Antonio Di Natale looked to be Udinese's most potent attack threat during the first leg, toying with the back line using tricky dribbling and clever runs in tight spaces.

Luckily, Arsenal have Thomas Vermaelen, who was fantastic during the first leg, as the tricky little Udinese captain came close to picking Arsenal apart on multiple occasions.

Indeed, they probably would have been in the Verminator had not been there to thwart the Italian's trickery. 

Beyond marking Di Natale, Vermaelen will also be tasked with leading the inexperienced back line, which is likely to include Carl Jenkinson and Johan Djourou. The experienced and wily Di Natale will no doubt look to exploit this, and Vermaelen's commanding presence will go a long way towards frustrating him.

Simply put, this is most exciting and crucial matchup in the tie, and Arsenal's ability or inability to stifle Italy's top scorer rests firmly on the shoulders of Thomas Vermaelen, for better or worse.

Whether those shoulders will be able to bear the burden will go a long way towards determining which team qualifies for the Champions League.