And so it has come down to this. Arsenal, after 16 successive seasons of reaching the second stage of the Champions League, could achieve victory at the Emirates Stadium tonight and still see that proud tradition come to an end. Only Real Madrid can better that record of uninterrupted progression from the opening group phase of Europe’s premier club competition. Arsenal are staring at an early elimination in front of their fans for the first time since their ill-fated experiment of playing at Wembley from 1998-2000. Their fate is not in their hands.

They must defeat Dynamo Zagreb tonight, but even that would not be enough if Olympiacos continue to astound and manage to achieve a point away to Bayern Munich, the leaders in group