A grey day for gloomy Wenger

"We must be more assertive both in defence and attack. We can bring a lot of mental belief to this game from our away form in the league. There should be no difference.

"Football is football. It shouldn't matter if it's Europe or the Premiership. If we were not successful away in the league, I could understand it. The players are conscious of the problem.They know it is strange."

Sitting alongside his manager, Giovanni van Bronckhorst made all the right noises. The Dutch midfielder at least has good memories of the Bay Arena, having won here with Rangers four years ago.

"We are really fighting for our cause," he said gamely.

"We're up for it. We have collective strength in adversity. In the last month we have really bonded together and the spirit is really high. Hopefully we can keep that going to the end of the season.

"It means we do what's best for the team, not what's best for each of us.

"So normally I play midfield but sometimes I play left-back if that's what's needed. That's what Arsenal is all about at the moment. But our away form in Europe is strange. We have to change it now."

At least Arsenal's form during the 10-week Champions League hiatus suggests they may be equipped to stop the puzzling rot.

They are unbeaten in 12 league and cup games stretching back two months and have failed to score only once in their last 20 outings.

Dennis Bergkamp has made the 540-mile overland journey to Germany and will surely make a rare European away start for Arsenal, most likely alongside Thierry Henry.

Maybe Bergkamp's presence will permit Arsenal at last to break their duck. Otherwise the Gunners' European away form will be well on the road to becoming a mental albatross around their necks and a one-goal start to the opposition.

Even if they do crack the code this time, then perhaps the key game will not be so much this one - welcome as a win would be - but the next away match, for that would be the game to prove once and for all that they are rid of the monkey on their backs.

Perhaps that thought is playing on Wenger's mind, for the match in question will be against Juventus next month.

If Arsenal are required to replay the much maligned FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle, then that Juventus match will become their seventh in 19 days.

Little wonder Wenger's mood was as unpleasant as the German drizzle.