"Arsene Wenger's magic, he wears a magic hat, and when he saw the Champions League he said 'I fancy that,'" is a chant often heard coming from the fans at the Emirates on European nights. However, so far, the closest Wenger has come to winning the famous trophy with Arsenal was back in 2006 when his side finished as runners-up to the mighty Barcelona.
This season, Wenger's side has made a promising start to their domestic campaign, emerging from a tough trip away at Blackburn Rovers with all three points, and Wenger has suggested that his Arsenal players are now ready to make the step up into Europe's elite, even if the Champions League betting odds make them outsiders.
Of course, the side isn't without its problems. The squad still looks thin at the back, while captain Cesc Fabregas had his head turned by Barcelona this summer and main striker Robin van Persie is already injured. From the outside, it would seem Arsenal cannot claim they have a squad stronger than the one that received a footballing lesson from Barcelona last season.
However, with Wenger having shown himself capable of getting the best out of his squad, and with the young Arsenal players continuing to improve every year, Arsenal fans will still believe that their side is fully capable of overcoming the Champions League betting odds and triumphing in the competition.
With rivals Tottenham Hotspur taking part in the Champions League for the first time, Arsenal have additional motivation to get further than their North London rivals in the Champions League this season, and any failure to do so is likely to be greeted with anger by the Gunners fans.
However, supporters of Arsenal will take comfort from the fact the Carling Cup odds suggest Spurs are more likely to win that competition than taking Europe by storm.
And given the fact the two sides face each other in the next round of the League Cup, Arsene Wenger will have an excellent chance to dent Tottenham's trophy prospects.
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