Wenger on edge after Arsenal slip

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal's 2-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund has left his side's bid to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages on a knife-edge.

Wenger's team lost their 100 percent record in Group F as Robert Lewandowski's late winner stunned the Gunners and ended their 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan had put Dortmund ahead early in the first half and, although Olivier Giroud equalised before the interval, Wenger conceded Arsenal had been below their best both physically and mentally.

The Arsenal boss suggested a combination of fatigue and naivety had undone his team and he knows they face a tough road to the last 16.

Next up for Arsenal is a daunting trip to Dortmund on November 6 before a home clash with Marseille and then the final group fixture in Napoli in December.

"The group is tight and difficult for us but it (qualification) is still possible," Wenger said.

"We have three teams with six points and we have played twice at home so we need a result away, but we can do that.

"Physically Dortmund were a stronger team than any we have played so far this season.

"But disappointment like that is part of a team's development and growth. It is down to us to recover physically."

Wenger felt the turning point of a tightly contested tie came when Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson opted to book Lewandowski rather than show the Pole a red card when he caught Laurent Koscielny with an elbow before his decisive 82nd minute goal.

"It looked like that," Wenger said when asked if Lewandowski should have been sent off.

"But the referee was in a much better position than I was and he didn't decide to do it. I will have to look again."

With Arsenal's German playmaker Mesut Ozil tightly marked by Dortmund's tenacious midfielders, Wenger needed a vibrant performance from Jack Wilshere.

But the England international was a subdued figure as Wenger once again deployed him out of position in a wide attacking role before substituting him once he suffered an ankle injury.

"You could see he was not completely himself, that's why I took him off," Wenger said.

"He looked handicapped after the first tackle.

"He landed awkwardly and after that he limped a little bit. We will see how he responds in the next two or three days and wait for the medical assessment."

Meanwhile, Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp was happy to acknowledge his team's victory was a smash and grab raid.

Klopp, watching from high in the stands as he completed a two-match suspension for abusing an official, told his players to hassle Arsenal out of their stride with a high-tempo pressing game and it worked perfectly.

"We knew we had to be disciplined today and we played well," he said.

"We were good at pressing and caused a lot of problems for a team that wanted to pass the ball but couldn't.

"When Arsenal had space it was a tiring affair, but we shouldn't forget who we played against. This opponent deserves a lot of respect.

"We only shot three times and made two goals, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the result.

"You have to fight at times and we did that. The winner was maybe the best attack in the game with a brilliant cross and a brilliant finish."

Klopp was naturally delighted with Lewandowski's latest demonstration of a talent that makes him one of the most coveted strikers in Europe.

He has repeatedly been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, but Klopp is adamant all the speculation has no affect on the Pole.

"With regards to Lewandowski, we need to stop thinking that if he is not playing well it is because he will be playing for another club soon," Klopp said.

"Robbie plays as well as he can for the team, no matter what is written in the news.

Desperate Juve eye Real scalp

Italian champions Juventus travel to face Real Madrid on Wednesday desperately needing to kickstart their Champions League campaign.

Juve could only manage disappointing draws against FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray in their opening two games, leaving them four points adrift of Madrid at the top of Group B.

And their confidence ahead of the daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu wasn't helped by a first league defeat of the season on Sunday as Fiorentina came from 2-0 down to beat Antonio Conte's men 4-2.

Conte described his side's second-half meltdown at the Artemio Franchi as a "nightmare".

However, he is hoping his side's experience will help them to get over the disappointment of defeat quickly.

"The game against Real Madrid didn't condition the game. When you are on the pitch it is difficult to think about the next game," he said.

"It is inexplicable with the experience that we have.

"It annoys us to lose, but we have to forget it quickly. We are a mature team."

Juve's two points from their opening two games mean they lead Galatasaray and Copenhagen by just a solitary point and are likely to have to take points from Madrid to avoid a tense showdown with the Turkish champions for second place in the final game in Istanbul.

Chilean international Arturo Vidal is a major doubt after he suffered a muscular problem in the latter stages against Fiorentina, while Stephan Lichsteiner and Mirko Vucinic are also likely to be missing.

There have been no such problems for Madrid in their opening two group games as they set a new competition record for the most prolific start to a Champions League campaign by firing 10 goals past Galatasaray and Copenhagen.

However, despite Juve's struggles so far in the competition, Madrid defender Pepe insists they deserve respect.

"We have to respect all their players. They have stars like (Gianluigi) Buffon and (Andrea) Pirlo, but I think their most important quality is their collective ability," he told the club's website.

Carlo Ancelotti's men also had a morale-boosting weekend as a 2-0 win over Malaga allied to dropped points for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid saw them move to within three points of Barca at the top of La Liga.

Gareth Bale returned for the final 13 minutes of Saturday's match following a slight thigh problem and Ancelotti didn't rule out the possibility that the Welshman could start against Juve.

"I don't think he would have any problems in playing from the start and it is an option that we have."

Ancelotti is also hoping French internationals Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane will be fit despite missing the win over Malaga with calf and knee injuries respectively.

Both players trained with the rest of the squad on Monday, as did Xabi Alonso for the first time since breaking a bone in his foot in August, but the Spanish international is not expected to be involved due to his lack of match practice.

Win gives Lennon hope for Celtic

Neil Lennon says his side's 2-1 Champions League home win over Ajax has left his side in a great position to progress from Group H.

The Hoops kick-started their campaign as a first-half James Forrest penalty and a second-half Beram Kayal strike handed them their first points after defeats to AC Milan and Barcelona in their opening two fixtures.

The result sees the Scottish giants leapfrog Ajax into third place to trail Milan by just two points and move four behind table toppers Barcelona.

And Lennon said Celtic's performance in Glasgow left him with the belief that his side could emulate their success of last season and qualify for the last 16 of the competition.

"The result leaves us in a very good position. We now have to get a result at Ajax if we can," Lennon said.

"That's going to be very difficult on tonight's evidence but it's not beyond us. That gives us three points and we are only two points behind Milan now so it leaves it open for us again.

"I knew that the group was going to be tight and difficult and I was happy with our performances in the first two games so it gave me a lot to be encouraged by coming into this double-header with Ajax.

"If we had lost the game that would have been no points after three games and we would have been out and chasing our tails.

"If we had got a point it wouldn't have been the end of the world but we got the win and it's wide open now.

"It is a massive win in the context of the group and we have given ourselves a great chance now."

The two sides are due to clash again in Amsterdam in three weeks time and Lennon knows his side's hard work in Glasgow would all be undone by defeat in the Netherlands.

"Ajax at home in Amsterdam are a formidable side. You can see that in the amount of possession they had tonight," Lennon said.

"They pass the ball and move the ball very well but I thought we coped with the majority of the stuff that they threw at us."

The Hoops were without first-team regulars Kris Commons and Adam Matthews through injury while captain Scott Brown was suspended and Lennon was full of praise for the players who came in to replace them.

"We have to give huge credit to the players here. This is their 19th competitive game already and that's half a season.

"The squad is really stretched with players coming back from injury and players out with injury and players suspended.

"The players got better as the game went on. It was a heroic effort tonight and hopefully we will get a few more back for the game in Amsterdam and we can go into the game confident."

It proved to be an unhappy return to Glasgow for Ajax coach Frank de Boer - who had lost both his previous matches at Parkhead as a player during a brief spell with Celtic's fierce rivals Rangers in 2004 - with his side now languishing at the bottom of the group with just one point.

However, Ajax had good chances to score through Christian Poulsen, Siem de Jong and Thulani Serero before substitute Lasse Schone netted in stoppage time.

And De Boer refused to write off his side's chances of qualifying and was disparaging about Celtic's performance at Parkhead.

"I have mixed feelings about the result. Celtic didn't create anything. Although they scored twice one was a penalty and the other one wasn't really a chance," de Boer said.

"We dominated the game but we only scored one goal. We should have equalised and then moments later it was 2-0 so I am very disappointed.

"For second place it is going to be very hard but we have one point and if we win at home against Celtic we will be one point ahead of them.

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Quilmes coach resigns after punching fan

Nelson Vivas resigned as coach of Argentine first division club Quilmes on Monday after attacking one of his own fans in the stands.

At the end of Quilmes' 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Rafaela on Friday, Vival went into the stands and landed three punches on the fan, a club member he said had been insulting him.

"I'm not a violent person but I realise that's not the image a trainer should give," Vivas told reporters.

Club President Anibal Fernandez told Radio La Red that Vivas had gone too far.

"He came to my office and handed in his resignation. He knows he put his foot in it and realises the situation is uncomfortable for the team and regrets his actions," he said.

"We're trying all means to curb violence (in football in Argentina) and he can't commit such an error," added Fernandez, a senator for the ruling FPV party.

The 44-year-old Vivas, who took charge this season in his first job aa a head coach, leaves Quilmes in 16th place in the Inicial championship with 14 points from 12 matches.

He began and ended his playing career at Quilmes and also turned out for Boca Juniors, Lugano, Arsenal, Celta Vigo, Inter Milan and River Plate, as well as the Argentina national side.

Ribery ready to pile on Plzen agony

Holders Bayern Munich are likely to have fit-again pair Franck Ribery and Mario Goetze available to heap more misery on Champions League Group D strugglers Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday.

An ankle injury kept playmaker Ribery out of Saturday's 4-1 win over Mainz 05, a victory that kept the Bavarians on top of the Bundesliga and still undefeated in three competitions.

"The injury was not that bad," Ribery told reporters. "I wanted to play against Mainz but the doctor said it would be too big a risk.

"I hope I can play in the Champions League," added the playmaker who has been in sparkling form for last season's Champions League-Bundesliga-German Cup treble winners.

Goetze, who had been out injured since late August, played superbly after coming on as a substitute against Mainz.

"What is important for me is to play now for a long period of time," said the midfielder after setting up three of Bayern's four goals on Saturday.

"The game with Germany against Sweden (last week) and the game against Mainz did me a lot of good. The more I play the fitter I get."

Coach Pep Guardiola, however, will be without central defender Dante against Plzen who are rock bottom after losing both games in Group D.

The Brazilian cut his leg against Mainz and is expected to be out for around 10 days.

Plzen were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City before letting slip the chance to secure a draw at CSKA Moscow when goalkeeper Matus Kozacik allowed a back-pass from a defender to roll into the net as the Russian club won 3-2 earlier this month.

Coach Pavel Vrba said his team would have to improve their defending and eliminate the sort of mistakes that have crept in recently.

"It is not normal how we have played in defence lately," Vrba added. "If we don't improve it will be very bad against Bayern because they will certainly punish our mistakes.

Man United aim to crank up performance

Manchester United may have to rely on increased noise levels rather than current form to make their home advantage count when they host Real Sociedad in Champions League Group A on Wednesday.

Old Trafford will be trying out a new 'singing section' at the stadium, with up to 1,400 of their loudest fans sitting in an area of the ground normally reserved for away supporters in order to improve the atmosphere because the acoustics are better there.

The move should lift spirits at Old Trafford, where a previous reputation as a rock-solid fortress has been shattered with the English champions managing just one win in the Premier League this season.

Their recent European form is little better with four defeats in their previous seven home games.

United are level on four points with group leaders Shakhtar Donetsk after two games before meeting Sociedad, who have no points and are enduring a start to their league season as shaky as that experienced by David Moyes' men.

"I feel that this is an important one for us," The United manager said on the club website (manutd.com).

"If we could win this one, it would give us a strong position in the group. We have to go out there and take advantage of the home game and try to get a result."

United made a flying start in the Champions League, beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 at home in their opener but then drew 1-1 in Donetsk.

Conceding in the 89th minute to draw 1-1 with Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday has done little to inspire confidence in the merits of home advantage before facing a Sociedad team who won away from home at the weekend.

CONFIDENCE BOOST

The 2-1 victory at Valencia was, however, their first domestic success since the opening day of the season as their first foray into Europe's elite club competition in a decade appears to have taken a toll on the San Sebastian-based side.

Their two Champions League matches, against Shakhtar Donetsk and Bayer Leverkusen, ended in defeat and they remain a work in progress under inexperienced new coach Jagoba Arrasate.

They were boosted by the return from injury of captain Xabi Prieto as a second-half substitute at the Mestalla but Esteban Granero, on loan from English club Queens Park Rangers, remains sidelined after rupturing knee ligaments last month.

Arrasate said he hoped Saturday's victory, which ended the club's worst La Liga run in two years, could mark a turning point.

"I think we won the game with authority and that gives us a confidence boost for Wednesday," the 35-year-old told a news conference.

"Winning here does not guarantee a good performance (in Manchester) this week but it's better to go into the match after a win than a defeat."

Sociedad's only previous European outing in England does not bode well for them.

They lost 6-0 to United's arch-rivals Liverpool in the Uefa Cup second round in the 1975-76 season, when John Toshack, a future coach of the Basque side, scored the English club's opening goal.