With the Champions League group stage draw upon us, we ask the annual question – can Arsenal even win this thing?

If you are an optimistic fan the answer is yes, if you are a realist one, well…

The recent results suggest it won’t happen, but I think it could in certain, strict circumstances.

Here are the circumstances that I believe would make it possible:

Injuries

The club does not sustain any injuries to key players, something we know happens every year.

Abandon top four chase

The club does not compete for a top four place and therefore puts all its energy towards winning the Champions League. This is because the squad does not have enough depth to be in a title race and in the Champions League final rounds.  Arsene Wenger makes it a priority to qualify for the Champions League, so this scenario is unlikely. It seems we’d rather qualify for it than win it at times.

Win their group

Arsenal win their group and do not meet a tough team in the first knock-out round unlike in recent previous season (if you exclude the Monaco fiasco, of course, as they were not a big team).

Luck

The luck of the draw gives Arsenal an easy pathway to the final.

Signings

Top quality players are brought in during the Summer and Winter transfer windows to improve the squad to be able to compete with the big guns.

So I believe Arsenal can win the Champions League, if all the stars align themselves properly.

It would be a nice way for Arsene Wenger to finish his Arsenal stint as a manager as he could retire on a high.

It’s not very likely though.