They are now in the last eight of the Champions League meaning attentions will now turn back to the Premier League with the Gunners lurking dangerously behind the more fancied Man United and Chelsea. Arsenal have the easiest run-in of the three with their toughest match left being a trip to White Hart Lane to face Spurs, outside of that game they look more than capable of winning every match which could see them pick up the Premier League. Over the last year or two there have been a few dissenting voices amongst the Gunners fans worried about the lack of silverware, through the tough period though Wenger has maintained his belief in his squad and has consistently resisted the temptation to add big money signings to the thin looking squad.

He now appears to be vindicated with the team playing as well as they have done for a number of years although they now face a crucial couple of months in their development. The season could end with the team decorated with Champions League and Premier League medals or it could all go wrong again leaving the team without a trophy once again. The Champions League will be the tougher of the two competition to win for Arsenal as you have to question their ability to beat United or Chelsea over two legs should the draw pan out that way,the same can be said of Barcelona who are the team to beat in this years tournament looking at the Champions League Odds. The Premier League though looks very much a possibility with a straight forward run-in on the cards and they have to be good value to win the title for the first time in seven years.

If Arsenal are able to pick up one or two trophies this season then it would have to be considered Arsene Wenger’s greatest achievement as the Arsenal Manager after the team were all but written off before Christmas. They are a side capable of going on a winning run and the Sack Race believes that this could well be  a pivotal year for Arsene Wenger as the Manager of Arsenal as he embarks on the most important period he has faced since he arrived at Highbury back in 1997.

The team that finishes top in each group will automatically head to Poland and the Ukraine for Euro 2012 along with the best placed runner-up from all the groups, the remaining eight teams will then head to the play-offs for one last chance to qualify for the tournament. Wales and John Toshack will be relishing heading to Wembley to play the old rivals but few expect them to make it out of a group with no easy games, the Welsh fans will be hoping to see their team progress from their World Cup Campaign which was somewhat of a disaster, Toshack is under some pressure and will know that a poor showing in the group will signal the end of his tenure. England are odds on with all the major bookmakers to win the group with Paddy Power going 2/5 about England winning their group.

New Scotland manager Craig Levein is making all the right noises about qualification but the Tartan Army face a tough task with Euro 2008 Champions Spain in their section, Spain will be hot favourites to win the group leaving Scotland in a likely battle with the Czech Republic for that second spot. The Czechs are not quite the force they were five or ten years ago so Scotland will be hoping to turn them over as Levein aims to lead Scotland to their first Major Championships since 1996. Also in Group I with Scotland, Spain, and the Czech Republic are Lithuania and Liechtenstein meaning the two matches between Scotland and the Czechs are likely to be absolutely crucial for Levein as he faces his first test in International Management.

The Republic of Ireland have received a kind draw with Giovanni Trapattoni desperate to lead the team to the Euros following their World Cup play-off heart break in the Stade De France, Henry’s handball knocked them out of the running but they have a genuine chance of reaching the Ukraine and Poland this time. They have been drawn in Group B with top seeds Russia who the Irish will believe they can beat, Slovakia look the other threat having qualified for this years World Cup but they are another beatable team. The 4/1 with VC Bet about the Republic winning their group looks excellent value at this stage with Trapattoni dead set on achieving qualification in what is likely to be his last cycle as the Irish Manager.

Once again Nigel Worthington faces a tough task as Northern Ireland have been drawn in a tough group alongside the likes of World Champions Italy, Serbia and Slovenia, Worthington has just signed a new contract but he may well be regretting that decision now with an impossible task on his hands. Northern Ireland will be alongside Wales in the ‘next to no chance of qualifying’ section, Scotland and Ireland are in with good chances with the Irish especially looking good while England should be heading to Euro 2012 providing they perform to their potential.

EURO 2012 QUALIFICATION GROUPS:

GROUP A: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Germany

GROUP B: Andorra, Armenia, Macedonia, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Russia

GROUP C: Faroe Islands, Estonia, Slovenia, NORTHERN IRELAND, Serbia, Italy

GROUP D: Luxembourg, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Romania, France

GROUP E: San Marino, Moldova, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands

GROUP F: Malta, Georgia, Latvia, Israel, Greece, Croatia

GROUP G: Montenegro, WALES, Bulgaria, Switzerland, ENGLAND

GROUP H: Iceland, Cyprus, Norway, Denmark, Portugal

GROUP I: Liechtenstein, Lithuania, SCOTLAND, Czech Republic, Spain