Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund will be the talk of Europe tonight as they take on one another in the UEFA Champions League.
Both sides are blessed with attacking talent in abundance, but one name in particular stands out as a threat against the Gunners.
Marco Reus, a two-footed forward who plays from the left, has been in hot form for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Eight goals and seven assists from 14 appearances in all competitions so far this term are impressive stats.
Reus poses something of a problem for Arsenal as right back Bacary Sagna must decide whether to show him down the outside or allow him to cut infield. Either way he can hurt them.
Reus is a versatile attacking midfielder who can play either or right, left and centre but mainly he plays on the left hand side. He is not a conventional winger. Nor an inverted winger, rather he can be seen as a typical false winger, who only hugs the touchline when his name features on the name-sheet.
He has got pace and acceleration which makes it difficult for defenders to mark properly. He has an eye for key passes (34 this season already) and since he rarely hugs the touchline, the German star is an equally important threat from the middle as well.
Klopp has handed penalty taking duties over to Reus too. His early spot kick conversion took Dortmund past Hannover at the weekend as the Bavarians warmed up for this European encounter.
With Mario Gotze sold in the summer and Shinji Kagawa before him, Reus has flourished as a key member of the supporting cast behind Robert Lewandowski.
Poland captain Jakub Blaszczykowski and Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan are no less dangerous for Arsene Wenger, but their returns don’t match Reus.
At 24 years of age he is still yet to reach his prime. Should Reus’s purple patch continue not only is he a lock to be in Germany’s squad for the World Cup, but he will stake a huge claim for a starting spot in Brazil.
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