UEFA have confirmed the dates and kick-off times for Arsenal's eight league phase games, and the opener is a trip to Napoli on 9 September.
That's about as awkward a start as the draw could have handed out. Lille at home follows in October, then Bayern Munich away three weeks after that. The details are on Arseblog News, and the shape of it matters more than the names.
Look at where the hard ones sit. Napoli away first, Bayern away in October, Real Madrid at home on 9 December. Three of the four genuinely difficult fixtures are packed into the first half.
The back end is kinder. Slavia Prague away, Dortmund at home, then Real Betis away and Sabah at home in January. If Arsenal are still short of the top eight by Christmas, there's a run to fix it.
I'd rather have it this way round. Getting Madrid and Bayern out of the way while the squad's fresh beats needing a result off them in late January.
Thin day otherwise. The Alvarez situation is still sitting where Friday left it, with Atletico's Sunday deadline hanging over the weekend, and nothing has come out to move it on either way.
Villa Park on Monday is the next thing that actually counts.
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