Wenger looks for early Christmas present

Manager Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal might need an early Christmas present of a kind draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League after a 2-1 defeat at Olympiacos ended their hopes of seeding in the last 16.

With qualification already secure ahead of the last Group B tie, Wenger had elected to leave several first-team regulars behind as 20-year-old defender Jernade Meade made his European debut.

Wenger, though, is not overly concerned. He said: "We need a good Christmas present now (in the draw), but we will see. We can get a bad draw or less strong team, but you normally get strong teams through anyway now."

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