Having booked their place in the Champions League by winning the Premier League unbeaten, Arsenal must be wondering how they find themselves needing to beat Rosenborg Trondheim on Tuesday to ensure they stay in the competition.
Arsenal have consistently failed to punch their weight in Europe under Arsene Wenger and this season have managed just one win and four draws from a Group E they should have strolled through.
Instead, with their domestic form also wobbling, they have to beat Rosenborg to guarantee progress into the knockout stages.
Arsenal have seven points, three behind PSV Eindhoven and one ahead of Panathinaikos, who host the Dutch side on Tuesday.
A draw or even a defeat for the London club could still see them stumble into the knockout stages, but fans already edgy after seeing Chelsea move five points clear in the Premier League will be expecting a more positive approach.
The statistics suggest that an Arsenal victory is the only feasible result. Rosenborg have lost 14 of their last 15 away games in the competition and have not won home or away for three years.
They have major injury problems, particularly at the back, and although coach Per Joar Hansen says he is unimpressed and "not scared" of the Gunners, who they held to a 1-1 draw in September, it is hard to see the Norwegians repeating the feat.
Arsenal, even without suspended duo Patrick Vieira and Lauren, should have more than enough firepower to get the win they need - and which might still even be enough top the group.
Francesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini will probably fill the central midfield roles, with striker Thierry Henry taking over the captaincy in the absence of Vieira.
It is not clear whether Wenger will recall German international keeper Jens Lehmann or stick with Spaniard Manuel Alumunia, controversially called up for his league debut in Saturday's 3-0 win over Birmingham City.
Goalkeeping quandaries, however, should not be the talking point at Highbury, where the players are aware that the fans are struggling to accept the recent offerings and have been left regularly frustrated by limp European displays.
Henry, who took his seasonal tally to 16 goals with two on Saturday, says the team need to forget last year and learn how to "win ugly."
"Our fans expect us to with style all the time," he said. "But you cannot perform all the time. We also like to win difficult games when we are not playing as well as we can and I hope the fans are going to take the win."
They will, of course, especially with next Sunday's showdown with Chelsea looming to immediately occupy their minds in the event of another low-key display.
But Wenger cannot keep papering over the cracks and if he is to finally make any impact on the Champions League he needs to find a way of ensuring his players pack their their domestic confidence with passports when the real action starts in February.
Probable teams:
Arsenal: 1-Jens Lehmann or 24-Manuel Alumunia; 31-Justin Hoyte, 28-Kolo Toure, 23-Sol Campbell, 3-Ashley Cole; 8-Fredrik Ljungberg, 15-Francesc Fabregas, 16-Mathieu Flamini, 7-Robert Pires; 9-Jose Antonio Reyes, 14-Thierry Henry
Rosenborg Trondheim: 1-Espen Johnsen; 21-Stale Stensaas, 3-Erik Hoftun, 16-Torjus Hansen, 8-Robbie Russell, 6-Roar Strand, 11-Jan Gunnar Solli, 6-Fredrik Winsnes, 25-Daniel Braaten, 9-Frode Johnsen, 24-Thorstein Helstad.
Referee: Stefano Farina (Italy)
