UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DYNAMO KIEV V ARSENAL:IT IS a statistic that damns Arsenal in this part of the continent. In six Champions League trips to teams from the former Soviet Union, they have lost on all but one occasion, and the 0-0 draw with Lokomotiv Moscow in the 2003-'04 group stage was hardly a result to set the pulses racing.
Ukraine has provided harsh lessons for Arsenal and the rain and brooding skies might have stirred uncomfortable memories for the manager Arsene Wenger.
"If you don't prepare well mentally," said Wenger, "you are surprised by the level of commitment that you get in Russia and Ukraine. It is a bit destabilising. But I believe we can cope better now."
His team were overrun by an Andriy Shevchenko and Sergei Rebrov-inspired Dynamo Kiev in the 1998-99 group phase, while they slipped to another loss here against Dynamo at the same stage of the 2003-'04 competition, which so nearly proved costly.
Dynamo's class of 2008, which they will face at the club's 18,000-capacity Lobanovskiy Stadium rather than the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium, which is undergoing renovation for the 2012 European Championships, is something of an unknown commodity.
The team that slumped at last season's Champions League group stages - they went out without a point and a goal difference of -15 - has been reshaped.
The new Russian coach, Yuri Semin, has instilled greater discipline and made astute signings, notably Brazilian defender Betao and Croatian midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic. But the Ukrainian league, in which Dynamo have taken 16 points from 21, is an unreliable barometer and Dynamo and Shakhtar Donetsk are the only big clubs.
What Arsenal can expect is an exacting mental test and not only because of their history of underachievement in this country.
The smaller stadium might play into Dynamo's hands; it will house only die-hard fans while the Premier League millionaires will have to acclimatise to slightly rawer facilities than they are used to. With its memorial statue to Valeriy Lobanovskiy, Dynamo's legendary manager, the stadium feels more in tune with the rhythms of the club.
"We know that playing in Ukraine is going to be very difficult, especially because their players are playing in front of their fans," said Emmanuel Adebayor. "But we are Arsenal. If we can stay patient and score the goals then, in the end, we'll win the game.
"A good start (to the group) is especially crucial because we are away in the first game. We have all our confidence back in the Premier League and we're trying to build on it in Kiev."
Wenger's young team have already shown resilience. They were roundly criticised after their 1-0 defeat at Fulham but have since scored 11 goals in three matches without reply in the victories over FC Twente in the Champions League final qualifier and Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
Adebayor has further, personal motivation. He was cup-tied for the second half of Arsenal's 2005-'06 Champions League campaign, which saw them lose in the final to Barcelona, having arrived from Monaco during the winter transfer window, and he was an unused substitute for Didier Deschamps's Monaco in the 2004 final, which they lost to Porto.
"My desire is stronger because I have missed out (on finals) in the past," he said. "I couldn't play back then (in 2006), but now I have a chance to play, so there's an argument for me to be more hungry than most of my team-mates."
Venue:Lobanovskiy Stadium Kick-Off:7.45 On TV:Sky Sports 3
- Guardian Service
