... . .... A key dynamic of Arsenal's encounter with Montpellier will be Wenger's inability to influence proceedings during the 90 minutes. He will not be permitted in the dressing-room beforehand or at half-time and he will be confined to a fidgety perch in the stands. The assistant manager, Steve Bould, will take charge, completing a meteoric rise. He was only promoted in the summer from his role as the under-18 academy coach.
It is Wenger's third suspension in a little over a year, after he served one match in last season's play-off first-leg against Udinese, which was a legacy of an outburst in the previous season's exit to Barcelona. He wrongly thought that he was allowed to communicate with his bench from the stands against Udinese and, after a failed appeal, he was given a further two-game ban. He incurred the current three for an outburst at the referee after last season's loss to Milan. The sentence took into account his recent previous.
"It [the ban] is a nightmare," Wenger said. "Honestly, many people in Uefa, even [Michel] Platini, said that we should still let people work, even if they are suspended. It's part of the job and therefore a restriction of work. But I don't make a fuss of it. They love to suspend me. How should they punish people? Financially? But they do both. They punish you financially and they ban you."
Wenger's continued to lament his punishment for communicating via his mobile phone with the bench against Udinese. "Honestly, nobody knows really, even at Uefa, what is allowed and not allowed," Wenger said. "Let's not forget that I was suspended last year for having done what they told me I can do.
"When I went back there and said: 'Why do you want to punish me?' They said: 'Because you communicated with your bench.' I said: 'But you allowed me to do it.' They said: 'We made a mistake. But we punish you anyway'."
Wenger refused to be drawn on whether he would start with Olivier Giroud, who left Montpellier for Arsenal in a £13m deal over the summer, although the expectation was that he would. Giroud won the French title and the golden boot at Montpellier last season. Wojciech Szczesny did not travel because of an ankle problem while Andrey Arshavin was simply overlooked from the 18-man party. Abou Diaby should return after a hip injury. ... ...