If Arsenal are to prove serious contenders for a trophy this season, they need to make a statement after the shock lost to Norwich City in the English Premier League.
The visit of Schalke gives them the perfect opportunity to make amends for their poor performance, and with it also take a complete stranglehold of their Group B, which also includes Olympiakos and Montpellier.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger did not hold back in expressing his disappointment in his players; refusing to make any excuses for Saturday's 1-0 defeat, where the Gunners failed to create a single clear-cut chance.
"We got over (Saturday's defeat at Norwich). I expect us to respond in a strong way, because this team is very ambitious and wants to do well," Wenger said. "The players were very disappointed but the only way to deal with it is to put it behind us and focus on Schalke.
"We have a good opportunity, since we won in Montpellier, our qualifying will depend on how well we do at home."
Wenger completes his three-match touchline ban with the game against Schalke, which in turn means Steve Bould will be in charge of proceedings once the whistle is blown by the referee. Arsenal's injury problems have failed to cease with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joining the casualty list, with the likes of Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby and Kieran Gibbs already ruled out.
Laurent Koscielny, however, might make the squad after overcoming a back injury.
Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski, who have started every game for the Gunners in the Premier League and Champions League so far looked a bit jaded against Norwich and Wenger will be mindful of keeping things fresh when he has a full squad to choose from. However, Podolski, especially, should be buoyed by the fact that he is facing a German side, and will look to bring his directness into play yet again while Cazorla will need to pull the strings and run the show in midfield for the Gunners to be effective.
"Schalke try to play good football and build from the back, like all German teams," Wenger added. "They've just got a very good result in Dortmund. They're a solid side with good organisation and up front they have (Klaas-Jan) Huntelaar and (Jefferson) Farfan, plus (Ibrahim) Afellay or (Julian) Draxler. They are dangerous on the counterattack.
"The Champions League is always a bit cagey. You play against teams that are always well organised, can play good counterattacking football and are used to dominating games in their own championship. Teams do not only come to defend, they come to play their game, possession is much more even, which gives us more chances to score.
"What is important is that we want the ball, we concentrate on the quality of our game, express our talent and enjoy playing. We must keep faith in our game. This team has a very strong ambition, and on the pitch we have the quality to justify that ambition. There's still a lot more to come from this team."
Schalke will be happy to see their highly-rated youngster Julian Draxler make a return from a broken arm - he is expected to play with a cast on. However, central defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos has not travelled to the Emirates due to flu, while fellow defender Christophe Metzelder is also missing.
Schalke are a good team capable of hitting any side on the counterattack, while also being able to keep possession when needed. Manager Huub Stevens reiterated he would be keeping his mind on his team rather than tailoring his side to play best against Arsenal at home. "The way they have played their home games, they have put lots of pressure on their opponents, and that's what they will try again tomorrow," Stevens said. "But we must focus on our own game and make sure we are prepared.
"(Santi) Cazorla is a very good technical player. He has an excellent range of passes and he can control the game. He is very important for Arsenal. But it's not only Cazorla, they have many good players - you cannot focus on only one.
"If we can play against 80,000 in Dortmund then I think we can play here as well. There will be a lot of people in the stadium, but my players are professional and they have to be able to cope with that. This is the type of pressure that comes at the top and we must be prepared."
Expected lineups: Arsenal: Mannone; Santos, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Jenkinson; Arteta, Ramsey; Gervinho, Podolski, Giroud.
Schalke: Unnerstall; Uchida, Howedes, Matip, Fuchs; Hoger, Neustadter; Farfan, Holtby, Draxler; Huntelaar.
Prediction: 2-1 to Arsenal
