Bergkamp could be off to a flyer

Dennis Bergkamp may not step on a plane himself but today’s Champions League draw gave him the perfect opportunity to get Arsenal’s latest European campaign off to a flying start.

The Gunners were today drawn alongside Germans Borussia Dortmund, Holland’s PSV Eindhoven and Auxerre of France in the first phase of the competition, a group from heaven for the non-flying Dutchman.

Dortmund will provide the Premiership champions’ first opposition in Group A when they visit Highbury on September 17, but once they embark on their travels Bergkamp should be able to catch them up relatively comfortably in his car.

The draw is good news for the Gunners as they line up in the competition for a fifth successive season and for the second time as national champions.

Their best showing so far has been their run to the quarter-finals in 2001, although they reached the UEFA Cup final the previous season after being knocked out in the first group stage.

Club vice chairman David Dein now believes the club has a squad good enough to win Europe’s blue riband club event for the first time.

Dein told Sky Sports News: “I would like to think we have the squad capable of winning the competition. It is the one competition that has eluded us, considering what we have won.

“There is that extra pressure to see how well we can do in Europe – but we have got a strong squad and hopefully they can deliver. I’m sure they want to.”

Germans Dortmund, who Liverpool knocked out at the first group stage last year, will provide tough opposition having won the Bundesliga title last year and reached the UEFA Cup final.

PSV finished runners-up in the Dutch league last season with Auxerre claiming third spot in France.

Arsenal, who claimed top spot in the Premiership with a 5-2 thrashing of West Brom on Tuesday, have little experience of playing any of them, but Dein says the club are looking forward to the fixtures.

He added: “We have never played Borussia Dortmund before or PSV, apart from in a pre-season game.

“We have played Auxerre before in the Cup Winners’ Cup, when we beat them, thanks to Ian Wright.”

Arsenal’s last Champions League campaign ended at the second round robin stage after failing to progress from a group including eventual finalists Bayer Leverkusen, Deportivo la Coruna and Juventus.