THE SECOND ROUND of group fixtures in this season’s UEFA Champions League kicks off this evening, with Chelsea and Arsenal among the sixteen sides in action.

Arsenal will be without first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia for their tricky away trip to Partizan Belgrade, with Lukasz Fabianski set to mind the nets after the Spaniard was ruled out with an elbow injury.

Coach Arsene Wenger has been forced to insist that the keeper has not been dropped on the basis of his own form, saying the 33-year-old picked up the injury while saving a first-half penalty during the Gunners’ embarrassing 3-2 home defeat to West Brom on Saturday.

Despite his penalty save Almunia was in dreadful form, spilling Gonzalo Jara’s point-blank shot for the Baggies’ second and being caught well clear from goal as Jerome Thomas scored the third.

The last time Fabianski deputised at European level, however, it was during the away leg of last year’s round of 16 tie against Porto, where he committed two howlers of his own.

Other Arsenal players are likely to be rested for the trip, with the Gunners facing Chelsea on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.

The Blues themselves welcome Marseille to Stamford Bridge in a match that will see Carlo Ancelotti also field some of his younger players ahead of the Arsenal clash, with some of his biggest names all ruled out by injury.

Frank Lampard has been confirmed absent for another fortnight and will be out until at least England’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro next week, while Yossi Benayoun, José Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou are also on the treatment table.

Didier Drogba, meanwhile, is suspended having been sent off in the Blues’ last European clash, with Inter in March. The Guardian suggests that only Paolo Ferreira and Yuri Zhirkov may be the only two senior players on the bench, with Daniel Sturridge and Gael Kakuta likely to feature in the first eleven.

Marseille are unlikely to pose a major problem for the remainder of Chelsea’s double-winning side, however, lying just sixth in the French league after seven games.

Elsewhere:

• In Group E, Bayern Munich travel to Basle while Roma play host to Cluj
• In Chelsea’s Group F, Aiden McGeady’s Spartak Moscow host MSK Zilina in Group F’s early kickoff
• Real Madrid travel to Auxerre in Group G, while Ajax host AC Milan
• In Arsenal’s Group H, Braga play host to Skahtar Donetsk.