Almost 200 years after Napoleon Bonaparte was driven from this city, Arsene Wenger hopes to restore the pride of French leadership in freezing conditions tonight.
This evening begins a critical five days that could shape Arsenal's season. A trip to Leeds on Sunday follows this opening second-phase match against the Russian champions, which is a 75,000 sell-out and is so eagerly awaited by Spartak's fans that £4 sterling tickets have been selling for between £60 to £100 on the black market. Somehow, President Vladimir Putin has a seat.
"At stake is not only Spartak's reputation," said their coach Oleg Romantsev, "but the prestige of the whole of Russian football."
Arsenal will have to improve on recent showings to spoil their night. They have managed one point and not a single goal from their past three matches and must cope without their central-midfield partnership of Gilles Grimandi (suspended) and Patrick Vieira (injured). Ray Parlour and Nelson Vivas are expected to deputise.
A draw would be a fine result against a side who beat Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon and an already qualified Real Madrid here in the last round, though Wenger stressed a defensive approach was out of the question.
"We have to go with a positive mind and try to win the game," he said. "They are a very good team, with good passing and very mobile. That's why if we try only to defend we have no chance. They are too good going forward."
Spartak's attack is led by two Brazilians: Marcao, who had a short and unsuccessful spell in Serie A with Torino, and Robson. Yegor Titov, a 24-year-old Russian international, is also a regular source of goals.
All that amounts to a significant test for Arsenal's stand-in goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who looked nervous on his return from a knee injury at Everton on Saturday. "After that first game he will be more relaxed," Wenger said, and the restoration of Tony Adams should help.
After their capitulation in the freezing surrounds of Donetsk a fortnight ago, Arsenal would surely have chosen a sunnier destination in which to begin the second phase. This is the last home game Spartak will play until March, having wrapped up their eighth domestic title in nine years this month.
But Wenger stressed that this is a very different situation to the meaningless game at Donetsk. "If I had left the choice to the players for Ukraine I would have travelled alone," he said. "Here that isn't the case. The team wanted to come because there is something at stake."
Even so the Russians' attitude is the colder the better. The temperature is expected to be around minus two degrees Celsius, although undersoil heating means the pitch is likely to be wet rather than white. "If the frost strikes Spartak won't be afraid of it," said their assistant manager Vyacheslav Drosny, "but Arsenal will."
Probable teams
Spartak Moscow (probable, 3-5-2): Filimonov; Kovtun, Tchuisse, Ananko; Baranov, Bulatov, Titov, Kalinichenko, Bezrodny; Marcao, Robson.
Arsenal (probable, 4-4-2): Manninger; Dixon, Adams, Keown, Silvinho; Lauren, Parlour, Vivas, Pires; Kanu/Wiltord, Henry.
