Wins have not come easy for Liverpool this season, neither at home in England or in the Champions League. But a win on Wednesday in Bulgaria against Ludogorets is exactly what the five-time European champions need to ensure they still have a chance to advance to the second round.

Both Liverpool and Ludogorets are at the bottom of Group B with three points. Real Madrid lead the way with 12 points, while FC Basel have six.

Liverpool needed an injury-time penalty from Steven Gerrard to salvage a 2-1 win over Ludogorets in their opener. A second victory in Bulgaria plus a Basel loss to the defending champions would set up a decisive game against the Swiss side at Anfield in the last group game. Liverpool lost their fourth consecutive match on Sunday, a 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace that left them in 12th place in the Premier League.

Now they must gather themselves if they want to prolong their first Champions League campaign in five years. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure we improve,” Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet said. “We will become stronger if we all stick together.”

Ludogorets will be hosting their first-ever English opponent, but they won’t welcome Liverpool to their home ground. They are playing in Sofia, 400 kilometers from Ludogorets Arena because that stadium fails to meet competition regulations.

Madrid all but has the top spot locked up, only needing to avoid a defeat of four goals to ensure they finish first with a game left. That means Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti may rotate his starting 11 with a trip to Malaga in the Spanish league coming on Saturday. The leading candidates to benefit and possibly start would be Javier Hernandez, Fabio Coentrao and goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Cristiano Ronaldo, however, will likely not miss the chance to add to his 70 career goals in the tournament.

Basel can qualify for the last 16, but need to stop conceding five goals to Spanish sides. A 5-1 loss at Real Madrid in September followed a 5-0 extra-time defeat at Valencia in April to exit the Europa League quarterfinals. And the last time Basel hosted a Spanish team in the Champions League, Barcelona won 5-0 in October 2008. Basel will advance if they beat already-qualified Madrid and Liverpool fail to win.

Arsenal dream a mirage

Struggling at home but excelling in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund are headed to Arsenal on Wednesday. Dortmund, who have already qualified for the second round, will travel to London without forward Marco Reus, who is out with an ankle injury. Reus was hurt in the 2-2 draw with Paderborn over the weekend, a result that left Dortmund in 16th place in the Bundesliga standings.

Arsenal, who blew a three-goal lead against Anderlecht in the last match, can join Dortmund in the last 16 with a draw. Dortmund have fallen back into the relegation zone in the Bundesliga after wasting a 2-0 lead to settle for a 2-2 draw at promoted Paderborn.

Arsene Wenger must start learning from his mistakes if Arsenal are to compete at the highest level of European football, Alisher Usmanov, the London club’s second-largest shareholder, has said. The Russian billionaire, who owns 30 percent of the Gunners, is frustrated by Arsenal’s worst start to a Premier League season which has brought four wins from their first 12 matches and little more than half the points that leaders Chelsea have.

“Arsenal is a dream that sometimes becomes a mirage and sometimes a pain,” Usmanov was quoted as saying in British media on Tuesday ahead of the club’s midweek Champions League clash at home to Borussia Dortmund. “The potential of the team is there, but there is no critical evaluation of mistakes. No genius can retain the same level of genius if they do not acknowledge mistakes. We just repeat the same mistakes year by year.”

Arsenal ended a near decade long wait for silverware last season with an FA Cup triumph but the optimism that was instilled has faded quickly after a poor start to the season. Consecutive league defeats to Swansea City and Manchester United have left Arsenal in eighth place. They also lost early in the League Cup.

They should qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League but defeat by Dortmund on Wednesday could leave them vulnerable. Arsenal’s lack of defensive stability has been held up as the team’s main failing of the season so far but Usmanov believes all departments need strengthening. “We need to strengthen every position to play on the level of such teams as Chelsea and Manchester City and in Europe like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris St Germain and other clubs,” he said.

“I like Arsene for his principles,” he added. “But principles are sort of a restriction. And restrictions are always lost possibilities.”