Arsenal vs Besiktas preview

August 26, 2014
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Arsenal vs BesiktasHaving held the Turkish giants to a goalless draw in Istanbul, Arsenal aim to win the return leg and make it to the Champions League group stages.

Meanwhile, Besiktas are buoyed by the promising performance from the first match, but they clearly face an uphill task at the Emirates.

After finally ending the long trophy drought last season, the Gunners were determined to continue the latest uptrend and in turn lured the likes of Sanchez, Debuchy, Ospina and Chambers to North London.

And with Chamberlain and Campbell returning from injury and loan respectively, there was plenty of optimism at the Emirates.

The new season started really well for the Gunners as they hammered Manchester City in the Community Shield match, before recording a last-gasp triumph over Crystal Palace in the league.

Arsenal were then far from impressive in draws against Besiktas and Everton, but the fact they came from two goals down to earn a point at Goodison certainly raised the players’ spirits.

As a result, the Gunners have now been made 1.40 (2/5) favourites to win the return match against the Turkish side and secure their place in the group stages.

Olivier Giroud’s ankle injury that could rule him out until December came at a very bad time, with Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sanchez now vying for a place up front.

Aaron Ramsey misses out through suspension, while Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott and David Ospina are out injured. Laurent Koscielny and Kieran Gibbs are doubtful.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Szczesny – Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal – Flamini, Wilshere – Chamberlain, Ozil, Cazorla – Sanchez.

Turkish giants Besiktas only qualified for the Champions League qualifying rounds as arch rivals Fenerbahce were banned from taking part in European competitions, but they are certainly making the most out of the opportunity.

The Super Eagles impressed to win both legs against Eredivisie runners up Feyenoord and they also managed to prove their worth in the goalless draw against Arsenal.

It was the summer signing Demba Ba that proved a handful for opposition defenders and he is now 4.50 (7/2) to score on his return to London.

Last time Besiktas played a Champions League match in England, they defeated Manchester United 1-0, but an 8-0 defeat to Liverpool two years earlier will be difficult to forget.

Boss Slaven Bilic, who is banned from taking charge of his side in England, is not without problems ahead of the crunch tie against Arsenal.

Necip Uysal misses out with an ankle problem, but the good news is both Ersan Gulum and Atiba Hutchinson are expected to be in contention.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Zengin – Koybasi, Franco, Gulum, Motta – Hutchinson, Kavlak – Pektemek, Ozyakup, Sahan – Ba.

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