Arsenal play a crucial match on Wednesday after failing to score an away goal in Turkey last week. Besiktas earned a goalless draw in Istanbul, so everything is for the taking in the second leg, with the winner advancing to the group stage of the Champions League.
Arsenal will have to do without Aaron Ramsey, who is suspended after being sent off in the first leg (that was the first red card of his career). Captain Mikel Arteta will also be out due to an ankle injury while a similar injury could keep striker Olivier Giroud out of contention. Yaya Sanogo is in doubt due to a hamstring problem, so either Alexis Sanchez or Joel Campbell will play in the centre forward role.
There are no fresh injury concerns for Besiktas, former Chelsea forward Demba Ba is expected to lead the attack for the Turkish side. Arsenal have never lost at home to an opponent from Turkey. Besiktas have managed to grab wins in England though, beating Chelsea in 2003 and Manchester United in 2009.
Probable starting line-ups:
Arsenal: Szczesny - Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal - Flamini, Wilshere - Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Cazorla - Sanchez
Besiktas: Zengin - Koybasi, Franco, Gulum, Motta - Ozyakup, Uysal, Kavlak, Sahan, Pektemek - Ba
My prediction: Arsenal to win 2-0.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Arsenal win - 4/11
Draw - 15/4
Besiktas win - 7/1
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Comments (1)
kruno1414
08/27/14, 10:08:58 AM
This one for Arsenal is a must , i think it's hard to imagine Champions league without team like Arsenal , but considering those suspensions and injuries of three...
This one for Arsenal is a must , i think it's hard to imagine Champions league without team like Arsenal , but considering those suspensions and injuries of three players that have a big impact on their team is going to make it very hard to get pass very motivated team like Besiktas , also knowing turkish teams mentality isn't gonna make it easier :))
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