Arsenal will be hoping to get back to their winning ways in the Champions League when Shakhtar Donetsk comes into town for a date with the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Fresh from the draining defeat in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s men will be targeting their second group-stage victory to keep them inside the top 24 in the standings. Shakhtar Donetsk will be looking forward to competing with the jam-packed talent team of Arsenal.
Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk: Preview
Arsenal heads into this Champions League match off the back of a hapless defeat, 2-0, against Bournemouth in the Premier League, where it looked like nothing clicked into place for the Gunners. From William Saliba’s sending-off to not signaling the game’s chances, frustrations were growing there, while Arsenal had the chance to respond in Europe. With four points from their opening couple of outings, the Gunners will need to capitalize on home advantage to seal a victory.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk has had a torrid beginning to this season’s competition. A goalless draw against Bologna on matchday one was followed by an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Atalanta. That has left them with just a point in this competition so far. Coming up against Arsenal next, improvement is needed if they are to leave London with any points.
Team News
Coming into this match, Arsenal does have a few injuries: Bukayo Saka remains doubtful due to his hamstring problem, while different injuries may rule out Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard. Other casualties include Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney, further complicating the selection decisions for Mikel Arteta. The Gunners may also choose to rest their key stars as they have an important encounter with Liverpool next week in the league. Considering all these factors, the depth of the Arsenal squad can still probably see them through against Shakhtar.
Shakhtar Donetsk has a near-clean bill of health coming into this match, bar their fourth-choice goalkeeper Tymur Puzankov with an ACL problem. The Ukrainians will turn to their star man, Georgiy Sudakov, who has been pulling up trees in the league with seven goals and two assists in the Ukrainian Premier League. Still, considering their attacking woes in Europe, Shakhtar will require Sudakov and those around him to produce the magic if the Gunners are to be stretched.
Head-to-Head
Historically, Shakhtar has always emerged second-best against Arsenal. The last time the two teams met was in 2010, when the Gunners ran out 5-1 winners at the Emirates, and Arsenal will be looking for a similar dominance this time around.
Possible Starting XI
Arsenal: David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino; Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Anatoliy Trubin, Yukhym Konoplya, Valeriy Bondar, Mykola Matviyenko, Lucas Taylor, Taras Stepanenko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Artem Bondarenko, Georgiy Sudakov, Neven Newerton, Danylo Sikan.
Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk: Prediction
Arsenal will indeed go into this as the form favorites. Even with their recent domestic stutter, the Gunners have proven their strengths in Europe and the strength of the depth that should be amplified up against Shakhtar’s defensive frailties. The visitors have struggled for goals in the Champions League, and on the strength of Arsenal’s solid defensive setup, that streak is not likely to be broken anytime soon. Although still deprived of star men such as Saka and Odegaard, the Gunners are favorites to win this duel.
Match Details
Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Time: 8:00 PM BST
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, England
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