Wednesday 27/08/2014, 20:45, Champions League Qualifiers, Arsenal vs Besiktas
Arsenal vs Besiktas Preview
Besiktas met most of the expectations in the first round, by denying Arsenal a chance to score and gladly settle for a scoreless draw in Istanbul. They will need to do better on the road, but the good news is that if they managed to score at least once, they will advance the group stage even if the match ends undecided. This time, they will come under heavy pressure from the first minute, as Arsenal has a reputation of playing offensive football in front of their fans.
Arsenal vs Besiktas Odds
At Bet365
Arsenal 1.35, Draw 4.80, Besiktas 8.00
Arsenal vs Besiktas Tips
Arsenal didn't play too many friendly games after the regular season ended, but lost just once and many streak spanned their invincibility in official games. In the most recent match against Everton, they were rather disappointing and allowed the hosts to push them around. It came as no surprise that the team from Liverpool took an early lead and dominated the match for the better part of the first 80 min.
Arsenal got lucky in the final minutes of the game and scored twice, with Ramsey and Giroud leveling the score and saving one point. The Frenchman had plenty of scoring opportunities, but didn't convert them and as a result the Londoners trail the leaders by two points after two rounds of Premier League.
Compared to the first leg of the Champions League Qualifiers, Arsenal used a more prudent formation with a single striker and five midfielders. It goes without saying that they won't rely on the same setup tonight, because they need to win the match and won't take any chances. Ramsey is unavailable after seeing two yellow cards in Istanbul, but the English team has plenty of options up front.
Sanchez, Cazorla and Giroud will play together in the offensive, but Theo Walcott is also expected to feature in the starting formation. For the visiting team, the strategy is simple because they need to defend for as long as they can and hope that one of the counterattacks will result in a goal.
Key Facts
- In double legged games, Besiktas wasn't particularly effective against British teams and their performance on the road was always disappointing.
- Arsenal lost just twice in the last 15 games, each time by 1-0 in a friendly game
Arsenal vs Besiktas Prediction
The hosts are expected to steamroll past Besiktas and as a result the bookmakers don't offer great odds for Arsenal to prevail. It is most unlikely for the Turkish team to cause an upset, so in order to maximize the return on investment, punters need to choose the spread bet. Trusting Arsenal to win by at least two goals will result in odds of 2.10, if you place your wager with Bet365.
Bet: Arsenal -1.5 goals @ 2.10 with Bet365
