Tuesday 19/08/2014, 20:45, Champions League Qualifiers, Besiktas vs Arsenal
Besiktas vs Arsenal Preview
After a disappointing season, things look much better for Arsenal, who won the opening match of the English Premier League. It was not necessary for them to play qualifiers for the Champions League either, so they focused mainly on friendly games and competed in the prestigious Emirates Cup. This is the first serious brush with reality and the fact that they take on Besiktas in Turkey for the first leg is a serious challenge, given the hosts' impressive home record.
Besiktas vs Arsenal Odds
At Totepool
Besiktas 5.50, Draw 3.80, Arsenal 1.65
Besiktas vs Arsenal Tips
Arsenal won eight consecutive games, before losing to the New York Red Bull in a friendly match, but quickly returned to their winning ways. The last four matches were played in England and in front of their fans, they turned into an entirely different team, scoring a total of 10 goals.
This is very likely to happen once again in the second leg, which means that Besiktas is under tremendous pressure to win in Istanbul. This shouldn't pose huge problems for the hosts, as they have a decent track record against English teams and they managed to win both qualifiers against Feyenoord. Many expected them to play defensive football against the Dutch site, but the Turks took everyone by surprise when they fielded three strikers.
Ba and Pektemek were paired in the offensive and they played brilliantly together, with the former scoring all three goals in Istanbul. Exactly one week before, manager Bilic decided to keep him on the bench, as a replacement for Sahan, but it is most unlikely for that to happen again.
Arsenal has clearly the better team on paper, with Theo Walcott, Giroud and Chamberlain being prolific strikers and all of them could be used tonight. Alexis Sanchez joined the team in the season break and he already played in the Premier League, but wasn't particularly impressive in those two games.
Key Facts
- Arsenal made a deep run in the Champions League on many occasions, but they are yet to lift the trophy and this year they have a decent chance to survive the group stage.
- This is the first time that Besiktas takes on Arsenal, but they won more than half of home games played against English teams.
Besiktas vs Arsenal Prediction
Arsenal is credited with the first chance by most bookmakers and Totepool makes no exception, but the odds for the visitors to prevail are not worth the risk. Turkish fans and savvy punters alike will be thrilled to bet on Besiktas or Draw at 2.20, knowing that Arsenal will be waiting on the second leg to close the deal.
Bet: Besiktas or Draw @ 2.20 with Totepool
