adminLONDON. – After a positive start to the new season domestically, Arsenal head to Istanbul in optimistic mood ahead of tonight’s Champions League soccer play-off first leg against Besiktas. The Gunners followed up a convincing victory against Manchester City in the Community Shield with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday in their opening English Premier League game, in which Aaron Ramsey netted a late winner.
Now they are looking to secure a place in the lucrative group stage of Europe’s elite club competition for a 17th consecutive campaign, although Arsene Wenger could do without the fitness concerns that are hanging over several players, including Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny and Jack Wilshere.
Wenger is “desperate” to beat Besiktas and reach the Champions League group stage for a 17th successive season.
For the second year running, the Premier League side have been drawn against Turkish opposition in the play-off round, with Wenger hoping to repeat last season’s 5-0 drubbing of Fenerbahce.
Besiktas comfortably beat Feyenoord 5-2 on aggregate to reach this stage and the Gunners boss has concerns about the recovery time afforded to his squad ahead of today’s game following their English Premier League exploits, thought he remains convinced that the importance of the tie will ensure that his players are fully focused.
“We are desperate to do it because we want to play in the Champions League and we know how big these games are,” Wenger told the club’s official website.
“We had to give a lot (against Crystal Palace) – hopefully we will recover and be ready for Tuesday night (tonight) .
“No matter what it costs, we want to go through. We have always a difficult draw; we had Fenerbahce last year, this time we have Besiktas. It’s difficult.”
Arsenal yesterday received a fitness boost after Koscielny trained with the squad ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Besiktas.
Koscielny was a doubt for today’s first leg in Turkey after taking a knock to his Achilles in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday night.
However, Gibbs did not train and it looks as though a hamstring injury will rule him out. Callum Chambers is likely to continue alongside Koscielny in the centre of defence – Per Mertesacker was on standby to replace Koscielny but took no part in the session at London Colney yesterday.
Mertesacker and his fellow World Cup winners Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski are still on extended leave.
“We want to be in the Champions League group stage.
“Besiktas had a convincing result against Feyenoord (winning 5-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round), and so for us we have the luck to play the first game away,” said Wenger, who had initially floated the idea of calling on German World Cup-winning trio Ozil, Mertesacker and Podolski for the first time this season.
Meanwhile, Ramsey admitted that Arsenal will need to improve on their performance against Palace, although he lauded the contribution of Wenger’s summer recruits in that match.
“I think they have started really well. We were really solid at the back with (Mathieu) Debuchy and (Calum) Chambers, who were playing as if they’d been there for the last three years,” he said.
Arsenal would settle for a repeat of 12 months ago, when they beat another Istanbul side, Fenerbahce, 3-0 on the Asian side of the Bosphorus on the way to a 5-0 aggregate triumph.
With Besiktas in the process of rebuilding their stadium across the river, tonight’s match will be played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, where Liverpool beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.
Slaven Bilic’s side, who finished third in the Turkish Super League last season, do not begin their domestic campaign until later this month, although they were convincing winners against Feyenoord in the third qualifying round, with former Chelsea striker Demba Ba scoring a hat-trick in the second leg.
“Arsenal have some of the best players in the world but we have seen on many occasions that talent doesn’t necessarily mean a team will win,” said the Croatian Bilic, who played in England for West Ham United and Everton.
The pick of the ties elsewhere tonight sees Napoli, knocked out of a group containing Arsenal last season, entertain Athletic Bilbao.
Champions League fixtures
(kick-offs 8:45pm)
PLAY-OFFS 1ST LEG
Besiktas (TUR) v Arsenal (ENG)
FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM) v Ludogorets (BUL)
Salzburg (AUT) v Malmo (SWE). – AFP.
Online Reporter