Arsenal looked sluggish and out of form in their win against Crystal Palace on Saturday, but they will need to be sharper for a trip to Besiktas for their Champions League qualifier. Arsenal will, of course, be odds-on favorites to progress to the group stage of the Champions League, as they have during every year that Arsene Wenger has managed the club. But Besiktas have a rabid following in Turkey, and traveling all the way across Europe to enter their sonic cauldron with half a week of rest is far from ideal.
Laurent Koscielny is a doubt for Tuesday night’s Champions League qualifier with Besiktas after reports suggest his Achilles problem has flared up in the wake of the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. The French international was touch and go all week ahead of the Premier League opener and with the the European game coming just three days later, it could mean that Per Mertesacker is brought back into action ahead of schedule. Arsene Wenger quoted in the Daily Mirror
“We will assess Koscielny. If he is capable of playing, I will play him. I planned to bring the Germans back in contention for Everton but, in case of emergency, I will take Mertesacker. It’s a bit early for him ideally he would need one more week preparation. He’s willing to play. No problem.”
Kieran Gibbs is out for the game also due to a Hamstring problem, the Gunners are very short in defence
Olivier Giroud should start if he is even marginally fitter than he was last weekend. His lack of sharpness is presumably the reason why Wenger preferred Yaya Sanogo, but it is difficult to imagine Giroud playing more aimlessly and languidly than his compatriot did at the weekend.
It will be interesting on who Arsene picks as his starting eleven
Create your Arsenal starting XI here
Probable Stating XI: Szczesny, Debuchy, Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere, Sanchez, Cazorla, Giroud
