Besiktas: Tolga, İsmail, Motta, Ersan, Pedro, Olcay, Veli, Necip, Oğuzhan, Mustafa, Demba Ba
Subs: Gönen, Kurtuluş, Sivok, Töre, Koyunlu, Boral, Tosun.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Debuchy, Chambers, Koscielny, Monreal, Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Alexis, Giroud
Subs: Martinez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Bellerin, Miquel, Campbell, Flamini, Rosicky
—
Maybe we should rotate a bit. Not saying I know more than Wenger, but man, this is how injuries, knocks and fatigue problems are born.
No rest for the wicked!
You don’t rotate in the second game of the season…this is where you’re still building up stamina and fitness and sharpness
Anyways, good luck to The Arsenal.
Actually, rotating a couple of players is what we needed to do. You build up stamina in a controlled environment, not every three days in intense games.
I know everyone says that, but every other team manages just fine. Alexis made 54 appearances for Barcelona last season. That’s more than anyone else in our side, including Mertesacker. He then went on to have a successful World Cup and everything. I understand our tendency to want to be careful with everyone since we get a lot of muscle injuries, but it’s the third game of the season! Not to mention, in value-per-game terms, one of the most important in this early part of the season.
disappointing performance
Before the season started, the idea of having to start Chambers at CB in a big game petrified me, but now I’m completely comfortable with it. Says something about the quality he’s shown 🙂
Giroud starts… Just hope I don’t get frustrated to night!
But I’m feeling better when I know he has ramsey and alexis behind him
The quality Chambers has shown in TWO games as CB against a team in the bottom half of the table and a less than full ManCity squad… Those to contests are giving you comfort in Chambers.
I think the kid can be great, but he is 19. Those two games don’t give me a huge amount of confidence.
Care to revise that opinion now? Barring the one slip in the second half, he was outstanding today.
Is Diaby still alive?
Haha – I sure hope so, can’t help but love the guy. Get a few games under his belt, and see what happens. It is my only wish for him.
Diaby, “Ooops! I am injured, I pulled my eye muscles watching the lads in training. Working hard to regain fitness.”
Alexis to bag his first Arsenal goal tonight!
I’m WITH you.
True, but then its still early doors and maybe he’s looking to (re)build a sense of understanding in what he sees as his first team. Passing and movement was slow on Saturday. Some folk just not yet on the right wavelength.
Hoping
Thats the thing! No one knows more than AW so stop trying too! Best 11. COME ON YOU RIP ROARING REDDDSSS!!!
Hopefully Campbell will have a run out
Hoping Campbell gets a chamce tonight! Goodluck! COYG!!!
I call this 1 – 3
Sanchez will get his first competitive goal for us and Ramsey to show again why Cesc is learning how to park the bus at Stamford Bridge
Good luck boys, hoping for an upgrade on the damage to Fener!
After the drama of the weekend, and our game before that…..I’ll take a handy, calm 2-0.
Ramsey & Giroud
Cheers lads
Yeh I fancy Alexis and Cazorla to click tonight, definitely takes some time together. I’m confident about tonight, win of any sort should really see us in a commanding position for the home leg
not much attacking depth off the bench other than Campbell and the Ox. Perhaps Rosicky will get some game time and boss the middle a bit.
An early goal to settle the nerves please 🙂
Man that bench is scary defensively. Crossing everything for no injuries tonight, but especially in defence.
Incidentally, was Jenks to Wham ever confirmed? I don’t remember ever hearing anything, could well have missed it though. If he is technically still in our squad I’d be slightly surprised that he’s not on the bench tonight, not like cup-tieing him’s a problem, unless Bellerin is indeed ahead of him. But like I said, I may just have missed his leaving.
Yup he’s gone
I assumed he had as it went very quiet, but strangely I don’t think I spotted an article about it anywhere on t’internets. How strange.
Sounds like he showed mad skillz in his first match though, so that’s nice.
He went, gave away a penalty and got himself injured. All in a day’s work.
COYG!
Players need to work hard to get a result today..
This will be a real test for Arsenal, if we walk out of Besiktas with a win, I will change my name to Arsene Wenger Knows best.
Wenger wants the team engine to start working before Everton.
Win 4-0….then rest players for second leg
First time ever betting on Arsenal but the odds were just too good. I’ve always associated it with bad luck/karma in the past though so if we lose it’s on me #swedegunnerOUT
So you’re the one!
The boys seem to be lacking a certain crispness especially in the final third!!!! Aside from the slip to let ba through chamers is having a top game, my arsenal player of the first half
Oh my goshh…we need better striker…with giroud we can win nothing…he will keep frustrate us by missing those chances
Beginning to think we need a defender, defensive mid and a striker