Arsenal will aim to return to winning ways this evening as they host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates in the Champions League. This is the lineup Mikel Arteta has chosen to accomplish that goal.
The weekend’s loss away at Bournemouth in the Premier League was a significant setback for Arsenal. However, tonight’s game presents a great opportunity for the Gunners to bounce back and restore their confidence.
While Shakhtar will undoubtedly be competitive, they are not at the level of teams like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, and anything less than a convincing win would be a disappointment.
With Liverpool set to visit the Emirates on Sunday, Arsenal needs to build momentum, and a victory this evening would be a crucial step.
The objectives for this game are straightforward: keep a clean sheet, get the forward line scoring, maintain all eleven players on the pitch, and secure three points to improve their position in the Champions League standings.
👌Just as I predicted earlier today. Jesus would do better than Sterling in Saka position. He has huge UCL experience.
This is our best team at the moment and I expect nothing but a victory here: the only reason we lost at the weekend was because of Mikel Arteta’s poor team selection,it was never about the red card. I strongly hope he learns from this.
I prefer to see Jesus on the right wing if Harvertz is playing. In many games I’ve watched we have played that way we always lack the best flow. I’ll argue that to get the best out of Jesus he should be use as Saka’s back up and/or competitor. Having Harvertz in a midfield role doesn’t work for me it limits our number 29
Almost the team I wanted, but I would have preferred Jorginho in the midfield to preserve Partey for Liverpool knowing how fragile he can be
Yet another strong line up. Should be no problem.
This is the team that should have played vs Bournemouth! Glad to see Sterling and Merino dropped. I hoped Nwaneri would start but I understand Arteta is rattled after that shock defeat. He won’t be trusting anybody out of the regular guys. No red card today please!
Started brightly but it’s lost its sparkle already
Good work but the end product is a bit lacking
Well we scored but honestly it’s been like watching paint dry for 15-20 minutes
Yes Sue, we are ahead but dynamic, we are not. So deliberate. But thats our style.
Reggie
But why allow a quite exciting early spell to deflate like a balloon with a hole in it? Shakhtar are hopeless and they have dragged us to their level. They need a rocket at halftime from Arteta. This is the type of team that Arsenal should be using to their advantage after the disappointment at the weekend
I agree Sue, I think Shaktar are poor, very poor and we are just slowly moving the ball and playing over safe.
100% sue they way we play at the moment is boring with no spark
👍
Jesus should have scored!
A bit underwhelming overall.
A double deflected own goal against a team that carries even less offensive threat than PSG did. Apparently Shakhtar have had only two shots on target across all their CL games, including this one so far – and one of those was, apparently, a saved penalty!
Arsenal really should do better in the second half – and hopefully they will.
Is it just me is nobody passing to Merino. He’s making space for himself but not receiving the ball.
I’m sorry but this is boring
Declan rice has looked poor so far this season
Jesus is finished in fact the only thing he can finish is his career
We are making them look decent
Why doesn’t arteta change it
I think we’re waiting for Shatkar to score before we get the second goal we need.
That is quite likely to happen with this performance..
Game is drifting away from us…subs needed
Put Trossard on the right and swap out Jesus for Nwaneri who can play just behind Havertz. Might bring a bit more energy to this boring play.
We look nervous tbh. Nobody wants to take control. This game should be over but we’re just so sloppy and poor in most aspects.
Sorry but this is a terrible performance, sideways and backwards and as Shearer has just said, better opposition and we would be punished. Not looking forward to the Liverpool game unless we suddenly get out of 3rd gear!
Arteta the braveless still won’t give Nwaneri a run out to see if he can make a difference. He’d rather be cautious and use Sterling.
Is Merino an upgrade only Party at all? Sharkar have taken over the midfield with his introduction
Not an upgrade, different type of midfielder.
They obviously let Trossard take the penalty so he could redeem himself for being responsible for Saturdays loss. Lol.
C@ap penalty really from Trossard. Is the confidence low? Too cocky about waltzing through the tie?
Sterling’s certainly lost a yard of pace.
Yes, he doesn’t look completely fit to me. Hopefully that’s it rather than a permanent loss of pace – only time will tell.
This is the worst I’ve seen arsenal play in a long time. A couple of injurys has really exposed this side
This Arsenal side need to take a good look in the mirror. Hardly a worthy pass to be made and our tackles are just as poor. Shocking!
We are now hanging on, so sloppy and now they are just walking through our midfield at ease. Worst performance of the season. Still passing backwards, so frustrating!
I’m not looking forward to the Liverpool game at all if this is how we play against a poor team. Pedestrian play will probably see us mullered.
Im am pleased I didn’t have to pay for my prime membership. Otherwise I would be even more pi££ed. Stale and boring our football is getting. Arteta I don’t like your style, if this is what we have to put up with.
@Reggie
👍🏾
I did pay – and on this occasion it was money not well spent.
Shakhtar were in 27th place I think in the CL table prior to the game with no goals and only a couple of shots on target in total.
Amazon, kindly let me have Prime for 30 days. But I still feel as though they ripped me off!!!!!
Can’t wait for Odegaard to come back.
No creativity what so ever just sideways and backwards passing.
Whenever all the players are fit, Trossard needs to be starting from the bench that’s when he appears more lethal and effective JMHO.
Seems we miss Saka more than Odegard, who’s have thought it.
We need a top Striker in January.
Nwaneri should be given more game time.
Hate to say it but Arteta doesn’t seem able to get the team to the same level without Odegard and Saka. Is it poor replacements or he just can’t do it.
If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d think Trossard is trying to sabotage Arsenals season.
To be fair we were not bad for the first half an hour, and awful thereafter. Can only hope Califiori is OK.
poor poor poor performance!!! Not acceptable at all. ☹️
That was a pile of s**t. Let’s not try to coat it any other way. No excuses. This team is lost without Saka and Odegaard. Trossard has lost his mojo as have most of them. Rice, Partey, Jesus, White, Saliba and Merino all look average at best. Not liking what I’m seeing. Liverpool will slaughter us if we perform like that!
Hard to disagree GunnerRay
To have started so confidently and with flowing football to then become tepid, allowing Shakhtar to gain belief, was diabolical quite frankly
☝️
What a boring game after psyching myself to watch the match.I hope they up their game on Sunday because against Liverpool this sort of performance just won’t cut it.
Hopefully Timber will be back as he often offers a different dimension to the right hand side.
A win is a win but “sloppy” was a word used in the TV commentary and that about sums it up. Arsenal were profligate in front of goal (yet again).
If Arsenal was hoping for a “comeback” performance post-Bournemouth and pre-Liverpool this clearly wasn’t it. Anything like a repetition (even with Saka back, hopefully) on Sunday and Arsenal could well be in trouble.