Arsenal vs Shakhtar Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | UEFA Champions League, October 22, 2024

Arsenal vs Shakhtar Preview

• Competition: UEFA Champions League.
• Date: Tuesday, October 22.
• Time: 7:00 PM GMT.
• Venue: Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal vs Shakhtar will be one of nine UEFA Champions League games played on October 22 as the Gunners will host the Ukrainian side in what promises to be an exciting game.

The Gunners will enter this match on the back of a decent run of form. They have won four and lost one of their last five games, with the defeat being their first loss since losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the UCL back in April. However, they will look to move on from that result as they look to build upon their 2-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL in their last game and will be buoyed by the fact they play at home.

Shakhtar, on the other hand, will enter this contest on the back of a decent run of form. They have secured three wins, and one draw and suffered one defeat in their last five games across competitions. However, they are winless in the UCL and have recorded one draw and one defeat in the competition so far. They lost 3-0 to Atalanta in their last outing in the competition and will look to perform better when they travel to London.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the team news coming out of both camps.

Arsenal Team News

Manager Mikel Arteta will have a couple of headaches ahead of this important game with key players out injured. Bukayo Saka missed the last game but could return to the fold ahead of the next one, with the same applying to Jurrien Timber. Captain Martin Odegaard will remain sidelined, while everyone else should be okay for selection. Arerta spoke on the availability of Saka and Odeegard stating, “They are closer and both progressing really well. Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let’s see how he feels today and in the training session that we have later on.” in the press conference on Monday.

Shakhtar Team News

Manager Marino Pusic fielded a strong lineup in the team’s last UCL game against Atalanta at home. He will look to field the same combination of players for the next one and hope they perform better than they did last time around. Captain Taras Stepanenko, who was rested for the last game, will make his return to the lineup and will don the armband once again for his team. Meanwhile, Shakhtar’s boss also addressed the media in London, ahead of facing the Premier League hosts in the English capital at the Emirates stadium.

Predicted Lineups

Arsenal Predicted Lineup (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: David Raya.

Defenders: Benjamin White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori.

Midfielders: Bukayo Saka (C), Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli.

Forwards: Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus.

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Shakhtar Predicted Lineup (4-1-4-1)

Goalkeeper: Dmytro Riznik.

Defenders: Alaa Ghram, Valeriy Bondar, Mykola Matviyenko, Pedrinho.

Midfielders: Dmytro Kryskiv, Taras Stepanenko (C), Georgiy Sudakov.

Forwards: Oleksandr Zubkov, Eguinaldo, Marlon Gomes.

Arsenal vs Shakhtar Head-to-Head Record

These two teams have faced off twice before in the Champions League, with both games coming in the group stages of the 2010/11 edition of the competition. Arsenal secured a thumping win at home but narrowly lost away from home.

Key Players to Watch

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

The Englishman will return to action against the Ukrainians after being omitted from the matchday squad against the Gunners’ 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth. That was probably a precautionary move as Arteta looks to protect the team’s most important player. However, Saka will be raring to go after a scintillating Player of the Match performance against PSG in the Gunners’ last home game in the UCL.

Dmytro Riznik (Shakhtar)

Shakhtar goalkeeper Riznik has been in the spotlight for his team after a decent two outings in the competition so far. He kept a clean sheet in the team’s goalless draw against Bologna but then conceded three goals against last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta. He will be a key player as the Ukrainian side prepare to make the long trip to London.

Arsenal vs Shakhtar Prediction

It would be remiss to go by the last pair of meetings between the two teams considering they took place more than a decade ago. However, Arsenal seem better-placed to secure a result against Shakhtar considering they play at home, and also keeping in mind how they toyed with a well-equipped PSG side in their last outing.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Shakhtar

Where to watch Arsenal vs Shakhtar live?

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