What a terrible weekend for Arsenal, who lost their first game of the season, across all competitions, at AFC Bournemouth. It was a major upset, to say the least, as the Cherries came into the match having only beaten them once in the previous 16 meetings. Things were made worse with both Liverpool and Manchester City winning, meaning the North Londoners have now fallen behind a peg in the Premier League title race. Will a visit from Shakhtar Donetsk be a get right game?
Even though it’s in an entirely different competition? Hmmm…..interesting.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 of 8
Shakhtar Donetsk at Arsenal FC
Kickoff: Tues. Oct. 22, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK,
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
UCL Standing, Form: Arsenal 13th, 14 pts, +2 GD, DW Shakhtar Donetsk 27th, 1 pts, -3 GD, DL
Speaking of various competitions, central defender William Saliba is now suspended in the league, so you can bet that he’ll play here in this one (well, he would anyway). And here is who we think the other 10 joining him in the first team will be.
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction vs Shakhtar Donetsk
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori; Mikel Merino, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice; Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Raheem Sterling; Gabriel Jesus
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.