Match Preview: Arsenal v Galatasaray; Chances Aplenty to Show Worth

It should be easy to write about this match, except given all the acrimony that exists in the Arsenal nation right now, it’s a little hard. Of course, part of it has to do with the fact that for all intents and purposes it’s dead rubber match.
How so? Arsenal have qualified for the next round. Dortmund have also qualified for the next round. Dortmund’s opponents, Anderlecht are locked into the Europa League spot and well Galatasray, well there is pretty much nothing for them to play for being dead last in the group with one point.
Add to that, the focus in the run in to the match has been less about the match and more about the aftermath of Saturday’s loss to Stoke. Not, the aftermath as in the kind of critical look at play and what went wrong on the pitch that day. No, that would be easy to write and discuss because so much went on that should be discussed but isn’t.
No, we’ve spent the last three days talking about the idiotic response of some supporters who decided it would be a good thing to boo the manager and the team as they boarded the train from Stoke back to London.
I’m not going to go into it myself. If you want to know where I stand, please read the following (in no sequential order)
- Arseblog – Early Galatasaray Chat and that Wenger Video
- The Guardian – Booing of Arsène Wenger reflects media’s fetishising of discontent
- 7AMKickoff – Footballistically speaking: call him Sir
Pretty much to a tee, each on these pieces describes my own take on the situation and why waste space to reiterate what these fine writers have done and done quite well. Simply put, criticism of Wenger is warranted, as is of the team and board in general. The complete and utter devolution into a classless mob is everything that we as Arsenal supporters have supposedly been against.
It’s not wrong to think that after the video surfaced we suddenly became the caricature of supporters we rail against. It was that bad. If the banner was bad, the video was significantly bad.
Like the Guardian piece suggests I will defend everyone’s right to have an opinion on the positives and negatives of Arsenal. Where I draw the line and where you lose me and likely a great many others is when it becomes a farce, like the booing video and the faux celebrities (thanks Tim of 7AMKickoff) who grace Arsenal Fan TV.
As Microsoft word tells me I have now spent over 400 words writing about these incidents rather than the match. It’s sad but you can’t cover or watch Arsenal now without the moronic behavior being the focal point.
If blogs could sigh (rather loudly) this one would.
Arsenal head to Turkey with a slim chance of topping the group. None of the teams in the group have the impetus to go out and do something substantial. So even if Arsenal were to win, the likelihood of Dortmund – who seem to have refound themselves – losing to Anderlecht seems slim.
Wenger seeing this has left behind key players letting them get a well-deserved break ahead of the weekend’s match against Newcastle. That means players who haven’t had chances to show their stuff or opportunities to shine in the league will have up to 90 minutes to prove their worth.
Joel Campbell, who someone in that hideous video should “get out while he can,” (really??) has a chance to show more than what has been seen so far. Yes, he hasn’t had many chances. Some argue he can’t show anything when he isn’t on the pitch for long periods of time – if at all. My argument, when you get the chance however small and make the most of it. Campbell hasn’t. So tonight is a chance for him to do so.
Lukas Podolski, whom I wish got more playing time due to the clinical nature of that cannon of a left foot, also will start tonight. Sadly, it is likely he will go, either in January or this coming summer. I like the guy and not just because of his off field antics but because he approaches the game the right way, with absolute joy of what he is doing. I love players that get that.
Other players will feature as they look to get match fit, like Mathieu Debuchy and Szczesny. Debuchy is back just in time as Calum Chambers may be needed more in the middle. Let’s hope that Debuchy can regain his fitness and last longer than the start of his season.
All in all, this match has the makings of a dull affair. The press in their build is already planning for their “Arsene cocked it up” stories. Just read them and you’ll see them already questioning his giving his players a rest. If the result is negative or lackluster, look for them to throw chum in the water and get the classless sharks going yet again. Nothing sells newspapers or garners clicks to web sites like fomented ire – and it’s something the press are really good at.
For me, I’m just going to once again enjoy watching Arsenal play. I’ll leave my match feelings till after it. It’s match day, and in the end, I support my team.
Probable Lineups:
Arsenal: Szczęsny; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers, Bellerín; Flamini, Oxade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Campbell, Podolski; Sanogo.
Galatasaray: Muslera; Tarık Çamdal, Semih Kaya, Hakan Balta, Alex Telles; Felipe Melo, Emre Çolak; Bruma, Burak, Sneijder; Umut Bulut.
Arsenal Injuries and Suspensions:
Ospina (thigh), Özil (knee), Diaby (calf), Walcott (groin), Wilshere (ankle), Monreal (ankle), Arteta (calf), Rosický (thigh)
Galatasaray Injuries and suspensions
Dzemaili (hamstring), Selçuk İnan (suspended)
Head to Head Tournament Stats:
Arsenal |
Galatasaray |
|
Goals Scored |
11 |
3 |
Attempts on Target |
19 |
16 |
Attempts off Target |
23 |
21 |
Corners |
22 |
29 |
Offsides |
9 |
15 |
Fouls Committed |
65 |
54 |
Yellow Cards |
7 |
15 |
Red Cards |
1 |
1 |
Match Officials
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)
Assistant referees: Raúl Cabanero Martínez (ESP) , José Miranda (ESP)
Additional assistant referees: Fernando Teixeira (ESP) , Javier Estrada (ESP)
Fourth official: Teodoro Sobrino (ESP)
Broadcast Information:
US: FoxSoccer 2 Go 2:45 PM EST
UK: Sky Sports 5 19.45 GMT/20.45 CET
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal 2 – 1 Galatasaray
Manager’s Comments (courtesty UEFA.com)
Arsène Wenger, Arsenal
I have brought a squad mixed with regulars and six young players. Who knows what result we will get but we will not play under huge stress because we are already guaranteed to be in the knockout stage. The reason I have not brought Alexis Sánchez and Santi Cazorla is because I just wanted them to rest a bit because they have played a lot of matches up to now.
The Turkish are proud people. Galatasaray are the biggest club in Turkey. I have been here before. They will show the quality they have – just like they did when they eliminated Juventus last season. Therefore I expect a tough contest. I really do expect Galatasaray to play well. Although they are last-placed in the group, we can never underestimate them. There is no rule saying you will win every game. We are professional and competitive people. Every game is different for us.Jack Wilshere will not be with us for three months. My starting 11 against Galatasaray will be [Wojciech] Szczęsny, [Mathieu] Debuchy, [Per] Mertesacker, [Calum] Chambers, [Héctor] Bellerín, [Mathieu] Flamini, [Alex] Oxade-Chamberlain, [Aaron] Ramsey, [Joel] Campell, [Yaya] Sanogo and [Lukas] Podolski. Our six young players will be on the bench.
Hamza Hamzaoğlu, Galatasaray coach
We’ll try to stop our opponents, but we’ll also try to play. We know our opponents are Arsenal, but we are Galatasaray and we’ll fight regardless. It’s a plus not having any pressure tomorrow. Our pressure comes from a desire to win. We created this pressure ourselves and it will be beneficial. I would like to thank our fans for their support. I hope this will be reflected positively in our football.
As we have done in previous games, we’ll try to press Arsenal up front and not let them leave their half easily. Here our opponents’ game plan will be decisive too. Football is not only about attacking – from time to time you may need to defend. Arsenal are a good team. If they react to our pressing we’ll try to be strong in defence and hit them with counterattacks. We could win or lose. We set our targets and try to see the bigger picture.
Our formation and mentality will be similar to our previous games. The formation will be a variant of 4-2-3-1. [Aurélien] Chedjou has some problems and we’ll try another player in this position [centre-back] in training.