12 months ago, Arsenal made a disastrous start to their competitive season, getting swept aside by Aston Villa at home on the first day of the Premier League season. The word 'crisis' was in the air and, four days later, Arsenal were scheduled to make the journey to Istanbul to take on Fenerbahce. It was a game that many expected Arsenal to lose, not least because of their torrid start to the season, but also thanks a meagre showing in the summer transfer market (this was before the Ozil splash). However, the Gunners pulled off an unexpectedly sublime performance and thumped their Turkish opposition 3-0 on the night which kick-started an outstanding run of form for Arsene Wenger's men.
This year, the outlook is much brighter. Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers are the products of a pleasing summer that might not be done just yet and they've actually managed to win their first game of the season which is something the side haven't managed since 2009.
The forecast is bright on the fitness front, too, with Kieran Gibbs the only person from Saturday's win over Crystal Palace who will be out for any substantial length of time. Nacho Monreal will more than likely slot into his place and there is every possibility that Laurent Koscielny will figure alongside the Spaniard after recovering from an Achilles injury.
Up front, Yaya Sanogo hasn't made the trip to Turkey with a hamstring problem so Olivier Giroud will likely lead the line for the visitors while Mathieu Flamini is back in the squad after missing the season opener on Saturday evening.
While the form and fitness books bode well for the North London club, they do have a trip to Goodison on the horizon so expect their stars to be substituted should Arsenal build up a winning margin this evening. That, however, will be a very tough task as this Besiktas side is nothing to be laughed at.
Slaven Bilic's side didn't play at the weekend so will enter the match fresh, and they have the goalscoring talents of Demba Ba spearheading their attack. The Senegalese forward has played five times against Arsenal in his career, scoring two goals and he comes into this game having scored a hat-trick against Feyenoord in the previous round.
However, the Turkish outfit could be without the services of Gokhan Tore and Atiba Hutchinson tonight. Both go into this evening's match as doubts.
Kick-off at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium is at 7.45pm.
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