Fenerbahçe go into their Champions League playoff first leg match against Arsenal on Wednesday not knowing if a two-legged victory will be enough to see them qualify. That's because the Turkish side face a hearing after appealing UEFA's initial decision to disqualify them from the Champions League on match-fixing allegations.
Fenerbahçe vs. Arsenal, 2013 UEFA Champions League: Preview and TV schedule
Arsenal travel to Istanbul to play Fenerbahçe in the Champions League playoffs on Wednesday night, with the hosts not yet knowing if they’re allowed to participate in the tournament.
Fener, who finished second in the Turkish Süper Lig last season, host the Gunners at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in the first leg, after beating Salzburg in the last round. They’ll look to bounce back after a poor start to their domestic season, losing 3-2 to Konyaspor on the weekend.
Arsenal too will be hoping for a better performance than they displayed in the Premier League opener, with manager Arsène Wenger coming under fire after their 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa. They will certainly be without long-term absentee Abou Diaby, and unfortunately have a string of other injury concerns.
Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal and Mikel Arteta are yet to play a competitive match this season, while Bacary Sagna, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs all picked up knocks against Villa, and could miss out. For Fener, Erten Ersu and Gökhan Gönül are the only doubts.
Fenerbahçe injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: Erten Ersu (knee), Gökhan Gönül (surgery).
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Abou Diaby (knee). In doubt: Thomas Vermaelen (back), Nacho Monreal (back), Mikel Arteta (hamstring), Bacary Sagna (neck), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee), Kieran Gibbs (head).
Projected lineups
Fenerbahçe: Volkan Demirel; Michal Kadlec, Bruno Alves, Joseph Yobo, Mehmet Topuz; Raul Meireles, Mehmet Topal; Moussa Sow, Cristian Barone, Dirk Kuyt; Pierre Webó
Arsenal: Wojciech Szczęsny; Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Bacary Sagna; Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey; Lucas Podolski, Tomáš Rosický, Theo Walcott; Olivier Giroud
Match Date/Time: 9:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. Istanbul, Turkey
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
More in Soccer:
See More:
