Champions League Preview, Group H: September 15, 2010

Arsenal vs Braga

Arsenal has been close to unstoppable in front of their home supporters so far this season, thrashing Blackpool 6-0 and Bolton 4-1, so Braga may just be in for the same sort of treatment on Wednesday. Arsenal is likely to still be without Walcott and Van Persie although it didn’t cause them to much trouble last weekend. Wenger has said that this win is vitally important as he is worried about complacency being a reason for slip ups.  Arsenal is expected to breeze through this group although it could be more difficult for them than it seems, especially if their injury list continues to mount up the way it has.

Braga did not exactly have an easy route to the Champions League, they did have to beat Seville and Celtic to get as far as they have. There is also the fact that they finished above Porto last year, a side which is perhaps much better known for their good performances. Braga will have to be tight at the back as Arsenal is expected to play an attacking game with a 4-3-3 formation.


Shakhtar Donetsk vs Partizan

Donetsk won the Ukrainian Championship with a squad that was rather expensively put together, especially by the standards of the Ukrainian league. They are becoming regulars in Europe. They could have a very good chance at winning this match as Partizan is not the team that they once were. It will be more than likely that if they can snatch the first goal then they will be able to hold onto the lead without any major difficulty. On the other hand getting the first goal is not going to be the easiest of challenges to meet for the Ukrainians.

Partizan, like we’ve previously stated, is no longer a major player in European football. They aren’t a bad side, but you can expect a more defensive set of tactics than the Patizan of old would’ve been used to playing. If the away side can manage to get a draw out of this match then they have a decent chance of progressing to the next round so it will not come as a surprise that most pundits are expecting a low scoring draw. This will be a tough match to call as it all comes down to how well Belgrade is able to defend.

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores and live sports