Well-known Ukrainian journalist and commentator Roberto Morales has prepared a forecast for the Champions League main stage match Arsenal - Shakhtar.
"The Londoners are more than a formidable opponent, especially at home. Mikel Arteta has breathed life into the "Gunners" after a very long stagnation following the era of Arsène Wenger (indeed even towards the end of the legendary French specialist's tenure).
The team expertly controls the ball, finds space. In terms of attack, it only lacks a prominent center forward. Kai Havertz is not performing well in this role in its purest form, and Gabriel Jesus is currently not in the best condition. Along with their skillful creative play, the "Gunners" have top metrics in terms of physical attributes, so they are ready to tussle with anyone.
In their last match, Arsenal lost away to Illia Zabarnyi's Bournemouth. At "Dean Court" the Londoners were let down by William Saliba, who was sent off in the 30th minute of the match, after which the hosts scored their goals. Spanish goalkeeper David Raya also had an extremely poor match.
If Arsenal had a setback, then regarding Shakhtar, we should speak of a stable crisis at a moderate level. The gap from the leader Kyiv's Dynamo stands at six points. On Friday, the Donetsk team barely defeated Kovalivka's Kolos with a score of 1:0. And this considering that Marino Pusych's team played with their strongest lineup.
The bet is for the home team's victory and a total greater than 3.5," said Morales.