Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk Predictions

• Arsenal have won four of their last five games
• Shakhtar Donetsk have drawn blanks in both of their Champions League games this term
• Both teams have scored in just two of Shakhtar Donetsk’s last six fixtures
• Kai Havertz has scored in four of Arsenal’s last five matches in all competitions

Arsenal after response to Bournemouth defeat

Arsenal suffered a major setback in the Premier League title race on Saturday but must turn their attention back to the Champions League with a visit from Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.

The Gunners lost 2-0 away to Bournemouth on Saturday, registering just one shot on target in defeat on the south coast.

But the game’s narrative was changed when William Saliba was sent off after 30 minutes and it would likely have been a different story had the Frenchman been on the pitch.

It was also an anomalous result given Arsenal had reeled off four straight wins in all competitions before the international break, beating Bolton, Leicester, PSG and Southampton.

With that in mind, they can return to winning ways against Shakhtar at the Emirates Stadium.

Solid enough start to Champions League from Gunners

Arsenal were not handed an easy start to this season’s Champions League, digging deep to draw 0-0 away to Atalanta on matchday one.

Next up were European big guns PSG but Arsenal made light work of their opponents in north London, winning 2-0.

Defensive resolve has been key to their transformation under Mikel Arteta and although Saliba will be out of action in the Premier League due to his sending off, he is set to feature on Tuesday.

Shakhtar unlikely to cause problems in north London

The Gunners should have few issues nullifying the threat of Shakhtar, who drew 0-0 with Bologna in their competition opener before they were thrashed 3-0 by Atalanta last time out.

They also find themselves off the pace in the Ukrainian Premier League with the likes of Oleksandriya and Polissya Zhytomyr above them and they could be out of their depth in the English capital.

An Arsenal win to nil looks the best bet, while 2-0 makes an appeal in the correct score market with two of Arsenal’s last three games settled by that scoreline.

Arsenal struggled to make an impact against Bournemouth on Saturday, managing just one shot on target, but they should have more opportunities against Shakhtar Donetsk.

And one player who should capitalise is forward Kai Havertz, who was in excellent club form before the international break.

German ace Havertz has scored in four of Arsenal’s last five contests, including in their last Champions League game against PSG, and he is a value pick to find the net.