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Preview: Arsenal v Beşiktaş

While Arsène Wenger wants Arsenal FC to make experience count, Slaven Bilić backs Beşiktaş JK to fulfil "a dream, a hope" as they seek to end their opponents' 16-year run.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is waiting to hear if Olivier Giroud will be out long term
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is waiting to hear if Olivier Giroud will be out long term ©Getty Images

Arsenal FC host Beşiktaş JK with their play-off tie level at 0-0
Arsène Wenger says Olivier Giroud will not play
Forward sustained an ankle injury at the weekend 
Wenger wants Arsenal to use their experience of "high-pressure games"
Slaven Bilić: "They are favourites. They are Arsenal"

Possible lineups
Arsenal
: Szczęsny, Debuchy, Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Santi Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sánchez, Wilshere, Özil, Sanogo.
Out: Mikel Arteta (ankle), Aaron Ramsey (suspended), Olivier Giroud (ankle), Kieran Gibbs (hamstring), Theo Walcott (knee)
Doubtful: none

Beşiktaş: Tolga Zengin; İsmail Köybaşı, Franco, Ersan Gülüm, Ramon Motta, Oğuzhan Özyakup, Veli Kavlak, Mustafa Pektemek, Hutchinson, Olcay Şahan, Ba.
Out: none
Doubtful: none

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
Giroud will not play. He will see a specialist [on Wednesday] and afterwards we will make an announcement about how long he'll be out. It could be [a long-term injury], we will see. It's sad, but at the moment we are focused on this game.

Nothing is unthinkable because it [not qualifying] has happened to 99% of all the big clubs in Europe, but what we want is to be in there and we are highly determined to do it. We have a home game that we want to win. The task is clear and we know we can do it, so let's do it.

Experience plays a big part and we have a lot of it in the Champions League – big experience of playing in high-pressure games that we can use tomorrow. What is more important, though, is the performance on the day. It's important that we turn up and deliver a strong performance.

I'm confident this group will be strong, that it is mentality prepared, has a great togetherness and is ready for the fight. That is the most important thing – that we are prepared and ready to go out and do our best.

Slaven Bilić, Beşiktaş coach
It's going to be a massive game for us. We showed from our performance in the first leg that we are capable of giving them a game. We played well. We had our chances and they had theirs. We were not totally happy with the result as I think we deserved to win, but we go into this game full of confidence.

We are confident. I was confident, my staff were confident and the players were confident before the first game. Maybe before the first game some of our players had a little bit of doubt because they had not played against those so-called 'big guns', but after the game they were very confident, which I don't mind as long as you do not become big-headed.

Of course we are not the favourites. They are the favourites – they are Arsenal – but we have a dream, a hope. It's more of a plan though, and we are going to do everything we can to fulfil it. We have prepared our game, our plan. I have big belief in my assistants and they are going to do the job.

Weekend results
Everton FC 2-2 Arsenal (Coleman 19, Naismith 45; Ramsey 83, Giroud 90)
Beşiktaş: did not play

Form guide (all competitions)
Arsenal: DDWW
Beşiktaş: DWW

Match fact
• Which Beşiktaş player featured twice against Arsenal while at Fulham FC from 2011–13? Find out in our extensive match background.

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