by Matthew Adams

Created on: September 13, 2010

Arsenal begin their Champions League season against Braga. After a good start in the Premier League the Gunners will be aiming for more of the same against Braga in this Champions League fixture. However, against Braga they will play a team that has quality in key areas.

Arsenal's season has started well. An opening draw away to Liverpool in the opening game has been followed by a hat-trick of victories. Blackpool, Blackburn, and Bolton have all been defeated by the Gunners. These included a 6 – 0 and 4 – 1 thrashing of Bolton. Thus, they remain close to the summit of the Premiership with just Chelsea ahead of them.

As such, they will undoubtedly be hoping for more of the same in the Champions League. Overall, their Champions League draw is not a bad one and includes Shakhtar Donetsk and Partizan Belgrade. These are relatively unknown Champions League teams, and so in this respect Arsenal are the group favorites.

After a summer in which Fabregas seemed close to joining Barcelona, now he remains with Arsenal. Some great displays against Bolton have highlighted that he remains a key player, and will most likely be the player that Braga will be most weary of in this game. Then, Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh has provided Arsenal with another excellent forward player, and will be looking to score some further goals against Braga in this Champions League game.

Still, injuries to other players remain. After a good start to the season, Wallcott will miss this game. In addition, Van Persie will remain on the sidelines. In addition to this, players such as Bendtner are also out for this Champions League game.

What can be said of Braga is that they qualified for the Champions League as runners-up in the Portuguese Champions League. They had an excellent record at the back, conceding just 20 goals in their 30 games. Then, they also defeated Celtic in qualifying stages 4 – 2 overall, with a 3 – 0 home victory. In Portugal they have also made a good start to the season with 7 points from 9.

Overall, Braga's forward players of Alan and Meyong are those most likely to score against Arsenal. They are Braga's most potent goal scoring players, and the Gunners will be weary of them. In addition to this, Braga also have a strong contingent of Brazilian players in their squad.

However, Arsenal will still be the favorites in this game, particularly as they play at the Emirates stadium. With injuries to a few players it may not be a big win, but expect a victory by one or two goal margin. The game kicks off on Wednesday the 15th, 7:45 pm, and will be on ITV.

Sources: http://www.sportsbettingreview.co.uk/News/08092010/a rsenal-vs-braga-odds-betting-tips.html

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