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Besiktas dream a suprise in front of more than 70 thousand fans

Beskitas are hosting Arsenal at the Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, hoping they can parry the London team who are missing some players, but who've also been part of a Champions League group stage 16 straight seasons

At the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, capable of seating 72 thousand fans and likely to be full, Besiktas are hosting Arsenal from London in the first match of qualifications for the Champions League. If one remembers that Arsenal have been in the group stage 16 years in a row it becomes clear how difficult the task is for Slaven Bilić's team, but Besiktas are still hopeful for a surprise.

In the 3rd preliminary round the Turkish team eliminated a rejuvenated Feyenord of Netherlands with two victories 2-1 and 3-1, easier than expected, and their biggest reinforcement has definitely been Demba Ba, forward from Senegal, who arrived from Chelsea this summer and scored a hat-trick in the return bout against Feyenord. Besiktas did not display a particularly impressive performance, but stayed very solid and focused, and expertly punished any mistake made by their opponents.

It will take more than that to parry Arsenal, but with a lot of motive and fan support anything is possible, at least in the first match where it would be tremendously important for Besiktas not to concede a goal, so instead of a wild rush and chase we can expect a careful and patient game waiting for some opening allowed by the opponent, who will in turn probably look for possession.

- Arsenal are the favorite but we will do our best to spoil their plans. If any player believes Besiktas cannot surprise Arsenal they are free to say so. He will not play, and I won't hold it against him. We really can, as we are a great team as well. We may be ranked 69th on the UEFA ranking ladder, but we are 10th by performance at international Cup competitions, we have home ground, and it would not be a surprise if succeed. Demba Ba can decide it all!- said Slaven Bilić encouraging his players, and the biggest of his worries is the injury of defensive midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, a very important part of Bilić's 4-2-3-1 formation setup.

- The odds of Hutchinson playing are 50:50, I'll decide prior to the game- revealed Bilić, although the Turkish media believe it to be a great risk to push him to play, both as he is not fully prepared and as he could injure himself even worse and miss the return bout in London.

- I've played for West Ham and Everton, in the mean time my Croatia beat England at Wembley 3-2, I was asked seven times to be the general manager of an English team and turned it down every time. I am happy and satisfied in Istanbul, have only Besiktas on my mind. It doesn't matter that our triumph will not be on CNN- said Bilić, for whom the biggest danger on the opposing team is midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

- He lacks the character of Scholes or ferocity of Roy Keane, but he is the best. Wilshere and Sanchez are also players who need to be kept in check. Arsenal must neither walk around nor get playful in Istanbul- said Slaven Bilić, who will be leading Besiktas to their 167th European match since 1959, and 15th against English teams, of which they won five, drew three and lost seven, with a goal ratio of 11-27. The management promised each player between 10 and 15 thousand Euros if they manage to advance to the group stage of Champions League.

The league match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace was the best example of how deceiving it can be to rely on preparation games and various "supercups". After they impressed during the preparation period and demolished Manchester City in an exhibition match of the Supercup, Arsenal barely managed to beat the city rival with a goal by Ramsey in overtime, after their opponents lost their coach two days before the league started.

Although Arsene Wenger did not field the three German national team members Özil, Podolski and Mertesacker, and though Walcott was injured for a long time and Giroud started from the bench, Arsenal was still expected to be much more fierce. Perhaps Wenger's players were holding back a bit having in mind the Istanbul match, as advancing to the group stage of the Champions League is always a priority at season start.

- We are well aware of the importance of this two game match against Besiktas. Entering the group stage is a must, as the club would lose a lot in every aspect if we failed- confirmed Arsene Wenger, who will once again be sparing Özil and Podolski, but