Champions League Playoffs 2014: Can Arsenal Overcome Besiktas?

By David Salazar Aug 13 2014, 16:57 PM EDT

The final round of the 2014 Champions League playoffs get started next week and they will feature a familiar participant -- Arsenal.

The Gunners are notorious for finishing fourth in the Premier League and thus being forced to play in the playoff to lock up a spot in the Champions League. The team will take on Turkish side Besitkas.

Here is a look at Arsenal's history in these playoffs and their hopes of overcoming their opponents:

The last time that the Gunners failed to qualify for the European showcase was in 1997-98. But more shocking is the fact that the team has qualified for the tournament via playoffs in six of the last eight years.

But more remarkable is the team's record in that stretch. Arsenal has won 12 of 12 playoff games and has managed to score five or more aggregate goals in five of those matchups. The only time that Arsenal was not able to score five or more goals over two legs came in 2011-12 when the team eked out a 3-1 aggregate win over Udinese.

In Arsenal's most recent playoffs, the team took on Fenerbahce of the Turkish league. The English side won 3-0 on the road before adding a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

This obviously speaks volumes of the squad and indicates that the Gunners are in pole position to make quick work of Besiktas.

The Turkish side finished third in the league and got its Champions League campaign started with a matchup against Dutch side Feyenoord. Besiktas managed a solid 2-1 win on the road before clinching a playoff berth with a 3-1 win at home.

They are not an elite side by any measures, and based on the Gunners' recent turn, this matchup should be easy.

There are some things to look out for in the Arsenal camp.

Mesut Özil has yet to make his long awaited appearance. He had a decent World Cup with the World Champions to cap off a year full of ups and downs. He started really well with Arsenal, but then slowly imploded as the year wore on. He was being used exhaustively by coach Arsene Wenger and would ultimately see his minutes go down in order to avoid wear and tear. Fans are anxious to see how he plays alongside Alexis Sanchez, who gives the German passing master a lot of width and openings.

Sanchez will be another player to look out for. Aside from his potential alongside Özil, there are concerns about his pass in the final third. He made a decisive play in the Community Shield, but his final passes were otherwise rather errant. How he improves in the playoffs will be something to look out for.

Another interesting question regards the forwards that Wenger will employ. Yaya Sanogo has certainly proven his worth in the preseason, but will he get the start ahead of the team's top choice Olivier Giroud?

And then there is the goaltending situation. Wojciech Szczesny is the starter, but David Ospina is more than capable of taking the top job and running with it. Will Wenger give the Colombian some game time in what should be an "easy" matchup? Or will he look to pump up Szsesny's confidence with some "easy" minutes?

The backline looks terrific so far and Calum Chambers has really proven his worth. But does Per Mertesacker get the start instead?

These questions will all be answered next week.

The first leg in Turkey takes place on Aug. 19 while the return leg in London gets underway on Aug. 27.