Worrying cracks have appeared in Arsenal defence as Champions League football returns

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Mikel Arteta’s managerial skills will be put to the test in the next five days as he bids to ensure Arsenal don't hit roadblocks in the Premier League and Europe.

The first exam should be a relatively easy one when they entertain Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League seeking a confidence-building performance and result before hosting top-flight leaders Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners defence was rightly applauded as the best in the business when they started the campaign in style.

They kept clean sheets at home to Wolves and away at Aston Villa, then salvaged a fine point when playing with ten men for 41 minutes at home to Brighton after Declan Rice was sent off. The defence was outstanding in a 1-0 win at Tottenham before Gunners goalkeeper David Raya was the hero against Atalanta in their first venture into Europe this season, saving a penalty in the 0-0 draw.

Up next was another defensive masterclass after Leonardo Trossard was dismissed on the stroke of half-time at the Etihad Stadium and it took an equaliser from John Stones deep into injury-time to snatch a point for Manchester City.

Everyone was raving about Arsenal's amazing rearguard but those high standards suddenly began to dip.

No one was bothered when Bolton scored a consolation against a much-changed side in a 5-1 Carabao Cup success, but Arsenal needed two injury-time strikes to chisel out a 4-2 victory against Leicester after blowing a 2-0 half-time advantage.

They then beat a below-par Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in a decent home win in Europe but allowed struggling Southampton back into the game after taking the lead and required another couple of late goals to win 3-1.

Now they have lost 2-0 at Bournemouth after William Saliba saw red in the 30th minute and there was nowhere near the same defensive resilience and fortitude as displayed against Villa, the Seagulls, Spurs and City.

Kai Havertz is 9/2 with bet365, Paddy Power and Betfair to open the scoring against Shakhtar with his seventh goal of the season and Arsenal are 13/2 with William Hill to win 3-0 against the Ukrainians, who have failed to score in the 0-0 Champions League draw at Bologna and in the 3-0 defeat against Atalanta. But keeping a clean sheet against Liverpool will be a different matter altogether for the Gunners.

• Aston Villa have midfield lynchpin John McGinn back in the fold when they entertain Bologna in the Champions League and can build on their handy 1-0 win against Bayern Munich, which followed a 3-0 success at Young Boys, with a 2-0 victory at 7/1 with William Hill. Morgan Rogers is 6/1 with bet365, Paddy Power, Betfair and 888Sport to break the deadlock and 11/5 with the former firm to score at any time.

• It’s seven years since a team last won back-to-back NBA titles and the Boston Celtics begin the defence of their crown by hosting the New York Knicks, the outfit who could replace them as champions. Blockbuster deals for centre Karl-Anthony Towns and forward Mikal Bridges to play alongside MVP candidate Jalen Brunson will have Madison Square Garden rocking in the summer and the Knicks are 9/1 with Sky Bet to finally win it all for the first time since 1973.

They are likely to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose talented young side are ready to rumble, in the finals and they should be followed each-way at 7/1 with Bet Victor and bet365.

• Coventry, Birmingham, Wycombe, Bradford and Doncaster form Tuesday's Football League acca.

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