Arsenal are set to face Shakhtar Donetsk in their third Champions League game of the season, but it may not be a full house at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side are in a good position after beating Paris Saint-Germain in their last European outing, and Arsenal hope to get back to winning ways against Shakhtar after losing to Bournemouth over the weekend.
The Emirates Stadium has been a sellout for the vast majority of games in the past three seasons, as Arsenal fans flock in numbers to watch their title-challenging side.
However, there appears to be less demand for Champions League early phase games, and there is now plenty of availability on Arsenal’s ticket exchange for the clash with Shakhtar, but fans have spotted a problem.
Arsenal fans frustrated with ticket exchange for Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk
Arsenal have now opened the ticket exchange to all club members, which was only done before the victory over Paris Saint-Germain this season.
Typically, the ticket exchange is only open for members who unsuccessfully applied for tickets in the ballot, but as of Tuesday morning, there are plenty of options available on the exchange for those looking for last-minute tickets.
The problem though, is that a lot of the options do not seem to work, and fans have taken to X to point out the issues on the Arsenal website.
“Arsenal ticket exchange not been working for 2+ hours now. Showing 100’s of seats available and then when clicked on says they are in someone else’s basket. Something glitchy about it! As been showing same ticket available for last 2 hours,” one fan posted.
“At Arsenal Why is the ticket exchange such a complete and utter shambles? Plenty available, but when you click on them, they’re already in another members basket,” another fumed.
If the exchange works, the Shakhtar game provides a good opportunity for fans who normally do not attend to watch Arsenal in a Champions League tie. Fans have speculated about why there is so much availability for the game.
Arsenal fans question Emirates Stadium attendance in Champions League
The atmosphere against PSG was far from a classic despite Arsenal’s strong performance against a top European side, and some fans have even questioned whether the defeat to Bournemouth reduced interest in the Shakhtar game.
“One bad result and everybody is selling their ticket for the Arsenal match tomorrow night,” a fan claimed.
However, midweek fixtures at category B prices are often ones which are a big financial burden, on top of difficulties with transport for later kick-off times, and fans have pointed this out.
“With all due respect no one is selling their ticket because we lost our first league match in 6 months. It was the same for the PSG match. These early league phase champions league matches aren’t popular. You know how difficult it is to get a premier league ticket for Arsenal,” a fan responded.
“The amount of Arsenal vs Shakhtar tickets available tomorrow. Whole stadium map is basically blue. Best chance to go a game for those who moan that they never win a ballot or ticket exchange is too hard to use,” a fan highlighted.
The Emirates is set to be mostly full, but it is clear that the extra games this season has meant there is less demand for early stage Champions League games, especially given Arsenal’s strong chances of qualification.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
