TEAM NEWS ARSENAL vs HULL CITY Tomorrow Saturday 17th October 2014 at 3pm UK Time. Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has overcome a calf problem and is expected to return against Hull. Calum Chambers is suspended and Laurent Koscielny is out with an Achilles injury so full-back Nacho Monreal could play in central defence. Mesut Ozil faces two months out with a knee injury, while Theo Walcott is not ready to return from a similar problem. Hulls Ahmed Elmohamady has recovered from the back spasm that ruled him out of international duty with Egypt. In-form midfielder Mohamed Diame will be assessed, having played for Senegal in the 1-0 defeat by Tunisia on Wednesday night. MATCH PREVIEW Its difficult to look ahead to this fixture without recalling the most recent meeting between the sides, the dramatic FA Cup final in May. Arsenal, of course, went 2-0 down inside eight minutes and were indebted to Kieran Gibbs goal-line clearance to prevent a three-goal deficit. Had Alex Bruces header gone in, the Gunners would surely still be searching for a first trophy in a decade. Their eventual FA Cup triumph meant the clubs Annual General Meeting on Thursday was less heated than in recent years. But thats not to say all shareholders are completely convinced by what Arsene Wenger is doing. I can understand them querying why Wenger did not strengthen in central defence in the summer. The Gunners currently have eight or nine injuries - many of them long-term - and the manager will probably have to put a few young players on the bench. Surely, they should not have allowed themselves to be in that situation? Lawros prediction Whoever the Gunners have or have not got to choose from, I think they have got enough to beat Hull. They have enough midfield and forward players to cope, even without Ramsey and Ozil. Predictions: Lawro v Roddy Doyle This is a key time for Arsenal - if they continue to drop points, and with all these injuries, then the title could soon be beyond them. The defeat by Chelsea last time out extended their poor record against fellow title contenders. They have had no such problems against Hull in recent years, having won the last five league meetings. However, Hull had a good win against Crystal Palace last time out, which will have calmed them down after tough start to the season. Manager Steve Bruce reverted to 3-5-2 for that game and I think Hull are at their best in that formation. Will Bruce risk playing two up front at the Emirates, though? Hull had 13 players on international duty this week, with many of them now really making an impact at that level. It just goes to show how the club has become a much more attractive proposition since promotion in 2012. Arguably, Hull are now a different proposition even since the FA Cup final, with summer signings Hernandez, Ben Arfa, Ramirez, Diame and Ince adding flair and a goal threat. The Tigers could give Arsenal another searching examination on Saturday. MATCH FACTS Head-to-head Arsenal have won five Premier League games in a row against Hull City since losing at home in their first ever top-flight meeting in September 2008. The Gunners have earned seven straight victories over Hull in all competitions, scoring 18 goals and conceding only five. Arsenal Arsenals 11-match unbeaten league run was ended by Chelsea in their last match, when they failed to register a shot on target for the first time in a Premier League fixture since September 2003. The Gunners have now won just one of their last six league games (W1, D4, L1). Ten points from seven games represents Arsenals joint-second worst league start to a season under Arsene Wenger. They had seven points from seven games in 2011-12. Wengers side have not lost back to back Premier League matches since January 2013. They are unbeaten at home in 21 league matches since losing 3-1 to Aston Villa on the opening day of last season. Hull City Hull City ended a five-match winless streak in the league with victory over Crystal Palace before the international break. They are attempting to win successive Premier League games for the first time in 13 months. The Tigers are one of only three clubs to have scored in each of their Premier League fixtures this season, along with Chelsea and Everton. Nikica Jelavic has scored four goals in seven games this season, already equalling his Premier League goal tally from 2013-14. Mohamed Diame has scored three goals in four league games for Hull - as many as he netted in his last 25 games for West Ham. SOURCE: {BBC Sport} #ADMIN
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 14:13:21 +0000
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