Key Battles: Arsenal vs Stoke City
1. Aerial Balls vs Arsenal Defense
Well Stoke will always be Stoke. Their strength lies in putting crosses into the box and ensuring that their big center forward gets onto the end of those crosses. While the current emphasis on that topic has diminished, it still remains Stoke’s biggest strength.
They have two excellent crossers in Charlie Adam and Marko Arnautovic and Peter Crouch will look to get onto the end of those crosses. They will also pose a threat from set pieces when their big defenders come up to attack. Arsenal will have to ensure that they do not leave any of these players unmarked or it could well be their undoing.