Arsenal Vs Hull City Preview
With the international break finally over, the Premier League action is again set to begin this weekend after a two week hiatus. With Cheslea looking to run away with the league, it is crucial that Arsenal pick up full points from the next few fixtures which is theory all look winnable. However given that Arsene Wenger’s side has not had the best of starts and it was Hull City who raced away to a 2-0 lead at the Wembley in the F.A. Cup final before Arsenal pulled it back, there are some legitimate concerns in the Arsenal camp regarding the match tomorrow.
Injuries and Suspensions
The hiatus from the Premier League has not been any kinder for the North London club though as Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny join the already lengthy list of absentees from the various injuries. Also add the fact that Calum Chambers has been suspended from this match for picking up 5 yellow cards and the defence especially does not look like a pretty sight for Arsenal.
From the perspective of Hull City though they will be missing their goalkeeper McGregor after he aggravated his shoulder injury which means that the veteran Steve Harper will get to start in goal. Influential midfielder Robert Snodgrass is also ruled out from this match with a knee injury.
Arsenal Vs Hull City – Tactics
With some massive absentees in defense, Arsene Wenger is expected to be little more cautious with his defensive tactics. They may stay away from playing a high-line of defense and youngster Hector Bellerin should be advised not to be too adventurous while going forward. But, still you can expect Arsenal to dictate possession but the attacking stars like Ox, Cazorla, and Sanchez should take more shots on goal other than feeding Welbeck. In last game vs Chelsea, the gunners didn’t even manage a single shot on target. Wenger would want a better performance than that for sure.
On the other hand, Hull City will stick to their counter attacking philosophies. Steve Bruce may want his central midfielders to press Arsenal central midfielders especially Arteta who dictates the game with his vision and good passing range. The mantra for Hull will be “Stop the supplier first.” If they manage to do that, then they can think about hitting the North London side on counters or steal a goal from set pieces. It will defintely be interesting to see whether Steve Bruce sticks with the 3-5-2 formation that Hull City has played so far this season
Preview:
With so many injuries facing this Arsenal side, the depth in midfield is finally getting tested although the less said about the defence the better. From what it looks like, it will be the youngster Hector Bellerin covering on the right hand side of the defence while Nacho Monreal, a left back, will have to fill in at the position of the centre half in Laurent Koscielny’s place. The defence truly looks in shambles and Hull City will try to take full advantage.
The midfield is the one position where Arsenal is looking good despite the injuries. With Theo Walcott back in training and Aaron Ramsey not too far away from a return either, things are certainly looking rosier. For this match however we can expect Flamini to play as the deep lying midfielder with jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla playing as the two central midfielders. Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain looks set to start on the wings with Danny Welbeck set to lead the line for Arsenal.
Hull City will however have a relatively full squad to choose from and will be hoping to capitalize on all the injuries at Arsenal at the moment. However the Hull boss Steve Bruce will have to decide on Abel Hernandez and Mohamed Diame’s fitness given the fact that both endured heavy fatigue on their travels back from international duty..
Recent form
Arsenal: LWDLWL
Hull: WLLDDL
Arsenal Vs Hull City – Possible starting lineups
Arsenal: Szczesny; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs; Arteta, Wilshere; Sanchez, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Welbeck
Hull: Harper; Chester, Dawson, Davies; Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Livermore, Diame, Rosenior; Hernandez, Jelavic
Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Hull City