Arsenal vs Swansea Preview – Monday 11th May, 20:00
Arsenal finally admitted defeat in the title race as Chelsea secured top spot last week, but the battle for second place with Manchester City is still well and truly on with the two sides both locked on 70 points.
Alexis Sanchez added yet another two goals to his tally for the season against Hull last week and brings his seasonal total up to 16, which is better than one goal every two games. The Chilean has recorded an impressive 64.2% of his shots on target, the second highest accuracy rate among the top 40 goalscorers, behind Charlie Austin. Sanchez is likely to provide Arsenal’s main threat on Monday night and 888sport.com have him at 39/10 to score at any-time.
Santi Cazorla has been acclaimed as one of Arsenal’s top performers this season and the Spaniard put in yet another top class display against Hull. Cazorla completed an impressive 60 passes in the opposition half, as well as recording an incredible 94.3% pass completion rate, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Remarkably, the Arsenal player who has covered the third most ground in the Arsenal side, behind the aforementioned duo, is Per Mertesacker. As a centre back, and one who is not renowned for his tireless running, it may be a surprise that Mertesacker has covered 290.1km over the course of the 30 matches he has featured in.
Swansea look set to secure their highest ever finish as they are sat in eighth place, and a top half finish is looking inevitable. Gary Monk will be looking to finish the season strongly, starting with a win on the weekend.
They will be hoping that their keeper Lukasz Fabianski will continue the form that he has displayed in the season thus far. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that the Swans’ shot-stopper has racked up 115 saves so far this season, the fourth most in the division.
In front of him, Ashley Williams will be looking to reduce the number of saves Fabianski has to make. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that the Swans’ captain has won 67.9% of his 53 tackles this season, as well as making a whopping 381 clearances and 92 interceptions – both of which are the second highest totals in the Premier League.
In the middle of the park, Gylfi Sigurdsson has been in inspired form for Swansea, and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows some statistics that may have gone unnoticed in his play. He has covered a squad-best 334.6km and his hard work has seen his team reap the rewards, having seen him rack up 36 interceptions, scoring six goals and setting up a further ten. He is 11/2 to score anytime with 888sport.com.
Injury Updates
Arsenal
Doubtful Ramsey (ankle)
Injured Arteta (ankle), Debuchy (hamstring), Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin), Welbeck (knee)
Swansea
Doubtful Gomis (hamstring)
Injured Carroll (ankle), Routledge (ankle), Amat (foot), Oliviera (ankle), Naughton (ankle)
Suspended None
Prediction
Arsenal 3 Swansea 1
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars with at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate team.