Arsenal haven’t even played and they are already under fire, reports coming in state that the Gunners took a 14-minute flight to Norwich, yup, a 14-minute flight, I could have watched a Regular Show episode during that time but nevertheless, the Gunners will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing loss against West Brom and a win in midweek against Zagreb could give them the fillip needed to get a positive result.
Norwich are the home team and the onus would be on them to get something from the game. Alex Neil’s side weren’t at their best in their 1-0 loss against Chelsea, but the performance of West Brom against Arsenal should give them some hope of getting a positive result from this game. Arsenal have taken the most points away from home this season but like last weekend, it surely can’t be that easy for them.
Team News:
Norwich would be without Alex Tettey who still faces a bit of time on the recovery table; Russell Martin though could make a start for the Canaries after missing out in the last game against Chelsea. Winger Matt Jarvis though would be a huge loss for the home team as he nurses a knee injury.
Arsenal should have the services of Alexis Sanchez to call upon, even though he could face the risk of burning out faster than a comet entering the earth’s atmosphere. There is some good news on the injury front with Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade–Chamberlain set to feature in the game and could well start for the Gunners as well. Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky, Danny Welbeck and Francis Coquelin are all set to miss out on the game due to a range of injuries.
Predicted starting XI:
Norwich City: John Ruddy, Russell Martin, Ryan Bennett, Sebastien Bassong, Martin Olsson, Jonny Howson, Youssouf Mulumbu, Gary O’Neil, Robbie Brady, Nathan Redmond, Dieumerci Mbokani
Arsenal: Petr Cech, Nacho Monreal, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Hector Bellerin, Santi Cazorla, Mathieu Flamini, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Joel Campbell, Olivier Giroud
Stats:
Ozil has provided assists in seven consecutive games, a record in the Premier League.
Norwich have only won once in their past 13 league meetings against the Gunners.
The Canaries have only kept one clean sheet all season.
Prediction:
Arsenal won the last time they played at Carrow Road and all signs point to another victory for the Gunners. Arsene Wenger would have drilled his team to ensure a repeat of the last game against West Brom is not repeated. Norwich will be buoyed by the number of injuries that Arsenal do have, but the Gunners should be better than the home team and should easily walk away with the three points, hopefully.