Arsenal v Hull City Premier League preview

This game marked a remarkable start to the season for Hull and a dismal one for Arsenal last season. Things have changed a lot since and Arsenal are ready for revenge.

Arsenal

After Chelsea and Manchester United slipped up at the weekend, Arsenal were very much back into contention. Then they drew at Burnley midweek and now Arsene Wenger is complaining about the fixture schedule. They can’t seem to get it right for even half a season anymore, let alone a full one. They lacked creativity after Cesc Fabregas went off in the first half and haven’t replaced Robin van Persie with Eduardo not looking sharp. Arsenal have problems but it shouldn’t be enough for them to drop points here. Wenger has said Fabregas won’t play this weekend which will leave creativity on the shoulders of Andrey Arshavin. He’s perfectly capable of doing just that and is a good leader on the pitch. Theo Walcott could be a good weapon in this match with his pace, although he was ineffectual against Burnley which means he’s not even guaranteed to start this one. There’s not much else out there in terms of goal threats for Arsenal, although Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas will be threats from set pieces. Neither has scored for a while.

Form
LLWWD

Injuries/Suspensions
Cesc Fabregas
Tomas Rosicky
Kieran Gibbs
Robin van Persie
Nicklas Bendtner
Johan Djourou

Hull City

A goalless home draw with Blackburn leaves Hull just 1 point outside the relegation zone. They have only suffered 1 defeat in their last 6 but their next 4 games should leave them in the relegation zone, with Manchester United, a trip to Bolton and then Chelsea to come. Phil Brown’s job could be lost at any point during that period as this is the time of the year to do it, ahead of the transfer window. They’re without a goal in 2 games now and relied on a penalty in the match before to score. Both teams will be without their most influential midfielder in this match. For Hull that’s Jimmy Bullard and unlike Arsenal they don’t have many other creative players in the team. They are finding goals hard to come by and could be on course for a third straight shut out. They have problems at the back too and don’t deal with set pieces very well. Defeat is on the cards for Hull this weekend and a drop into the bottom 3 is looming…

Form
DWDLD

Injuries/Suspensions
Jimmy Bullard
Ian Ashbee

There’s little value in Arsenal but to add them to your accumulator. Both teams have issues up front, but I expect Arsenal to deal with that the better. Set pieces should play into Arsenal’s hands also.

Best bet: Arsenal to win 2/9