Swansea City host Arsenal on Saturday with a hope of moving back into the top half of the table while the Gunners look to exorcise their midweek demons.
After winning four matches in a row, Arsenal easily lost 3-0 to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday in the Capital One Cup. To make things worse, both Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got injured against the Championship side and will miss this weekend’s match at the bare minimum. Arsenal are equal on points with Manchester City and will need to continue winning in order to stay in title contention.
On the other hand, Swansea players are eager to get on the pitch on Saturday after winning against Aston Villa last weekend. The result broke a five-match long run without a win, as goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew helped Garry Monk’s side overcome the Villans. With injuries starting to pile up at Arsenal, Swansea find themselves in a good position to secure an upset.
Key battle – Bafetimbi Gomis vs Olivier Giroud
Two French strikers will be leading the teams on Saturday. Gomis is struggling since his goal knocked Manchester United down and is in urge to make a difference this time. He is over eight hours without a goal and will have enough motivation to end poor form against Arsenal. Giroud will be starting the match as Walcott is sidelined, hoping to continue his goal-scoring run. He scored at Watford and against Everton, bringing much needed finishing element to his side.
Team News
Gary Monk will not have any trouble in choosing his best XI. His squad is one of the healthiest sides so far this season, with only Ki Sing-yueng and Jefferson Montero earning slight injuries during August. Monk will play with his usual 4-2-3-1, with the only doubt at the central midfield position. Either Ki or Jack Cork could play alongside Jonjo Shelvey, with the latter being the most realistic option given his defensive qualities, much needed against strong Arsenal side. The back four will be completed with Kyle Naughton playing at the right back and Angel Rangel sitting on the bench, as Naughton’s fine display and late assist to Andre Ayew earned points for Swans against Villa.
On the other side, Wenger barely ever has a fully healthy squad. In addition to the freshly injured Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott, the French manager won’t be able to pick Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Mikel Arteta, Gedion Zelalem or David Ospina. That means Wenger will have only six true midfield players at his disposal, with Joel Campbell likely to get a chance on the right flank. If nothing else, Arsenal’s defense is healthy and ready for Swans, with Petr Cech commanding from behind.
Head-to-head
These two teams have met on 14 occasions, spreading the points equally with six wins each and drawing twice. At the Liberty Stadium, the situation is the same, as both sides won three times in seven matches.
Last meeting
In early May, Swansea won 1-0 at Emirates Stadium, with Bafetimbi Gomis scoring a late winner. The match was well remembered after Lukasz Fabianski was able to make seven saves against his former club, earning a man of the match award. It was Swansea’s last away victory until last weekend’s win at Villa Park.
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Prediction
Swansea have proved they know how to play against strong teams, wining four out of six points against Chelsea and Manchester United. Arsenal looked tired against Sheffield Wednesday and with injuries of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott, their morale could be lower than usual.
Swansea City 1 Arsenal 1
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