Swansea Vs Arsenal
Liberty Stadium
Saturday 28th October 17:30 BST
Referee: M. Clattenburg‎


The beginning of a difficult path

Things are going pretty well for Arsenal. We sit at the top of the Premier league table. Progressed into the next round of the CoC and also managed to win our first CL match of the season. However it can be said that things are taking a turn towards the wrong side. It is hard to stay consistent all the time. You have a good phase, a bad phase and a phase where you basically hit the rock bottom. I am not sure which phase we are going into, but next few weeks should give us a good idea of it. As you see, we are heading into a run of games which will be crucial to our Premier league position as well as our place in the next round of the CL. After Swansea Away, we host Napoli at home then travel to West Brom followed by Norwich home, Dortmund away, Crystal Palace away, Chelsea home(CoC), Liverpool home, Dortmund away and Man United away. Not including the international break in the between, we will have all these games every 3-4 days. While looking at our ever so increasing injury list. This really is the beginning of a difficult path. We will have to emerge out victorious if we really do want to prove our credentials.

Swansea away

There is something about playing Swansea away we don't really like. It might be that Laudrup knows how to stop us. He doesn't do it while parking the bus but he does it by attacking our weak areas and his tactics usually prevails. Swansea have been doing reasonably well in the PL and produced a result in Valencia which surprised many but it was very well deserved. Laudrup has built a very strong side and with the partnership of Bony and Michu getting stronger with each match. It will be one of our most difficult match so far. But our best 11 is more than capable of getting a result in Wales. We are on a 10 away matches unbeaten run and with the service of Mesut Ozil in our hand. We should produce a performance that will be enough to win us the game. But it will be very difficult.

Team News

For Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini face fitness tests, while Tomas Rosicky is not quite ready to return. Santi Cazorla, Abou Diaby, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo and Theo Walcott all remain on the long injury list.

For Swansea, Ashley Williams remains doubtful with an ankle injury, and Pablo Hernandez is out (hamstring).


Expected teams

Swansea

------------------------------------------Vorm---------------------------------------------

Rangel-----------------------Amat-----------------Chico-------------------------Davies

Dyer-------------------------Canas---------------Shelvey----------------------Routledge
-------------------------------------------Michu---------------------------------------
--------------------------Bony---------------------------------------------------------

Arsenal

----------------------------------------Szczesny----------------------------------------

Sagna---------------------Meretsacker------------Koscielny--------------------Gibbs

----------------------------Flamini----------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------Ramsey-------------------------------
-------------------------------------Ozil----------------------------Wilshere---------
Gnabry*---------------------------------------Giroud--------------------------------

Not sure about the RW. Anyone's guess really.

Match Facts (BBC)

Head-to-head

• These sides have met just 15 times and six of those clashes have come in the last two seasons.
  
• The away team won 2-0 in both league matches last season, with Swansea earning a famous win at the Emirates in December 2012.
  
• In the four matches between these two teams in 2012-13, seven of the nine goals scored came in the last 10 minutes.
  

Swansea

• Swansea have scored two or more goals in three successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2012.
  
• They have conceded just one goal away from home so far but let in six in two matches at the Liberty Stadium.
  
• Going into this weekend, they had the best pass completion rate in the Premier League this season (87.3%).
  
• After five matches they have picked up more bookings for dissent (four) than any other club this campaign.
  
• The Swans have scored the two fastest goals in the top flight so far in 2013-14 (Michu v Crystal Palace 1min 20sec & Shelvey v Liverpool 1min 27sec).
  

Arsenal

• The Gunners are looking to extend their club record of consecutive away wins to 12.
  
• Arsenal have lost only two of their last 21 Premier League games. (W16, D3, L2).
  
• Despite their good start, Arsenal have only kept one clean sheet in five league games so far.
  
• All 11 of their Premier League goals have come from inside the penalty area.
  
• Last season, Aaron Ramsey scored one goal from 46 shots in the league. In 2013-14 he has so far scored three league goals from 12 shots and has seven goals in all competitions.
  
• Mesut Ozil has created more chances (10) in two Premier League games than any Manchester United player has done all season.
  

Final words

I'd like a win.

if we had walcott we would have prob win this like 3-1, but without walcott our attack is average, hard to see us scoring from open play.

Wow.

Excellent topic starter by RG.

I said before the Stoke game if we could take a possible 13 points from our next 15
i'll be very optimistic about the season ahead. It's the smaller teams we need to be
consistent against.

Come on Arsenal.

Super stuff RG. Wayne Veysey also says Gnabry will start (if that's reliable..). I will and won't be surprised. I will because it would mean him starting 3 games in a week. I won't because of the injuries and Arteta played on Wednesday for first time after weeks out with injury.

Either way, I'm hopeful we can continue our form, but the injuries will catch up with us eventually unless we get more back soon. Arteta and Bendtner on bench at least give us some options in midfield and attack for the time being I guess.

Rosicky and Cazorla hopefully back soon.

Gnarby/Ryo should play this one.

We should go with Ozil and Jack on the wings for Napoli game with Flamini, Arteta and Rambo on the mid

Why is Eisfeld never involved in the Premier League? Gnabry has been playing too much lately, he looked tired against WBA in the 2nd half and needs a rest. Besides Eisfeld is a good player, gets in good goalscoring positions, is very clinical, good technique , passing and works hard. I can't think of any football reason why he's not used more often.

Assuming one of Ramsey/Flamini will be available to start, my team would be;


Bench: Fabianski; Vermaelen, Monreal; Flamini/Ramsey; Gnabry, Ryo, Bendtner;

1 goal, clean sheet and no more injuries please...

Amazing job RG. 

Will be a fun game, must watch out for Michu. I think we can hurt them in the midfield and stop their passing and score some goals.

We are almost there, after international break we should have few more players back. A win tomorrow will have a huge effect  on the CL game

---------------Szczesny
Sagna-----Mertesacker--------Koscielny--------Gibbs
---------------Ramsey----------Flamini------------
Bendtner  -------Özil------------------Wilshere
--------------------Giroud

Bendtner ffs . A 100% and motivated Bendtner is better than Giroud imo. too bad his story with us turned out like this.

Injuries   Where are Sanogo and Park   ?

Butt wrote:Gnarby/Ryo should play this one.

We should go with Ozil and Jack on the wings for Napoli game with Flamini, Arteta and Rambo on the wings

I pray Ramsey never plays on the wing again...


This game worries me because the way Swansea plays. The way to beat us is to pressure us, to get us playing backwards and sideways which is when we make mistakes. Swansea can do that.

We've been showing great character grinding out some results (united-style) so hopefully we can exhibit that again this game.

Great Preview RG

hopefully another solid professional and Efficient performance
tricky but doable job
type of game we should win to keep in touch on the top

i suggested Bellerin at RW
but after reading that Tim Stillman Column on Gnabry would like to put my trust on him

not sure how he would respond physically after playing close to 200 mins in a week already

would be tough to handle Bony-Michu combo linking up in danger zones
type of a challenge Flamini would be massive help ,covering up holes and doing last ditch defending etc when others caught out

COYG
Lets grab them 3 delicious points

about that stat
prior to last Match-day we had scored all our goals from open play
then against stoke of all teams scored 3 from set piece

maybe break this no goal from outside the box thing today against a side usually requiring a lot of last ditch defending vs top sides to survive

Mesut with screamer
(A 40 yards fluke by Flamini would do Though xD )

lenear1030 wrote:

Butt wrote:Gnarby/Ryo should play this one.

We should go with Ozil and Jack on the wings for Napoli game with Flamini, Arteta and Rambo on the wings

I pray Ramsey never plays on the wing again...


This game worries me because the way Swansea plays. The way to beat us is to pressure us, to get us playing backwards and sideways which is when we make mistakes. Swansea can do that.

We've been showing great character grinding out some results (united-style) so hopefully we can exhibit that again this game.

oops i mean central for Flamini, Arteta and Rambo

would be a very interesting game.. we have never won the midfield game against Swansea.. but has turned some results.. hope it will be the same again.. without Walcott we look crippled in attack.. Ryo looks the only player who offers something most similar.. better than Gnabry who keeps shifting in and has less pace.. but i think Wenger will play both Arteta and Flamini and play Ramsey on the right which would be fine for this match.. Giroud needs to be at his best for us to win this..