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The English Premier League returns after an eventful international break with Arsenal attempting to resurrect their stuttering form when they welcome Hull City to the Emirates. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 1:00am (AEDT).
Arsenal will be confident of a victory here due largely to their impressive record of seven consecutive victories over the visitors.
However Hull City will be looking to capitalise on the Gunners’ injury crisis and distinct lack of preferred central defenders in order to depart with an unlikely 3-points.
The Gunners currently sit in 8th place on the EPL table, already trailing leaders Chelsea by 9-points after just seven matches, a statistic which will not sit all that comfortably with Arsene Wenger.
A surprise loss here would already seemingly leave them out of contention for the title an alarming eight matches into the campaign.
These are two teams with very different aspirations for their campaigns however just 1-point separates them on the table; Arsenal must win this game if they are to retain any hope of a title charge or even to situate themselves optimistically for a tilt at the Champions League places.
For Hull City, a victory here would send them even higher up the table into the positions they dream of achieving but realistically are beyond their grasp.
Arsenal’s extensive injury list could be a thorn in their side in this fixture as they currently boast just one available first team centre back after Laurent Koscielny picked up an Achilles injury whilst on international duty with France last week.
He joins the ever-growing list of Gunners players who have succumbed to injury which already includes Mesut Ozil (knee), Olivier Giroud (fractured tibia), Calum Chambers (suspension), Mathieu Debuchy (ankle) and Yaya Sanogo (hamstring).
Theo Walcott and Serge Gnabry (both knee) have both resumed training, however they are both still out of the first team picture for the time being, whilst Aaron Ramsey is said to make his return from a thigh problem against Anderlecht in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Hull City are still missing goalkeeper Allan McGregor (shoulder) and long-term absentee Robert Snodgrass (dislocated kneecap). However, Ahmed El Mohamady could still play after missing Egypt’s African Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Botswana due to a back spasm.
The efficiency of the Gunners’ forwards will be absolutely key here. The likes of Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Santi Cazorla will be relied upon to manufacture Arsenal’s scoring opportunities and if they do not manage to rectify their impotent form from their previous fixture against Chelsea, in which they managed a meagre 3 shots on goal, they could be looking at an upset defeat at the hands of a much weaker opponent.
The same goes for the Tigers. Abel Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic must find the net if they are to take something from this game. However, for Hull, defence will be equally as important as they take on one of the premier attacks in the competition.
Following the international break Arsenal should be raring to get back to the top of their game, despite their injury crisis. They should possess too much quality for this burgeoning Hull City side which does possess the fire power to score a few unexpected goals.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Hull City
Can Arsenal battle the injury crisis to resurrect their form or will an inspired Hull City side shake off their underdog tag to nab 3-points?
Join The Roar at 1:00am (AEDT) for live score updates and debate in our live blog.
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