Arsenal are on the road again as they prepare to travel to the KCOM Stadium to face Hull City in search of their 3rd win of the season. Many would believe the Gunners have been slightly lucky the past week, which began with a fortuitous win against Southampton where they had to depend on a debatable penalty right towards the end of the match to eke out a 2-1 win. And in their first Champions League fixture the profligate nature of Edinson Cavani and the heroics of David Ospina were instrumental in earning a vital 1-1 away draw in Paris. But they will have to quickly shift focus back to the Premier League as they face a Hull side who have certainly performed at a higher level than many would have thought prior to the start of the season. Having already beaten the holding Premier League Champions on the first day of the season, they immediately raised hopes of a likely survival this season.
The Tigers are coming off a draw away at Burnley and will back themselves to frustrate the Gunners with their resilience and determination which they will hope is enough for at least a point on Saturday. Arsenal, after having blown away Watford in their first half, would love to have a repeat but the players should be prepared enough as they can expect a solid and compact Hull team set out to frustrate them.
PREDICTED ARSENAL LINE-UP VS HULL CITY (4-2-3-1)
DEFENCE
Petr Cech is in line for a recall after being benched for the Champions League game for tactical reasons. Hector Bellerin will start at right-back with a central defensive pair of Koscielny and Mustafi who will be looking to further their understanding with each other. Although Nacho Monreal did not have the best of days against PSG, he seems to have edged ahead of Gibbs, considerably.
MIDFIELD
Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla are the most likely to form the double pivot and Cazorla’s creativity from midfield will be instrumental in pressurising the Hull team all over the pitch. Mesut Ozil will be the orchestrator in the No.10 role and will look to be a nuisance for the Hull midfielders and defenders.
ATTACK
Alexis Sanchez looked a far better player after having being shifted onto the wing against PSG and went on to get a goal. He is likely to start on the left-hand side while the opposite flank throws up a number of options for the Frenchman with the likes of Iwobi, Walcott, Ramsey, Chamberlain and to an extent Perez all providing options. Giroud will likely get his first start after having gotten himself banned for the coming European game.
