For the first time since the International break back in early November, Arsenal have had a midweek off. It has given them some much needed rest after a poor run in the Premiership. Bellerin and Coquelin have not recovered from some minor knocks, but Özil is back in the squad after missing 3 games due to illness. More important might be the general rest in an Arsenal team that seemed hit by fatigue, best illustrated with the substitution of Koschielny in the match against Bournemouth. Both he and Mustafi have played a lot of matches, and Mustafi hasn’t looked to be back at a 100% level after his injury. A week off, should have done the central defense at Arsenal a lot of good!
With the injury to Coquelin and Elneny at ACN, Wenger’s options in the center midfield are limited. Xhaka and Ramsey looks to be the heart of the Arsenal team with Iwobi and Alexis on the flanks. Ramsey didn’t look good in the first half against Preston, but he got a boost with his early 2nd half goal. From there he looked more relaxed and he should return home to Wales with more self-confidence. Confidence seems crucial for Ramsey after a long injury spell that has set him back after a very strong EURO. The constellation of Ramsey and Xhaka will not be a fan favorite – with a lack of defensive strength. At the same time, it has been painful for the Arsenal fans, seeing Nathan Ake return to Chelsea from Bournemouth; while in-form Wilshere is not having the same clause in his loan agreement.
With Bellerin out, Gabriel will cover the right back giving a bit of X-factor to the Arsenal defense. With only 6 clean sheets, Arsenal is the 2nd worst of the top 6 teams. Combined with a rusty defence, and missing Coquelin to break up the Swansea attack, Arsenal will most likely need their attacking trio Alexis, Özil and hot goal scorer Giroud to score at least 2 goals to secure the 3 points.
Swansea on the other hand will welcome Arsenal with new belief in their fight for Premier League survival. Getting a crucial 2-1 victory away to Crystal Palace gave newly appointed manager Paul Clement the perfect start to a hard mission. Luciano Narsingh have been bought in from PSV Eindhoven and will give the attack a lot more pace, but it is very doubtful if he will be in the squad for the fixture against Arsenal. The biggest concern for Swansea however, will be getting the defense under control. Conceding 45 goals in 20 games Swansea is statistically the worst defensive team in the PL. Coming up against the attacking firepower of Arsenal it is hard to see Swansea getting anything away from this game. The market has however reacted a bit on the news Bellerin is confirmed out, with the Arsenal price having gone up to 1.53 at WillHill. A bit more aggressive bet would be a special at Bet365; Arsenal to win and over 3.5 goals. We foresee a game that could be open with Swansea getting their chances, but a rested Arsenal team is just at another level, and should have close to 70% chance of winning.
.png)
