EPL | Watford v Arsenal | 27th of August at 15:00 (GMT)

[Proof]

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Head-to-Head

Recent Meetings

Predicted lineups:

Watford: (3-1-4-2 formation): Gomes; Cathcart, Prödl, Britos; Behrami; Amrabat, Guedioura, Capoue, Holebas; Deeney, Ighalo.

Arsenal: (4-2-3-1 formation): Cech; Bellerin, Holding, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Xhaka; Alexis, Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Giroud.

Game Highlights

http://arsenalist.com/f/2016-17/watford-vs-arsenal/watford-vs-arsenal-extended-highlights.html​

 

[MagicalRozza]

I really would like Bielik to get some minutes as we are not signing a cb and see how the Xhaka Elnenny partnership works.

 

[remains]

Not the ideal fixture for our fabled bounce back. You know it's desperate times when you are relying on Giroud to score.

 

[Penn_]

Be interesting to see what happens with Giroud, if he starts over Alexis then AW is basically admitting Alexis is the CF we need.

Should have given Akpom a chance, won't happen now.

 

[Hunta]

Cech
Bellerin Holding Koscielny Monreal
Wilshere Xhaka
Chamberlain Özil Alexis
Giroud
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Yep, Giroud is still starting for us in 2016. We have to win to stay only 5pts behind at the International break.

 

[STYLEZ]

Cech
Bellerin Holding Koscielny Monreal
Wilshere Xhaka
Chamberlain Özil Alexis
Giroud
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Yep, Giroud is still starting for us in 2016. We have to win to stay only 5pts behind at the International break.

Ffs not international break already is it.

 

[4R5Emaniac]

Watched Watford last week. I liked how they play and their structuring of the game. Another manager bringing something to the table. PL getting more and more interesting.

Hope we play our best line up with Özil, Giroud and Elneny starting.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Ffs not international break already is it.

It is bullshit. It is killing the game. International break 2 months after major tournament. I mean... FFS....

 

[Mark Tobias]

Getting married while this is on so I will miss it unfortunately. Expecting a huge change and a bounce back but worrying it will end in a 1-1 draw.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

I wish I could do away with these international breaks, at least back in the day one could point the finger at them & claim they were disrupting our rhythm, sadly our football is not even on par as it once was.

I honestly have no confidence we'd be able to turn it around like Chelsea did on the weekend, we currently just don't have what it takes to grab the game by the scruff its neck & see it to its conclusion.

 

[SiMamu]

------------------Cech
Bellerin-Holding-Koscielny (c)-Monreal
----------Wilshere-Xhaka
Walcott----------Özil------------Alexis
------------------Giroud

Subs: Ospina, Gibbs, Chambers, Elneny, Coquelin, Cazorla, Chamberlain

 

[MagicalRozza]

Getting married while this is on

Expecting a huge change.

Well, rightly so, let me tell you.

 

[Mark Tobias]

Well, rightly so, let me tell you.

Well TBF one of my mates had the greatest freudian slip ever this morning as he asked, "What time does your funeral start this weekend?"

 

[FinnGooner]

Be interesting to see what happens with Giroud, if he starts over Alexis then AW is basically admitting Alexis is the CF we need.

Should have given Akpom a chance, won't happen now.

Wenger has seen Akpom in pre-seasons and in practice for quite some time now. He has had the chance to convince Wenger but hasn't done so. We're playing for three points here and we're already 5 behind the leaders. This is not a time for leaps of faith and desperate experiments.

We have more than good enough team to beat Watford away. It's not a question of the quality of any individual player. However, if the collective effort is not there we're screwed. Time for a solid team effort and hopefully the coaching staff gives the tools for the players to provide that.

I think we'll win 2-0. Giroud and Alexis to score.

 

[BobP]

For the first time since I started watching football, I'm kind of happy that there's an international break.

 

[Mark Tobias]

For the first time since I started watching football, I'm kind of happy that there's an international break.

Except we could demolish Watford and then the momentum gets killed by useless internationals

 

[Penn_]

Wenger has seen Akpom in pre-seasons and in practice for quite some time now. He has had the chance to convince Wenger but hasn't done so. We're playing for three points here and we're already 5 behind the leaders. This is not a time for leaps of faith and desperate experiments.

We have more than good enough team to beat Watford away. It's not a question of the quality of any individual player. However, if the collective effort is not there we're screwed. Time for a solid team effort and hopefully the coaching staff gives the tools for the players to provide that.

I think we'll win 2-0. Giroud and Alexis to score.

Not now that Giroud's back but having Alexis as a lone CF was a pathetic attempt to fix holes for those two games.

If we're not using Akpom now when none of our recognised strikers are around he's just taking up space. Should be selling/loaning him with a buy back clause.

 

[FinnGooner]

Not now that Giroud's back but having Alexis as a lone CF was a pathetic attempt to fix holes for those two games.

If we're not using Akpom now when none of our recognised strikers are around he's just taking up space. Should be selling/loaning him with a buy back clause.

I think we will send him on loan if we sign somebody, which I think we will. And even though I agree that Alexis wasn't good as a CF it was still very much justified to try it out. If you don't have clear no.1 striker just put somebody up top who you know can score goals.

The problem with Akpom is that he has not scored goals in pro level anywhere he has played. Four loan spells 52 games and 3 scored goals. I'm sorry but that's shouldn't get you even near the Arsenal starting XI in a competitive no matter how many injuries. People often defend Akpom by pointing out how Harry Kane didn't score a lot either on his loan spells but he also had four loan spells 56 games and 14 goals. That's almost five times Akpom's goal tally.

 

[novarek]

You make these way too early.

It makes sense I suppose, given how the site dies by the time the game is actually played.

 

[Rimaal]

On paper, this should be a comfortable win. Should be...