Arsenal finally got back to winning ways after a barren run left supporters teetering on the edge of a disastrous season. Tuesday night’s 4-0 at the KC Stadium against Hull City set up an FA Cup quarter final at the Emirates Stadium against Watford.
You could sense that there seemed to be a notable change in mentality in the way Arsenal played ever since the players stepped out onto the White Hart Lane pitch. Rescuing a 2-2 draw against Tottenham before demolishing Championship title chasers away from home certainly represents an upturn in form. With Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott back in the goals and hopefully someway back to full confidence, Arsenal can move into the final stretch of the season with optimism.
However, Watford have proven an awkward side to deal with in the Premier League. Against sides in the top half, they tend to play a narrow 4-4-2 with three defensive midfielders and a roaming playmaker – the former breaking up play and the later supplying the dangerous duo of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo up front. However, since the New Year, they seem to have lost some momentum, with goals drying up. Arsenal will still need to be diligent to win the midfield battle – deploying Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny to combat Mario Suarez, Ettiene Capoue and Ben Watson will be very important, while it will be interesting to see how Arsene Wenger lines up – will he have one eye on the Camp Nou and continue giving fringe players a chance to impress, or does he think the FA Cup is a realistic chance of silverware?
In any case, Arsenal should have the quality to beat a lower half team at home.
Match facts
– Arsenal’s win at Hull was their first win since 14th February.
– Giroud’s brace at the KC were his first goals since the 3-3 draw at Anfield, previously scoring a single strike against Sunedrland in January.
– Deeney and Ighalo have scored 22 of Watford’s 27 Premier League goals.
– Watford have won all three of their FA Cup games this season by a 1-0 scoreline.
Team news
– Aaron Ramsey has a “small alert” and is feared to be out for at least four weeks. Per Mertesacker and Gabriel should be “fine” for the game, while Nacho Monreal’s apparent knock was nothing serious. Petr Cech, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Laurent Koscielny, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere remain sidelined.
– For Watford, Craig Cathcart will face a late fitness test, while Jurado and Ekstrand are confirmed to be out.
Predicted XI
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina; Bellerin, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Coquelin, Elneny: Campbell, Iwobi, Alexis; Welbeck
Watford (4-4-2): Gomes, Nyom, Britos, Cathcart, Holebas; Watson, Suarez, Capoue, Amrabat; Deeney, Ighalo
