Securing back-to-back victories has been enough to lift Arsenal up to seventh in the Premier League table, but although it is difficult to read anything into the team’s league position after just four games, Santi Carzola’s late winner from the penalty spot may prove pivotal.
Southampton will certainly feel aggrieved to walk away from the Emirates last Saturday with nothing for their efforts, having wasted some glorious chances and then see the referee give Arsenal what they felt was a very dubious penalty. But the level of delight and relief that poured out once Cazorla scored was clearly evident. It may be the lift the team need after a stuttering start to the campaign in which Arsenal are yet to hit their groove, and they will need to soon given that Manchester City have made a blistering start under Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal may hold the Indian sign over their next Premier League opponents, but newly-promoted Hull have surprised many by making an excellent start to the season against all the odds. Very few expect Mike Phelan’s side to get a result against the Gunners, with Betway making Arsenal favourites to come away with their third straight win. However, Arsene Wenger’s men will have to make sure that complacency does not set in, despite the fact that not only have Hull never managed to beat Arsenal on home soil, but also won just one of the previous thirteen encounters when Geovanni and Daniel Cousin shocked the Emirates with a 2-1 win back in 2008.
Hull may fancy their chances of picking up a result in front of their own fans, particularly after scoring a dramatic late goal of their own to secure a point from their match at Burnley. Robert Snodgrass, who has made a superb start to the season for club and country, proved to be the hero once again with a fantastic free-kick, and he will be the man that Arsenal need to pay close attention to. Curtis Davies has been a rock at the heart of Hull’s defence and will provide Lucas Perez or Olivier Giroud with a physical battle that Arsenal need to win if they are to pick up three points, while Abel Hernandez will have to be shut out at the other end by a backline that has shown recent signs of improvement.
Facing a newly-promoted side that have no fear factor certainly represents a potential banana skin that Arsenal must overcome if they have any hope of making a serious challenge for the Premier League this season. It could prove a bridge too far at such an early stage if the current gap of five points to the summit extends even further in the Premier League this Saturday, with the Gunners and Manchester City both playing at 3pm against Hull and Bournemouth respectively. Both teams are backed to pick up three points with Betway, but Wenger will know that his team will have to perform better much better than they have done in the opening four games to not only make fans more confident of beating Hull, but also showing the quality that could end the club’s barren drought without a league title.
The game at the KC Stadium could see the welcome return of Aaron Ramsey following a hamstring injury, although it remains to be seen whether he can prove his fitness levels during the week in order to feature this weekend. Per Mertesacker, Carl Jenkinson and Danny Welbeck remain long-term absentees, but Ramsey’s return could provide Wenger with a big lift ahead of what could be a tough encounter against Hull, particularly if Arsenal continue to stutter. The home side are still without Michael Dawson, Alex Bruce, Alan McGregor and Moses Odubajo, but Phelan can call upon his in-form players to have a real go in a game that Hull may consider a “freebie” against a potential title challenger.
