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Blackburn v Arsenal – team news, likely line-up & my prediction

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Arsenal travel north to take on Blackburn after a positive week, where they won against Swansea and then put up a brave performance in Germany against Borrussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

With a little bit of confidence coming into the team after a brilliant defensive brilliant display against Dortmund, Arsenal will fancy their chances against an ailing Blackburn side who are currently sitting at the bottom of the table.

Arsenal team news:

Abou Diaby has started rehab and is expected to be fit after the next international break. Jack Wilshere and Sebastien Squillaci are ruled out, with Thomas Vermaelen too missing out after going under the knife for an ankle problem. Aaron Ramsey missed the Dortmund game and is racing against time to be fit for the trip to Ewood Park, while Tomas Rosicky is also doubtful.

Likely line-up:

Alex Song and Gervinho are back from their suspensions, while Carl Jenkinson is also available. I believe Arsene Wenger will start with the same line-up that faced Dortmund, though Park Chu-Young has a chance to make his debut by replacing Yossi Benayoun.

Szczesny

Sagna     Mertesacker     Koscielny     Gibbs

Song

Arteta     Benayoun

Walcott     Van Persie     Gervinho

Prediction:

Arsenal showed defensive maturity against Dortmund, with Laurent Koscielny impressing the most. Kieran Gibbs was also good, but what really caught my eye was the work ethic of Arteta and Benayoun. With Blackburn desperate for a win, they will come hard at Arsenal, but we just can’t afford to drop points at the moment. Gervinho will bring some zip to the team and Robin van Persie will be keen to extend his scoring record against the Lancashire club. Arsenal’s new tactics for defending corners (zonal marking) will also be tested against the height of players like Chris Samba.

This is a tough away fixture, but I’m again expecting Arsenal to battle towards a win. The new arrivals will take time to settle into the team and without Wilshere’s creativity, Arsenal’s midfield should defend well and move forward with pace. Furthermore, Arsenal’s forward line should make sure that all the chances created are utilized. Against an organised team like Blackburn, The Gunners can’t be lethargic in front of goal.

I’ll be going for a 2-1 Arsenal win.

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