This weekend we are going to witness the top teams in the league putting their 100% to make sure of a top four place at the end of the season. In the evening, Arsenal FC visit Stoke City FC in a bid to keep up their top 4 hopes, whereas the Potters will be trying their best to not allow Arsenal any breathing space, and not be defeated in their own stadium. Keeping these points in mind, this match surely has all the necessary components to be a season changing match for the Gunners.
STOKE CITY FC vs ARSENAL FC
3 Way: 1: STOKE CITY FC: +371 X: +309 Draw 2: ARSENAL FC: -139
Spread +0.5: STOKE CITY FC: +117 ARSENAL FC: -141
Total +3.5: Over: +145 Under: -186
STOKE CITY FC
The potters present a surprising case to fans and neutrals alike. They have often been referred to as a mid table club, whenever they are in the Premiership. However, with talented individuals like Martins Indi, Shaqiri, to name a few, it should have been easier for them to shake off that title. We often see them troubling oppositions with good interplay and strong physical defending. And well, we all are aware of the fact that the prospect of a cold, rainy night in Stoke puts concerns in the back of the visiting teams. Even with all these factors, it’s hard to envisage the Potters being consistent throughout a season and getting enough points on the way for a top half finish.
This season, Stoke City have accrued just 41 points so far. This means, they are clear of relegation troubles by just 1 point. For any team, that will be a disappointment. The Potters are in a horrible run of form, where they have won just one match in their last six, that too against relegation contenders Hull City. Their current league record over the last six games is 1-2-3. This is a poor reading for any club, especially one that has been in the Premier league for some time now. Of the 41 points earned, 27 have been won at the Britannia Stadium. They have drawn both of their last two games in the league. A scoreless home draw against West Ham United was followed by a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth last weekend. A 1-1 draw has been their most common result this season, occurring 6 times. This shows that even if Stoke control the game, they still tend to just fall short of winning it.
With an attack that has extremely talented players like Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic, it is quite a surprise that Stoke haven’t really scored a good number of goals. The Potters have scored just 39 goals so far, with 23 of those coming at home. Not just attack, even their defense hasn’t been quite up to the task this season. They have conceded a total of 52 goals till now, with 20 of them conceded in the league. However, they have managed to keep 10 clean sheets so far, with 7 of them being at home. All these stats point out to the fact that Stoke City are a much better team at home than on the road.
Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic has been the team’s leading scorer, alongside Welsh midfielder Joe Allen, with 6 goals. Both have contributed to assists to, with 4 and 2 respectively. Their former Goalkeeper Lee Grant had kept 9 clean sheets this season in the absence of Jack Butland, but had left for Derby in January 2017. Stoke will also look to the aerial prowess of veteran Peter Crouch to handle the Arsenal Centrebacks this weekend, as the Englishman has 5 goals and two assists this season.
The potters have a couple of injury worries. Midfielder Stephen Ireland is out for the season as he broke his leg on 10th May. Former Barcelona wide-man Ibrahim Afellay is also out for the season as he suffered a knee injury in April. Apart from these two players, Stoke City do not have other major injury concerns.
ARSENAL FC
It has almost become a sad cycle that repeats itself every year for the Gunners. They have a fantastic start to the season, where they play beautiful football and get many points, and talks of surmounting a sustained title challenge solidifies. Then, a few players get injured, and their form suffers a slight dip around January. And in February, they are almost without failed paired with either Barcelona, or Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 in the Champions league (something that has happened for the past 6 seasons) and suffer a wounding defeat (10-2 on aggregate this season against Bayern Munich) and get knocked out of Europe. The season ends with their title challenge disappearing and the Gunners managing to make a top 4 finish. This year is no different, except for the fact that the prospect of a top 4 finish seems quite difficult this season, as they are behind Manchester city, in 5th position in the league, with only 3 games left to play for both.
Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs of English football, and there is no one who denies their presence in the history books of the premier league. However, their recent performances may well suggest that their glory days are over. Their last title win was more than a decade ago. With 66 points earned, 39 of them being earned in front of the home crowd, the Gunners still find themselves 3 points behind Manchester City, who are in the 4th position, and both team having 3 games each to play this season. They are in a good run of form having won 4 of their last 5 matches in the league. The Gunners have put in two very good performances in the last week. First, they defeated Manchester United 2-0 at home, and then they went to the South Coast, where they defeated Southampton 2-0.
One of the first thoughts that comes to our minds when someone mentions Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, is attractive football. This is the philosophy that has resulted in the London based club scoring 65 goals this season so far. There have been only 4 occasions where the gunners have failed to score. 33 of those league goals have been scored at home this season. It is the defense that sometimes loses concentration and hence conceded goals to drop points. They have conceded 42 goals in the league so far. Apart from that, they have also managed to keep 11 clean sheets in the league till now.
Chilean Alexis Sanchez has been a deadly attacker for the club this season. With 20 goals to his name, and still a few matches to go, Sanchez has been tearing apart defenses in the league. He has also contributed to his teammates’ goals, which is evident with the fact that he is the highest assist maker for the club. Mesut Ozil, the German playmaker has also contributed to the team’s attacks, with 7 goals and 7 assists to his name. Former Chelsea keeper Petr Cech has kept 11 clean sheets in the league so far for the Gunners.
STOKE CITY FC vs ARSENAL FC MATCH PREDICTION
This match has massive implications for the gunners. If they drop any points here, then there top 4 hopes are as good as over. There will be player fatigue, as it will their third game in 8 days, but Arsene Wenger will be hoping that his players will be able to put in a good performance against a rugged, physical Stoke side. It will be an interesting battle between Stoke striker Peter Crouch against Arsenal defender Skhodran Mustafi. It will be important for the German defender to nullify the physical threat of the tall Peter Crouch, and prevent any successful long balls played to him. In the end, I feel the difference in quality will be evident, and Arsenal will have a hard earned, but comfortable victory over the Potters, and might even keep a clean sheet if the physical threat of the home side is nullified.
MY PICK: ARSENAL FC (-139)
