We are closing in on game time so I thought Id go ahead and start the prematch thread. Ladbrokes has us a huge favorite. I think you get 15 pence on a pound bet. Thirteen pounds if WBA win. I see no reason why we cant win by 4 clear goals. If Leeds can score 3 and barely dominate than we should be able to win easily. WBA did a good job of taking the ball in the midfield and stopping Leeds from getting down pitch but they couldnt score. Blew alot of good chances. Jason Roberts has a cracker of a shot and needs to be watched but the rest of the team holds little offensive prowess. I see WBA coming out in a 5-4-1 and wanting the 0-0 draw.
Late injury update... For West Brom, center back Darren Moore has been passed fit after a minor groin strain in the Baggies' loss to Leeds. Andy Johnson has been placed on the transfer list, and Lee Marshall, who has WBA's only goal thus far, is expected to get a runout. West Brom (probable): Hoult; Balis, Clement, Sigurdsson, Moore, Gilchrist; Gregan, Marshall, McInnes, Dobie; Roberts. *** For Arsenal, the main injury to keep an eye on is Dennis Bergkamp (calf), and Gilberto Silva or Kanu will get the start. Arsenal (probable): Seaman; Lauren, Campbell, Keown, Cole; Parlour, Gilberto Silva, Vieira, Edu; Wiltord, Henry.
Can we argue about Wiltord.....please! Id prefer him in the midfielders role, that seems to suit his game. Play Aladiare, as this would be the perfect setting....at home, midweek, against lesser competition. Though opinions are like a$$holes. Everyone has one.
My guess is that coming of a sub-par (by our standards) outing over the weekend, we go for the quick dagger against WBA. If we get a couple of strikes in before half, perhaps we see Jeremie Aliadiere come on at the break. Might also give you a chance to let Cygan get some minutes.
Re: Late injury update... Sounds about right to me. If we do happen to get a couple up by half-time, I'd like to see Aliadiere and Pennant get a run out. Instilling confidence in these young players will set us in good stead for when injuries and suspensions really start to bite later in the season and their Premiership experience can only help towards a decent run in the Worthington Cup.
Holy High Expectations, Batman! I think a 4-goal win is hard against almost any EPL team, no matter if they're new or not. And it's going to be even harder missing Pires and Freddie. By the way, Ken, you're doing a great job on the previews that show up on the ArseAm website. Very informative and well-written.
Re: Re: Arse vs WBA Pre-match Thanks! The only feedback I get is from my Mother in Baltimore and that doent really count. I really thought we could have been 4-0 over Birmingham at home but some good clearances off the line kept us at 2. Plus, I dont expect 4 goals but I dont see why we couldnt do it.
I concur on the previews on ArseAmerica. Keep up the good work. While I don't always agree, they are better than many pre-game predictions, which seem to amount to "our record is X, their record is Y, therefore Z." Keep up the good work!