RSS
ATOM
advertisement
Played
August 21, 2010 3:00 PM BST
Emirates Stadium
Referee: Jones, Mike
August 21, 2010 3:00 PM BST
Emirates Stadium
Referee: Jones, Mike
Premier League Preview: Arsenal - Blackpool
| Bet: | Returns: | AC Milan £19.50 | Draw £32.50 | Arsenal £36.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AC Milan £20.00 | Draw £32.00 | Arsenal £35.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AC Milan £20.00 | Draw £32.00 | Arsenal £35.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AC Milan £19.50 | Draw £34.00 | Arsenal £40.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | AC Milan £19.90 | Draw £32.50 | Arsenal £34.50 |
|
By Graham Lister
Tangerine dreams of Emirates upset
Having soared to joint first place in the Premier League table by comprehensively beating Wigan Athletic on the opening day, Blackpool travel to the Emirates for what is likely to prove a sterner examination of their top-flight credentials against Arsenal.
Goals from Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Marlon Harewood – who netted twice – and Alex Baptiste gave the Tangerines a dream debut in the Premier League, and they will be hoping to draw on that momentum to spring a major surprise this Saturday.
Arsenal began their own campaign on Merseyside, where they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Liverpool with help from an uncharacteristically clumsy Pepe Reina. It was not a wholly convincing performance from Arsene Wenger’s side, though a point at Anfield is a decent return, and they should feel happier on home turf where many teams have been eclipsed by the Gunners’ fluent passing game in the four years since they moved into the stadium.
Arsenal have not, though, enjoyed the best of weeks. Central defender Laurent Koscielny, who avoided serious injury from the rash challenge that saw Joe Cole sent off at Anfield, was himself dismissed in the closing minutes when he was somewhat harshy adjudged to have handled the ball deliberately. But while his absence will be temporary, those of two midfielders will be longer. Samir Nasri, who looked sharp in pre-season and also impressed against Liverpool, had to undergo surgery on a knee injury and is likely to be out for a month, while promising youngster Emmanuel Frimpong injured cruciate knee ligaments in training and has been ruled out for up to nine months.
Meanwhile, Wenger’s efforts to strengthen his squad in the transfer market were frustrated when Fulham rejected a second bid for Mark Schwarzer, meaning that Arsenal’s goalkeeping problems remain unresolved; incumbent Manuel Almunia was beaten at his near post by David Ngog last weekend. Arsenal also reportedly made an offer for Sevilla’s centre-half Sebastien Squillaci in midweek, but at the time of writing no deal has been struck for the France international.
However Wenger shuffles his pack for the Seasiders’ first league meeting with Arsenal since March 1971, he knows that his side must win if their title bid is not to stall early on; the emphatic victories already secured by rivals Chelsea and Manchester United have confirmed that there is no margin for error, especially in home matches.
On a wave of euphoria following their outstanding start to Premier League life at Wigan, Blackpool will be gunning for a bigger scalp in north London this weekend. They may not have beaten Arsenal away since 1958, but that won’t daunt manager Ian Holloway, currently perceived to be a miracle worker at Bloomfield Road. Some concerns were raised about Holloway’s future in midweek following the resignation as chairman and director of the club by Karl Oyston, though the manager himself insists it’s business as usual.
And he succeeded in adding to his squad by signing Israel defender Dekel Keinan from Maccabi Haifa in midweek. Keinan became the Seasiders' seventh summer arrival – along with utility player Chris Basham, striker Marlon Harewood, French trio Ludovic Sylvestre, Elliot Grandin, Malaury Martin and defender Craig Cathcart – and goes straight into the squad for the Arsenal game.
In addition, Bournemouth have accepted an improved bid from Blackpool for striker Brett Pitman, who is now discussing personal terms with the Lancashire club. Holloway said of Pitman: "He epitomises us - we are a bunch of people who need to make a name for ourselves." And that’s what they’ll be aiming to do at the Emirates.
Big miss | Losing Nasri is an early blow for Gunners
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger could bring in five players as he changes his starting XI from the Liverpool game. Alex Song (calf), Johan Djourou (hamstring) and Denilson (abdominal) all missed that match, as did captain Cesc Fabregas who was short of match fitness and suffering from a throat infection. Robin van Persie came on as a substitute but is also regaing match fitness following the World Cup.
All could be involved this weekend, though Denilson is the least prepared. Wenger has said he won't rush Fabregas and Van Persie back, suggesting they could be on the bench, though he may be tempted to play them as he aims to get off to winning start at home.
Nicklas Bendtner (groin), Samir Nasri (knee), Emmanuel Frimpong (knee) and Aaron Ramsey (leg) will all be missing, as will Laurent Koscielny, suspended after his dismissal at Liverpool.
Possible Starting XI: Almunia; Sagna, Djourou, Vermaelen, Clichy; Walcott, Rosicky, Song, Diaby; Arshavin, Chamakh.
Blackpool
Ian Holloway will be tempted to keep faith with the starting XI that did him so proud at Wigan last weekend.
New signing Dekel Keinan will come into contention, along with the likes of Chris Basham, Jason Euell and Ludovic Sylvestre, who all came on as substitues during the course of Blackpool's historic 4-0 triumph at the DW Stadium.
Holloway's recent flurry of signings has given his squad greater depth and affored him more options, but he will be reluctant to drop any of the players who performed so well on the club's Premier League bow. He may opt to stiffen his midfield or defence to counter Arsenal's renowned passing game, though Holloway's tactical instincts are to attack, and he is unlikely to abandon them.
Possible Starting XI: Gilks; Baptiste, Evatt, Cathcart, Crainey; Taylor-Fletcher, Adam, Vaughan, Grandin; Ormerod, Harewood.
Having soared to joint first place in the Premier League table by comprehensively beating Wigan Athletic on the opening day, Blackpool travel to the Emirates for what is likely to prove a sterner examination of their top-flight credentials against Arsenal.
Goals from Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Marlon Harewood – who netted twice – and Alex Baptiste gave the Tangerines a dream debut in the Premier League, and they will be hoping to draw on that momentum to spring a major surprise this Saturday.
Arsenal began their own campaign on Merseyside, where they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Liverpool with help from an uncharacteristically clumsy Pepe Reina. It was not a wholly convincing performance from Arsene Wenger’s side, though a point at Anfield is a decent return, and they should feel happier on home turf where many teams have been eclipsed by the Gunners’ fluent passing game in the four years since they moved into the stadium.
Arsenal have not, though, enjoyed the best of weeks. Central defender Laurent Koscielny, who avoided serious injury from the rash challenge that saw Joe Cole sent off at Anfield, was himself dismissed in the closing minutes when he was somewhat harshy adjudged to have handled the ball deliberately. But while his absence will be temporary, those of two midfielders will be longer. Samir Nasri, who looked sharp in pre-season and also impressed against Liverpool, had to undergo surgery on a knee injury and is likely to be out for a month, while promising youngster Emmanuel Frimpong injured cruciate knee ligaments in training and has been ruled out for up to nine months.
Meanwhile, Wenger’s efforts to strengthen his squad in the transfer market were frustrated when Fulham rejected a second bid for Mark Schwarzer, meaning that Arsenal’s goalkeeping problems remain unresolved; incumbent Manuel Almunia was beaten at his near post by David Ngog last weekend. Arsenal also reportedly made an offer for Sevilla’s centre-half Sebastien Squillaci in midweek, but at the time of writing no deal has been struck for the France international.
However Wenger shuffles his pack for the Seasiders’ first league meeting with Arsenal since March 1971, he knows that his side must win if their title bid is not to stall early on; the emphatic victories already secured by rivals Chelsea and Manchester United have confirmed that there is no margin for error, especially in home matches.
On a wave of euphoria following their outstanding start to Premier League life at Wigan, Blackpool will be gunning for a bigger scalp in north London this weekend. They may not have beaten Arsenal away since 1958, but that won’t daunt manager Ian Holloway, currently perceived to be a miracle worker at Bloomfield Road. Some concerns were raised about Holloway’s future in midweek following the resignation as chairman and director of the club by Karl Oyston, though the manager himself insists it’s business as usual.
And he succeeded in adding to his squad by signing Israel defender Dekel Keinan from Maccabi Haifa in midweek. Keinan became the Seasiders' seventh summer arrival – along with utility player Chris Basham, striker Marlon Harewood, French trio Ludovic Sylvestre, Elliot Grandin, Malaury Martin and defender Craig Cathcart – and goes straight into the squad for the Arsenal game.
In addition, Bournemouth have accepted an improved bid from Blackpool for striker Brett Pitman, who is now discussing personal terms with the Lancashire club. Holloway said of Pitman: "He epitomises us - we are a bunch of people who need to make a name for ourselves." And that’s what they’ll be aiming to do at the Emirates.
Big miss | Losing Nasri is an early blow for GunnersTEAM NEWS
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger could bring in five players as he changes his starting XI from the Liverpool game. Alex Song (calf), Johan Djourou (hamstring) and Denilson (abdominal) all missed that match, as did captain Cesc Fabregas who was short of match fitness and suffering from a throat infection. Robin van Persie came on as a substitute but is also regaing match fitness following the World Cup.All could be involved this weekend, though Denilson is the least prepared. Wenger has said he won't rush Fabregas and Van Persie back, suggesting they could be on the bench, though he may be tempted to play them as he aims to get off to winning start at home.
Nicklas Bendtner (groin), Samir Nasri (knee), Emmanuel Frimpong (knee) and Aaron Ramsey (leg) will all be missing, as will Laurent Koscielny, suspended after his dismissal at Liverpool.
Possible Starting XI: Almunia; Sagna, Djourou, Vermaelen, Clichy; Walcott, Rosicky, Song, Diaby; Arshavin, Chamakh.
Blackpool
Ian Holloway will be tempted to keep faith with the starting XI that did him so proud at Wigan last weekend.New signing Dekel Keinan will come into contention, along with the likes of Chris Basham, Jason Euell and Ludovic Sylvestre, who all came on as substitues during the course of Blackpool's historic 4-0 triumph at the DW Stadium.
Holloway's recent flurry of signings has given his squad greater depth and affored him more options, but he will be reluctant to drop any of the players who performed so well on the club's Premier League bow. He may opt to stiffen his midfield or defence to counter Arsenal's renowned passing game, though Holloway's tactical instincts are to attack, and he is unlikely to abandon them.
Possible Starting XI: Gilks; Baptiste, Evatt, Cathcart, Crainey; Taylor-Fletcher, Adam, Vaughan, Grandin; Ormerod, Harewood.
Think you can predict the week's results?
Test your knowledge at Soccer Millionaire for your chance to win £10,000,000!!
Our 
provides the best breaking news online and our 
football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Arsenal FC 3-0 Blackpool
- 21.93 %
-
Arsenal FC 4-0 Blackpool
- 15.81 %
-
Arsenal FC 2-0 Blackpool
- 11.29 %
| Premier League (EPL) | 10 Apr 2011 | Blackpool 1 - Arsenal FC 3 |
|
| Premier League (EPL) | 21 Aug 2010 | Arsenal FC 6 - Blackpool 0 |
|
Arsenal FC
    |
||
| 4 Feb 2012 | Arsenal FC 7 - Blackburn Rovers 1 | EPL |
| 1 Feb 2012 | Bolton Wanderers 0 - Arsenal FC 0 | EPL |
| 29 Jan 2012 | Arsenal FC 3 - Aston Villa 2 | FA |
| 22 Jan 2012 | Arsenal FC 1 - Manchester United 2 | EPL |
| 15 Jan 2012 | Swansea City 3 - Arsenal FC 2 | EPL |
Blackpool
 |
||
| 7 Feb 2012 | Sheffield Wednesday 0 - Blackpool 3 | FA |
| 28 Jan 2012 | Blackpool 1 - Sheffield Wednesday 1 | FA |
| 7 Jan 2012 | Fleetwood Town FC 1 - Blackpool 5 | FA |
| 2 Jan 2012 | Blackpool 3 - Middlesbrough 0 | ENG2 |
| 31 Dec 2011 | Birmingham City 3 - Blackpool 0 | ENG2 |
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
|
Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
- Sunderland - Arsenal Preview: Hosts face in-form Mackems having won only one of their last five away games
- Thierry Henry loan deal at Arsenal will not be extended, New York Red Bulls boss Hans Backe confirms
- Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker blames poor form on lack of Premier League winter break
- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes 'English manager is a must' as FA being search to fill national team vacancy
- Gary Megson admits Blackpool were a class above his Sheffield Wednesday side in FA Cup defeat
- Blackpool boss Ian Holloway: Matt Phillips can be better than Liverpool's Charlie Adam
- Player Ratings: Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Blackpool
- Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Blackpool: Phillips, LuaLua & Sylvestre on target as Seasiders comfortably progress to FA Cup fifth round
| 1 | Manuel Almunia | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Thomas Vermaelen | Defender |
| 22 | Gael Clichy | Defender |
| 3 | Bacary Sagna | Defender |
| 17 | Alexandre Song | Midfielder |
| 19 | Jack Wilshere | Midfielder |
| 2 | Abou Diaby | Midfielder |
| 23 | Andrey Arshavin | Striker |
| 7 | Tomas Rosicky | Midfielder |
| 29 | Marouane Chamakh | Striker |
| 14 | Theo Walcott | Striker |
| 21 | Lukasz Fabianski | Goalkeeper |
| 28 | Kieran Gibbs | Defender |
| 20 | Johan Djourou | Defender |
| 27 | Emmanuel Eboue | Defender |
| 4 | Cesc Fàbregas | Midfielder |
| 10 | Robin van Persie | Striker |
| 23 | Carlos Vela | Striker |
| 21 | Matthew Gilks | Goalkeeper |
| 15 | Alex Baptiste | Defender |
| 6 | Ian Evatt | Defender |
| 20 | Craig Cathcart | Defender |
| 3 | Stephen Crainey | Defender |
| 19 | Ludovic Sylvestre | Midfielder |
| 15 | David Vaughan | Midfielder |
| 26 | Charlie Adam | Midfielder |
| - | Elliot Grandin | Midfielder |
| 9 | Marlon Harewood | Striker |
| 12 | Gary Taylor-Fletcher | Midfielder |
| 13 | Mark Halstead | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Neal Eardley | Defender |
| 30 | Chris Basham | Defender |
| 24 | Rob Edwards | Defender |
| 12 | Dekel Keinan | Defender |
| - | Ishmel Demontagnac | Midfielder |
| 10 | Brett Ormerod | Striker |
| Marouane Chamakh | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 29 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
On his Premier League home debut, there will be much interst in the performance of Marouane Chamakh.
The Moroccan striker, who joined the Gunners in the summer on a free transfer from Bordeaux, enjoyed a reasonable if not spectacular introduction at Anfield last week, and it was his challenge for the ball in the box that appeared to unnerve Pepe Reina into conceding the own goal that gave Arsenal some reward for their persistence.
Chamakh is likely to enjoy more space against Blackpool, and will be keen to build on the favourable impression he created during the pre-season Emirates Cup. In particular, he will be keen to open his goalscoring account as a Gunner.
The Moroccan striker, who joined the Gunners in the summer on a free transfer from Bordeaux, enjoyed a reasonable if not spectacular introduction at Anfield last week, and it was his challenge for the ball in the box that appeared to unnerve Pepe Reina into conceding the own goal that gave Arsenal some reward for their persistence.
Chamakh is likely to enjoy more space against Blackpool, and will be keen to build on the favourable impression he created during the pre-season Emirates Cup. In particular, he will be keen to open his goalscoring account as a Gunner.
| Marlon Harewood | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 9 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Marlon Harewood could scarcely have made more of an impact on his Blackpool debut. The powerfully built striker scored with two of his three shots on target for the Seasiders against Wigan, and provided the assist for a third goal.
Tangerines fans thus have a new cult hero, who displayed touch and guile as well as a scoring threat, and will be anxious to prove it was not a one-off when he takes on an Arsenal defence not known for its resilience under physical, and aerial, threat.
The former Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Aston Villa forward - who has also had loan spells in his career at Haka, Ipswich, Wolves and Newcastle, once famously scored a last-ditch winner for West Ham against Arsenal, prompting a touchline spat between Wenger and then Hammers' boss Alan Pardew. No doubt he would love to ruffle the Gunners' feathers again on Saturday.
Tangerines fans thus have a new cult hero, who displayed touch and guile as well as a scoring threat, and will be anxious to prove it was not a one-off when he takes on an Arsenal defence not known for its resilience under physical, and aerial, threat.
The former Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Aston Villa forward - who has also had loan spells in his career at Haka, Ipswich, Wolves and Newcastle, once famously scored a last-ditch winner for West Ham against Arsenal, prompting a touchline spat between Wenger and then Hammers' boss Alan Pardew. No doubt he would love to ruffle the Gunners' feathers again on Saturday.
1 
5 
22 
3 
17 
19 
2 
23 
7 
29 
14 
21 
15 
6 
20 
3 
19 
15 
26 
0 
9 
12 Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
92 Comments
Advertisement
Results
Times In BST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie
Striker Arsenal |
22 | 1 |
|
Demba Ba
Striker Newcastle United |
16 | 2 |
|
Wayne Rooney
Striker Manchester United |
15 | 3 |
|
Kun Agüero
Striker Manchester City |
15 | 2 |
|
Aiyegbeni Yakubu
Striker Blackburn |
12 | 3 |
Advertisement
