The Game

It’s Newcastle, it’s at home at the Emirates and it’s day on which Chelsea travel to Anfield for a very tricky game away at Liverpool.

The best way to forget Wednesday’s disappointing defeat is of course to produce a fine performance this afternoon and then wait for Liverpool to help our mission so as to cut the gap at the top. We’re five points behind the Blues but we could be only two points from the top if things go according to plan.

Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, Denilson and Jack Wilshere are all back for the Gunners so we have plenty of options to choose from in midfield and of course Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner are available in the offensive department as I hope in an early goal to settle down quickly into the game.

The game kicks off at 13:30 in the UK, that’s 14:30 in some other parts of Europe and very late or very early for the always-loyal American and Aussie supporters who join us in chat.

And, until you wait for kick-off, check out the latest news on Robin van Persie and how many goals Theo Walcott wants to score this season, in an interview where he also speaks about his admiration for Thierry Henry.

As always, please do join the discussion in our chat room which will also be active after the full time whistle. You will be glad to know that from this season, to provide a better chat experience to our readers, users can be banned if they post offensive comments.

Streaming Links

For those who don’t know where to watch the game, maybe we can help, follow this link for streaming options. Links are updated before and during the match.

The Line-Ups

Arsenal

Fabianski, Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Song, Wilshere, Nasri, Walcott, Fabregas, Chamakh

Subs: Szczesny, Djourou, Eboue, Rosicky, Arshavin, van Persie, Bendtner

Newcastle

Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Tiote, Gutierrez, Ameobi, Carroll

Subs: Soderberg, Campbell, Taylor, Routledge, Smith, Lovenkrands, Ranger

Half-Time Thoughts and Analysis

Some will say it was just a matter of time but rather than focusing on the mistake made by Lukasz towards the end, I want to ask why on earth do we almost never perform in the first 45 minutes of the game?

Not performing in the first half, doing well in the second and then finding out that Wenger went all crazy in his half-time speech is a broken record and it’s time to wake up and realise that the first 45 minutes of the game are as equally important as the second half.

I am very disappointed with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Marouane Chamakh and Theo Walcott, all players who failed to make an impact. Contrary to Samir Nasri, top class first half from the Frenchman which is great to see since usually he is one of those who sleeps in the first half.

It’s not over yet, we can win, but regardless of the result, we again witnessed a very poor first half of football.

At half time, it’s Arsenal nil, Newcastle one.