The Game

Having reached the fifth round of the F.A. Cup on Sunday after battling past Huddersfield Town on Sunday, Arsenal are back in Premiere League action as we host Everton at the Emirates.

Samir Nasri is of course out for three weeks and this game might say a lot about how much we will miss our best player so far this season. Many believe it will be Andrey Arshavin to take over on the left with others expecting Tomas Rosicky to be given the nod by manager Arsene Wenger. I would personally prefer the Russian but the Czech could be a useful asset with his precise and well-timed passes.

And, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott are both expected to be back in the starting eleven after getting a rest last Sunday against Huddersfield.

In other games, Chelsea travel to Sunderland and Manchester United are at home against Aston Villa. Simply put, with Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres up front, Chelsea will surely be soon back to their best so it’s vital for us to keep our focus and not drop any points, starting from today.

And, until you wait for kick-off, check out why Cesc Fabregas was bored during the first half against Huddersfield and also why Arsene Wenger will keep on using a strong team in the F.A. Cup, provided all players are fit.

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

Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Song, Wilshere, Rosicky, Fabregas, Walcott, Van Persie

Subs: Almunia, Diaby, Arshavin, Eboue, Gibbs, Chamakh, Bendtner

Everton

Howard, Neville, Heitinga, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Arteta, Rodwell, Fellaini, Bilyaletdinov, Saha

Subs: Mucha, Jagielka, Beckford, Gueye, Osman, Anichebe, Baxter

Half-Time Thoughts and Analysis

I very rarely complain about referees and/or linesmen, but I will never understand why Louis Saha’s goal stands when the player was clearly, clearly in an offside position.

Make no mistake, Everton played a gutsy first half and Marouane Fellaini and Louis Saha were in my opinion the best two players in the first half but one cannot accept to concede after playing the offside trap to perfection, it’s not fair, it’s actually disgusting.

As for the rest, Arsene Wenger’s decision to use Tomas Rosicky in place of Samir Nasri seems to have backfired as the Czech could only produce one moment of brilliance so far, when he picked Cesc in the 34th minute with the captain not taking advantage.

Robin van Persie also had a very good goal-scoring opportunity after Jack Wilshere picked him with a delightful pass but the Dutchman’s attempted lob was poor.

It’s not over yet, of course, but we have to start taking our chances else we may soon find ourselves eight points from the top.

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