BPL Preview: Stoke City vs Arsenal

Sun 08 May 2011-14:05GMT

Britannia Stadium

Aaron Ramsey returns to the ground where he suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross 14months ago.

Ramsey returns to Stoke where he suffered a horrific injury

Two teams with contrasting styles of play square up against each other this Sunday afternoon in a bid to finish the season on a high note.

There is certainly no love lost between the two managers as Wenger has time and again been critical of Stoke’s aggressive play and Pulis on the other hand describing Wenger as a moaner and has questioned his ability of winning trophies.

This season will not be easily forgotten by The Potters as they search for their first top-ten finish in the top division in 36 years. Add to that, they also have an enormous FA Cup Final clash (their first ever in history) to look up to in the coming week against money-rich Manchester City.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are again left to rue their luck after a season which promised so much in the beginning will once again finish without the icing on the cake i.e. silverware. Mathematically, they are still in the title race but it will need a huge miracle for Arsenal to win the title from here onwards with only two games to remaining after this weekend’s round of fixtures.

Team News

Stoke

Stoke miss Matthew Etherington, Ricardo Fuller, Danny Higginbotham, and Mamady Sidibé.

Possible Starting XI: Begovic; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson, Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Whitehead, Walters, Jones.

Arsenal

Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri are almost certain to not feature against The Potters. Thomas Vermaelan is fit again and has a strong possibility to feature in this tie.

Possible Starting XI: Szczesny; Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy, Song, Ramsey, Wilshere, Arshavin,Walcott, Van Persie.

Head to Head (Last 5 Matches)

	23 Feb 2011	Arsenal 1 – Stoke City 0
	27 Feb 2010	Stoke City 1 – Arsenal 3
	24 Jan 2010	Stoke City 3 – Arsenal 1
	5 Dec 2009	Arsenal 2 – Stoke City 0
	24 May 2009	Arsenal 4 – Stoke City 1

A visit to The Britannia Stadium is always a daunting task for any opposition in the Premier League and Arsenal aren’t different to that. They will not be having happy memories of their previous two visits to the ground as the last visit there saw them lose 3-1 in the FA Cup last season and before that they had to experience the horror sight of Aaron Ramsey’s broken leg even though they went onto win the game 3-1.

Stoke have enjoyed much success at home against the Gunners as they have won four of their last five home encounters against Arsene Wenger’s men. A win again will see them consolidate their position in the top half of the table.

Players to Watch

Stoke City: Rory Delap

With Arsenal being susceptible to corner kicks and long balls, Rory Delap will prove to be a pivotal part in deciding who has the last laugh in this fixture.

His bullet like throw-ins will be constantly aimed towards the two towering figures; Jones and Huth as they will be looking to attack the ball with real menace whenever it is being played in the box,

Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey

No prizes for guessing on which Arsenal player the limelight will be on this Sunday. After getting his first

start for Arsenal since the return from the horrific injury in the game against Manchester United, where he also scored the winning goal, Ramsey will look to make most use of Fabregas’ injury and provide another match-winning display.

Prediction

This match promises to be a highly entertaining clash between the Beauty and the Beast of English Football. With only pride at stake, both teams will look to play without the handbrakes on. It will however be a stern test for Arsenal’s defence to cope up with the aerial bombardment and if (but only ‘if’) they manage to contain that, they might get a positive result out of this tie.

Stoke City 2-1 Arsenal