Check out our preview pack for Saturday's Premier League clash between Arsenal and Hull, which includes team news, predictions and much more to help you with your __football bets and Fantasy __football picks.
Arsenal host Hull at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday February 11, kicking off at 1230 GMT.
Here is our preview pack, which includes the team news, quotes from both managers, our predictions, key Opta statistics and details of the Sky Bet odds to help you with your bets and Fantasy Football decisions.
Arsenal v Hull: Team news
Arsenal have doubts over the fitness of Hector Bellerin ahead of Saturday's Premier League visit of Hull.
The right-back appeared concussed when he left the field in last weekend's defeat at Chelsea and Gabriel will be on-call to replace Bellerin against the Tigers.
Manager Arsene Wenger has seen his midfield concerns eased by Mohamed Elneny's timely return from the African Nations Cup but Aaron Ramsey (calf) and Santi Cazorla (Achilles) remain sidelined and Granit Xhaka is banned.
Hull will be without skipper Michael Dawson and Abel Hernandez for their Premier League game at Arsenal.
Dawson (calf) and striker Hernandez (hamstring) will be out for several weeks, while Curtis Davies, Markus Henriksen and Ryan Mason remain sidelined.
Midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady is back in contention following African Nations Cup duty with Egypt and on-loan winger Lazar Markovic, ineligible to face his parent club Liverpool last week, is available again.
Teams
Arsenal (from): Cech, Ospina, Martinez, Bellerin, Debuchy, Jenkinson, Holding, Gabriel, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Gibbs, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Walcott, Reine-Adelaide, Iwobi, Sanchez, Perez, Giroud.
Hull (from): Jakupovic, Marshall, Elabdellaoui, Ranocchia, Maguire, Robertson, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, N'Diaye, Grosicki, Meyler, Evandro, Tymon, Clucas, Markovic, Niasse, Diomande, Maloney, Mbokani.
Arsenal v Hull: Our prediction
2pts both teams to score
Marco Silva has been underestimated from the outset and, despite Hull avoiding defeat in five of the eight games (all competitions) since he took charge, that appears to be the case once more ahead of the Tigers' lunchtime trip to Arsenal. Admittedly, it's not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Hull, their only victory here coming back in 2008 on their first-ever visit to the Emirates, but they almost came away with all three points a couple of years ago before Danny Welbeck rescued a point for the hosts, so it's not like the current crop of players have a long-standing hoodoo hanging over them. Throw in the 2014 FA Cup final, when extra-time was needed to split them, plus a goalless draw in the same competition last season, and it seems perfectly reasonable to try to start to construct some sort of case for the visitors, who are a double-figure price to come away with a famous victory. Earlier this season it was pretty much plain-sailing for Arsene Wenger's men, who ruthlessly took advantage of Hull's Jake Livermore being sent off in the first period to ultimately run out ready 4-1 winners. In the midst of a 14-match unbeaten Premier League run at the time, Arsenal's very next league match saw them destroy Chelsea 3-0. How things have changed. The Blues got their revenge (3-1) last Saturday to leave the Gunners 12 points off the title pace and they now face the very real and present danger of a battle for their coveted, perennial top-four spot. One suspects this could be Wenger's last year at the helm anyway, but if he can't qualify for the Champions League then it is all but certain. I'm loath to paint such a glum picture about a club clearly still well capable of tearing struggling teams to shreds, but Arsenal are not at their best and Hull's form under Silva stands up to close scrutiny. They were also beaten by a two-goal margin against Chelsea, since when they have given Manchester United a scare in the EFL Cup semi-final, drawn with them at Old Trafford in the league, and beaten the division's highest goalscorers Liverpool 2-0 last weekend. If we can forgive Silva for effectively sacrificing the FA Cup (beaten 4-1 at Fulham), then it's not hard to suggest the odds are skewed. The temptation is the back the visitors to keep on defying expectation and come away with a result of some kind but, fearing a positive reaction from some of Wenger's humbled stars, a more sensible approach is to back both teams to score. That's been a winner in the last three top-flight encounters between the clubs and, on recent evidence, seems likely to reward punters no matter what the outcome. Hull are full of confidence and blatantly a much better attacking unit under their new boss, while only Middlesbrough have kept the Gunners out at this ground in the league this term.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Hull
Arsenal v Hull: Manager quotes
Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)
On the poor run of form: "The team wins and the team loses. When you win sometimes some players are singled out as they are treated like exceptional players but when you don't do well sometimes just focus a little bit more on the team aspect and not try to blame each other. The blame culture is part of the perception of people, but what is important is that we have a good opportunity to show that we are a united strong unit and that we bounce back. When you don't win you cannot as well say that all is well. You have to analyse that something is not right. It is our job to find where and to have a strong united response."
On the rest of the season: "You fight as far as you can," he said when asked if everyone has given up chasing strong favourites Chelsea for the title. We are in a double fight because we are in a fight to be in the top four. But when you are in a competition you fight, you do not go home and analyse rationally 'if they win here they have three points'. We have as well to fight like we want to catch Chelsea or you have no fuel. You have to refuse to give up."
On his future: "I answer that question every week and nothing has changed compared to last week. That's basically it. Once again, thank you for caring about my future, but that's not the most important thing. My future is in front of me every time I make a half-turn. What is important for me is that Arsenal Football Club does well, and I dedicate my whole energy to the club doing well - I am a professional and I have to do a job and that's what I want to do."
On the need for Arsenal to be united: "Ideally you want everybody to be happy. Arsenal is made of special strengths, and that strength is to be united when things go wrong. Of course, our fans have been consistent and have a high level of expectation, as I have as well. But I don't feel it is absolutely clear. You cannot be a fan until last Tuesday and not be a fan any more and not be behind the team this Saturday, it doesn't make sense. All the other clubs, everywhere we fight with Man United, Man City, Liverpool they have big expectations as well and big histories. We are in a fight there, we absolutely have to be united or we have no chance to do it. You have Tottenham, everyone is in the fight and everyone is behind their team. We have to do exactly the same, even if we had two disappointing results."
On reports of a move for Joe Hart: "I have three world-class goalkeepers and I am happy with the three I have."
Marco Silva (Hull)
On injuries to Michael Dawson and Abel Hernandez: "Michael has a calf injury. We need to see over the next few days but maybe a few weeks out. Abel is the same situation. Hamstring muscle and he's out for a few weeks."
On Tom Huddlestone: "I'm really happy with him. He's a very good professional. He's high quality, you know this. I see Tom with different motivation. He always works well during the week. With the quality Tom has, we need to do more and give more because he's a fantastic player for me and for our team."
On taking on Arsenal at the Emirates again after last year's 3-2 win with Olympiacos: "It's a fantastic stadium. We're playing against a great team. They didn't have good results in their last two games and, of course, the last time I played there it was a great result for us, for Olympiacos. But now it's different. Different competition, different moment and different clubs."
On lifting Hull to within a point of safety: "You think it's easy now? Okay, I'm happy. But we have won nothing. It's important when we achieve good results and the last result was very good for us, but only that, nothing more. It gives us more confidence and shows not only me but the players this is the right way, but we need to continue to do our work."
On winning all four of their home games in all competitions since Silva took charge: "We took three points from our last game, but nothing more. Of course it's going to be really difficult to achieve our goal, to keep the club in the Premier League. But we have this confidence and need to continue our work. I want my players to keep their feet on the ground because we have achieved nothing at this moment."
Arsenal v Hull: Opta facts
- Arsenal have won seven of their last eight Premier League meetings with Hull (D1) since losing their first game against the Tigers in the competition, back in September 2008 (1-2 at the Emirates).
- Since that 2-1 victory, Hull are winless in 13 games against the Gunners in all competitions, losing 11 (D2) including the 2014 FA Cup Final.
- Alexis Sanchez has had a hand in six goals in three league games against Hull (five goals, one assist).
- Sanchez is one of three Arsenal players to average 2+ goal involvements per game in the Premier League against a particular opponent (minimum of three appearances against them) - Ian Wright against Ipswich (eight goals and three assists in five games) and Lukas Podolski against West Ham (four goals and four assists in four games).
- This will be Marco Silva's fourth meeting with one of the top six in the Premier League (Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool previously) in his first five league games as Hull boss. Of those previous three games, he's lost only one (0-2 at Chelsea), drawing 0-0 at Old Trafford and beating Liverpool at home on MD24.
- Marco Silva won on his only previous visit to the Emirates - 3-2 with Olympiakos in the Champions League last season. He's the only manager to lead a Greek side to victory away on English soil in the Champions League/European Cup.
- Hull have kept two clean sheets in as many games in February, as many as they'd kept in their previous 26 Premier League games combined - they haven't kept three in a row in the PL since October 2008.
- Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score in Arsenal's last game against Chelsea, taking his substitute goal tally to four in the Premier League this season (level with Man City's Nolito). No Arsenal player has ever scored more than four substitute goals in a Premier League season (Kanu in 1999-2000 and Emmanuel Adebayor in 2007-08 also scored four).
- Arsenal have won 15 of their last 17 Premier League games at the Emirates against newly promoted clubs (D2) since losing 1-0 to Newcastle in November 2010 - indeed, one of only three clubs to beat the Gunners at the Emirates were Hull City in September 2008.
- Arsenal have won 41% of the games Francis Coquelin has started in all competitions this season (9/22) - without him in the starting XI, they have won all 13 (100%).
Arsenal v Hull: Sky Bet odds
Arsenal are 30/100 with Sky Bet to bounce back from their recent slump, with Hull 17/2 to claim another major scalp, while the draw is a 17/4 chance. Arsene Wenger's men drifted out to 50/1 to win the Premier League following their loss at Chelsea, while the Tigers remain odds-on for relegation despite beating Liverpool. Alexis Sanchez leads the first goalscorer betting at 11/4, closely followed by Olivier Giroud at 3/1, while Abel Hernandez, Dieumerci Mbokani and Oumar Niasse are tied at 12/1 apiece at the head of the visitors' side of the market.
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Arsenal v Hull: More news
- More Arsenal news
- More Hull news