Sunday, April 10, 2011

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10.04. (Sun) 12:30 Blackpool - Arsenal



DID YOU KNOW?

* Since the turn of the year, Blackpool have lost 10 out of 14 games and now find themselves fighting for their safety in 17th position.

* The Tangerines also have only one win in their last eleven games – a 3-1 victory against Tottenham.

* Blackpool have shipped goals at the back at Bloomfield Road recently, conceding 11 goals in five matches.

* The Seasiders are bottom of the form table for the last five home games having only picked up four points out of a possible 15.

* Charlie Adam is Blackpool’s top scorer with 10 goals this season.

* The last time Blackpool beat Arsenal in the league was in 1965 when they edged an eight -goal thriller 5-3.

* The Gunners will want to put last week's 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers behind him as they hope to avoid going six games without a victory. If they fail to beat Blackpool it will represent their worst run since December 1998.

* Arsenal are also on a 13-game unbeaten run, but have drawn four of their last eight.

* Wojciech Szszcesny and Lukasz Fabianski are out for the rest of the season and 41-year-old Jens Lehmann has had to be drafted in, but despite the Gunners' goalkeeping problems they have only conceded against three of the last 11 teams they have played against.

* Arsenal are the best team away from home in the league having picked up 26 points, which is three more than Chelsea, their nearest rivals, over whom they have two games in hand.


LAST MEETING

August 21, 2010: Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool

Theo Walcott runs riot, grabbing a hat-trick as newly promoted Blackpool are given the run-around at the Emirates.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Blackpool: Kingson; Baptiste, Cathcart, Evatt, Crainey; Grandin, Adam, Vaughan; Taylor-Fletcher, Varney, Beattie.

Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy; Fabregas, Wilshere Nasri; Walcott, van Persie, Arshavin.

Prediction
Blackpool need to pick up wins and soon, but it will not be on Sunday. Arsenal will be reeling from drawing 0-0 with Blackburn Rovers last week and will be ensuring that they do not lose any more ground on Manchester United at the summit. They were better by six goals the last time the two sides met, and it looks likely to be another goal glut here with perhaps the Seasiders netting at least a goal or two, but the Gunners scoring more.

Blackpool 2-4 Arsenal