Partizan Vs Arsenal. An Untold prediction « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager

By Phil Gregory

Partizan away is by no means a game to be taken lightly. Our away form in Europe isn’t the greatest, but to be fair, the lack of wins has much to do with the fact that many of the ties didn’t actually require a win, with dead rubbers and the like tossed in there.

Anyway, onwards with the preview. I’m not going to dwell on the WBA game for all or sakes, though the injury list isn’t much more uplifting. The goalkeeping situation is certainly interesting. Almunia is injured (make of that what you will) which means Szcznesy and Fabianksi have travelled to Belgrade. Fabianksi will almost certainly start in goal, but with his fellow Pole having also travelled it’s a reasonable question to ask is Wojciech now considered our third choice? In the circumstances, I would’ve expected Mannone to travel for bench duty, but perhaps the young Pole’s recent rant has focused Wenger’s mind somewhat. We shall see.

Gibbs travelled, which is one piece of excellent news after some iffy leftback performances from Clichy. Competition is no bad thing, and the young England international will be looking to press Gael hard over the season. Cesc is, of course, out, while Vermaelen’s mysterious achilles injury still keeps the Belgian out. The long-term quintet of Bendtner, Van Persie, Walcott, Ramsey and Frimpong is very much a case of as you were last week, unfortunately.

The squad didn’t contain Abou Diaby, who was disappointing on the weekend though Henri Lansbury made the trip. Though unlikely to feature with at least one senior midfielder on the bench, the England youth international should be motivated by the fact his performances have warranted his inclusion in the matchday squad, and he will be capable of playing a role if he is called upon. The next Ray Parlour I’m sure I heard Arsène say at some point recently, which is certainly something to aim for.

For me, the wise money would be on the following team line-up:

Fabianksi

Sagna Squillaci Koscielny Clichy

Song

Denilson Wilshere

Nasri Chamakh Arshavin

I’ve got Denilson coming in to facilitate our possession game. How we use the ball will be vital in what is going to be an intimidating atmosphere. Possession football is a better defence than either any pressing set-up or two well-drilled, deep banks of four. While we have the ball, the opponent cannot score so someone like Denilson is pivotal in recycling the ball effectively and moving it on safely.

I’ve left Rosicky out of the line-up despite some impressive performances (penalty-taking aside) as Nasri was outstanding against West Brom, while Wilshere brings fight, solidity and not an insignificant contribution in terms of creativity to the midfield.

It goes without saying we need better for the defence in this game. Koscielny has been impressive since his arrival, so he can be forgiven for the odd below-par game.

What matters however, is how the players react to the disappointment. That’s going to prove the X factor, and it means I’ve no idea what to expect from this game. After a hugely disappointing result at the weekend, the players head into an intimidating atmosphere in Eastern Europe. Will heads be down, or will there be a reaction?

I’m going for 2-1 to the Arsenal off the back of a swashbuckling performance from young Jack. I don’t expect it to all go our way, and our passing will need to be much more crisp than it was at home. Despite the injuries, we have some strong players available, and some solid options on the bench in case we need to change things around.

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Editorial what-not: I am aware that the Untold review of injuries has not been published.  I had it ready to go up this morning, but I have corrupted the file.  Will get it uploaded as fast as possible – Tony

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