Middlesbrough vs Arsenal

9/12- There is very little a team can do when the Gunners are in form and this is something that is clearly known to Middlesborough boss Garett Southgate but he is not ready to accept the fact. He has asked his players to take an aggressive approach towards the league leaders and try to beat them rather than thinking of a draw or a just a good performance. Arsene Wenger’s side however looks unstoppable though their week’s performance is not that great as they could only manage a draw against Newcastle in their away tie. Another reason Arsenal have to work hard and get the maximum out of this game is that Man U are just a point behind them and  a couple of weak performances could see them slip away from their top spot.

 

The only word that can describe Middlesbrough performance this season is struggling. They have not managed anything special and hence find themselves in the relegation zone. They can probably take a leaf out of Newcastle United’s book of how grit and determination can at least help you to save games if not win them. And this seems to be their best chance as Arsenal would be handicapped with the omission of Fabregas, Flamini, van Persie and Hleb due to injury. But something that is still in the league leader’s favour is the presence of the phenomenal Adebayor who has been consistently hitting the net this season. He has scored 9 of the 32 Arsenal goals this season which is more than 1/4^th of the side’s success.

 

Though the match would not win the title for Arsenal or get Middlebrough a safer spot on the points table but can surely be a pivot that could catapult the future performances for both the sides. Arsenal will not be satisfied with anything less than a win while Boro will be happy even if they can hold the Gunners for a draw.

 

Prediction: 2-1, Arsenal win