Arsenal vs. Hull City: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Arsenal and Hull City have different reasons for needing three precious points in the Premier League when the two teams meet at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners will be glad to return home but will also know they are all but out of the title race after losing 3-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week. Now it's all about maintaining their place in the top four and sealing UEFA Champions League qualification spots for next season—Arsenal's players and beleaguered manager Arsene Wenger no doubt know they could have achieved much more during the campaign.
By contrast, Hull have been revived since Marco Silva succeeded Mike Phelan in the dugout. However, the Tigers still find themselves in the bottom three, even after taking four points from matches against Manchester United and Liverpool.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
In comparison to Hull's bid just to stay in the division, Arsenal keeping a place in the top four could be called a "champagne problem." Still, a Gunners faithful unsettled by the collapsed title challenge will accept nothing less than a commanding win.
Before a look at the team news, here are the schedule and viewing details for the day's early kick-off:
Date: Saturday, February 11
Time: 12:30 p.m. (GMT). 7:30 a.m. (ET)
TV Info: Sky Sports 1, NBCSN
Live Stream: Sky Go, NBC Sports App
Preview
Arsenal's main injury issues are found in midfield. Aaron Ramsey is nursing a calf problem, while long-term absentee Santi Cazorla is still out.
One more Gunners midfielder unlikely to feature against the Tigers is Egypt international Mohamed Elneny. He's just finished representing the Pharaohs at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, where Egypt were beaten 2-1 by Cameroon in the final on Sunday, despite Elneny getting on the scoresheet.
Elneny also battled a calf issue while on international duty, but James Olley of the London Evening Standard recently updated the former Basel man's status for club action:
Arsenal's injury problems in the middle are compounded by Granit Xhaka still serving a suspension. It means Wenger, who is also still banned from the touchline, will again have to move players around or trust unproven youngsters in midfield.
Expect the Frenchman to be cautious and go with a slightly more experienced pairing of Francis Coquelin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The duo struggled mightily against a Chelsea engine room filled with savvy and brawn thanks to Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante.
Another option would be turning to versatile 19-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Alternatively, Wenger might want to give dynamic Jeff Reine-Adelaide a start.
The 19-year-old French prospect is tall, powerful and skilled in possession. A home game against a side even a struggling Gunners team will be expected to beat could be the ideal time to give Reine-Adelaide his chance.
Whoever Wenger picks, he'll also be focused on getting the right balance in midfield. A lot will depend on the position of Mesut Ozil.
The Germany international usually plays the No. 10 role, but against Chelsea, Wenger made a change, according to Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph:
It's a shift likely to bring out the best in Iwobi, who is better suited to central areas. The Nigerian schemer has already revealed he sees himself as a No. 10, per an interview with Arsenal's official website (h/t Goal's Stefan Coerts).
Away from midfield, Wenger has a tough call to make on right-back Hector Bellerin. The Spaniard was concussed after clashing with Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso en route to the Blues' first goal.
Wenger has been advised by brain injury charity Headway to take a cautious approach with Bellerin, per Alex Harris of the Daily Mirror:
"Quite rightly, it appears he is going through the graduated return to play protocol. While this normally takes 14 days, the FA's rules state that if the player is in an enhanced care setting and as long as they pass all the necessary tests, they can return after six days.
If the player shows any signs or symptoms of concussion during this time, they will have to begin the process again.
Of course, regardless of how many days have passed, we would always advise the safety-first approach and recommend players do not return to play unless they are medically assessed as being fully fit to do so.
"
If Bellerin is not cleared to play in time, the Gunners will miss his raiding forward runs on the flank, along with his recovery pace in defensive areas. Fortunately for Arsenal, centre-back Gabriel has actually performed better on the right than he has in the middle.
Hull will still be without midfield man Ryan Mason, who is recovering from a fractured skull. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech suffered a similar injury while playing for Chelsea in 2006, and the veteran stopper has offered his support to Mason, per an interview with Arsenal Player (h/t Allan Valente of Sky Sports).
Even without Mason, Silva has been able to pack the midfield thanks to new signings Lazar Markovic and Evandro. The latter's floating position often allows the Tigers to adopt a five-man midfield, according to Philip Buckingham of the Hull Daily Mail.
Hull's midfield is secure, but Buckingham also noted how Silva's options are threadbare at the back: "Although there are still problems in central defence, with only Harry Maguire and Andrea Ronocchia certain to be fit for Saturday's trip to Arsenal."
The Gunners can exploit a depleted defence thanks to their array of striking talent. Wenger can choose a combination prolific enough from Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck.
Arsenal will be favourites, but Wenger should be wary about the last time he faced Silva, when the latter guided Olympiakos to a 3-2 win at the Emirates in the Champions League back in 2015.
