Cardiff City vs. Arsenal: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Cardiff City welcome Arsenal to the Welsh capital on Sunday, when the Gunners will attempt to build on their first Premier League win of the season.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery watched his new side lose to Manchester City and Chelsea in his opening two games, but a 3-1 victory at home to West Ham United last weekend halted the slide.
The Bluebirds were impressive as they were promoted from the Championship last term, but life in the top flight will test a squad lacking in firepower.
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Here is how you can watch the game:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 2
Time: 1:30 p.m. (BST), 8:30 a.m. (ET)
Odds: Cardiff win 22-5, Arsenal win 11-20, Draw 31-10
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), NBC Sports Live (U.S.)
TV: Sky Sports (UK), NBC Sports Live (U.S.)
Odds via OddsShark.
Preview
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock is an old hand at fighting relegation battles, and his team are without a win in their first three games of the new campaign.
Arsenal are settling into a rhythm after the appointment of former Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery, but the football on show has mimicked ex-manager Arsene Wenger's philosophy.
The passing style has remained for the Gunners, but Emery will demand more defensive steel from his squad in the coming months.
However, Arsenal were poor on the road last season, with a succession of away defeats blighting Wenger's final season in charge.
Cardiff go into the game with a number of fitness questions, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing becoming the latest absentee after he was ruled out for three months.
BBC Sport reported the 26-year-old forward will be out until the end of November, while Aron Gunnarsson will also be missing on Sunday.
Warnock admitted his side face a difficult schedule, but he urged calm from his side, per BBC Sport:
"It will be so difficult for us in the next few weeks, but we've got a great bunch, a great set of fans and we've just got to enjoy it.
"I've got to come up with a recipe to give our fans something to cheer about during the game.
"I think we've got to do the best we can to get the crowd on their feet. We've got to take the Premier League onboard and enjoy it."
Warnock's relaxed approach is the style of an experienced manager, and he knows the pressure is on Arsenal rather than Cardiff.
Emery has seen little return from his attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang preferred over Alexandre Lacazette. The time might be right for the pair to team up on a consistent basis, with Cardiff expected to sit back.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown said Emery is likely to keep experimenting in the early weeks of the season, per his column in the Daily Mail:
"These two seem desperate to play with one another. When Lacazette plays, Aubameyang comes to life. There is undoubtedly a connection between them.
"When Lacazette came on against West Ham, it gave Arsenal a focal point. Everything stuck and without him, Arsenal lacked a target man.
"It may be that Unai Emery has one team for Arsenal’s home games and another for when they play away."
Keown's assessment might be correct, but a trip to the Cardiff City Stadium could produce a hatful of goals for the visitors if Emery gives his primary strikers minutes together.
Lacazette is unlikely to be happy on the bench, and his excellent pre-season form deserves a starting role.
Cardiff will have to wish the Gunners have a bad day at the office and leave the door open for the home side.
However, with a squad that is comfortable in possession, Arsenal should be able to dispatch the Bluebirds with relative ease.
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