Arsenal Catching Blackburn Rovers at Just the Right Time

After encountering the veritable forearm shiver of Borussia Dortmund's boisterous, buzzing Westfalestadion (Signal Iduna Park) in Wednesday's Champions League group stage opener, where 80,000 yellow-and-black-clad Germans created a riveting spectacle not unlike a maddened hornets' nest, Arsenal return (relatively sting-free) to domestic play this weekend against struggling Blackburn Rovers.

The early-season tribulations endured by the Gunners pale in comparison to Blackburn's current plight, which is considerable to say the least.

Dead last in the Premier League standings after managing only a solitary point from their first four matches, pressure has risen like an encompassing storm around embattled manager Steve Kean, whose inability to drive a car at present (suspended license) might provide the best possible metaphor for his club's current stagnation.

There is no key in this ignition. A dour 1-1 draw against Fulham last weekend proved just how inert this side has become.

A massive 1,000-person march has been planned by Rovers supporters in the lead-up to Saturday's match to demand Kean's dismissal.

While perhaps a bit more subdued of a measure than the 10,000-strong march made by Liverpool's supporters in October of 2009 to plead for the departures of then-owners Tom Gillett and Tom Hicks, it still makes a clear point. Rovers supporters expect much more than relegation-worthy football. And they deserve it.

Should Arsenal come in and obtain an convincing result, it may be the last we've seen of Kean in a top-flight managerial position for the time being.

He should consider himself lucky, anyway. Paul Ince got fired from the same post in late 2008 for far, far less.

From an Arsenal perspective, it's a bittersweet return to Ewood Park for Robin van Persie, who succumbed to the nasty ankle injury (what is it with those knocks and Arsenal players?) that would eventually cause him to be sidelined for four months last season.

The challenge itself seemed anything but serious at the time—a quick dink on the Dutchman's ankle that eventually forced him to limp off before the halftime whistle.

Yet like so many of those setbacks, it quickly spiraled into an infernal conflagration requiring arduous and dedicated long-term recovery.

The Gunners won that match in a steely 2-1 fashion, and another victory should be the expectation this time 'round, with their opponents looking as vulnerable and incapable as Kim Kardashian auditioning for a part in a Shakespearean production.

Gervinho and Alex Song, both of whom played in the midweek Champions League tie against Dortmund, are back from their three-match domestic bans and should slot into the starting lineup.

Though we've yet to see Park Chu-Young make his debut for Arsenal, a strong start to the match could very well see the South Korean international captain get his first run-out.

Andre Santos, another of the new signings, has been working toward obtaining full-match fitness, but with a recently recovered Kieran Gibbs having played the majority of two games in week, Santos might get the nod at left-back.

Arsenal will be without attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who is sidelined with a—you guessed it—ankle injury. Jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen are both long-term absentees with their own ankle knocks, and Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky also look set to miss out.

It's trips like these to Lancashire that must have weighed heavily upon manager Arsene Wenger's mind when he decided to spend on experience at this past summer transfer window's close.

Two of those signings, Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun, will be counted upon to assist some of the younger Gunners in navigating the exacting confines of Ewood Park.

Cool heads must prevail in this encounter—a repeat of the Newcastle match that started the season so ignominiously would be a disaster.