Emirates Stadium, London
Saturday, September 25
15:00 BST, 10:00 a.m. EDT
- Referee: Michael Oliver
- This Match, Last Time: Arsenal 1 - 0 West Brom (August 16, 2008)
- All-Time in All Competitions: 61 Arsenal wins, 35 West Brom wins, 28 draws
- Arsenal's Recent Form: D-W-W-W-D
- West Brom's Recent Form: L-W-L-D-W
Predicted Line-Up
guesses in red
Almunia
Sagna - Koscielny - Squillaci - Clichy
Song - Nasri - Wilshere
Rosicky - Chamakh - Arshavin
Subs from: Fabianski, Djourou, Eboue, Denilson, Diaby, Vela, Lansbury
Out: Fabregas (hamstring), Gibbs (foot), Vermaelen (Achilles), Walcott (ankle), Van Persie (ankle), Bendtner (groin), Ramsey (broken leg), Frimpong (knee)
Arsenal News and Notes
- Injury news is mixed, but lengthy (which is bad to begin with.)
- Abou Diaby is expected to return Saturday, though he faces a final test on Friday. Don't expect a start; Arsene Wenger rarely throws a player returning from injury directly back into the line-up.
- Cesc Fabregas (hamstring) and Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles) will each miss at least two more games (Saturday and Tuesday at Partizan Belgrade.) This Vermaelen injury was supposed to be just a "precaution," what the hell happened?
- The good news on Kieran Gibbs's foot injury from Tuesday is that he didn't break the metatarsal bone, like he did last year; he's out "short term."
- Tomas Rosicky (ankle) and Emmanuel Eboue (knee) face fitness tests on Friday, like Diaby.
- The injury news on everyone else remains the same: Mid-October for Walcott, van Persie, and Bendtner, maybe November for Ramsey; I've heard Frimpong's knee ligament recovery is ahead of schedule.
- Arsenal have not lost a competitive fixture this season (hell, they didn't lose any non-competitive fixtures, either.)
- The last time Arsenal went this long without a loss at the start of a season was the fall of 2007, when they didn't lose until a Champions League group match on November 27. That was a streak of 21 matches unbeaten.
- Arsenal have not dropped points at home to a side that was in the Championship the year prior since a 2-1 loss to Hull City two years ago, this weekend.
West Brom News and Notes
- West Brom have a trio of players that might return from injury on the weekend: Ishmael Miller (thigh), Marek Cech (foot), and Joe Mattock (ankle.)
- James Morrison returns from serving a three match ban.
- The Baggies have not picked up a point from a road fixture yet this season, but have also not lost at home. In two road games, West Brom have lost 6-0 at Chelsea and 1-0 at Liverpool.
- West Brom are unbeaten in three fixtures, but again, all three of those have been at The Hawthorns. They drew Spurs 1-1, beat Birmingham City 3-1, then bounced Manchester City from the Carling Cup 2-1 on Wednesday.
Match Facts
- Arsenal have won their last three league fixtures over West Bromwich Albion. In 2008/09, Arsenal won 1-0 at the Emirates (the league's curtain raiser) and won 3-1 at The Hawthorns.
- Arsenal did play West Brom last season, defeating the Baggies 2-0 at the Emirates in the third round of the Carling Cup.
- The Baggies last beat Arsenal on October 15, 2005, 2-1 at The Hawthorns.
- West Brom's last draw in North London was in November of 2004; their last win at Arsenal was in December of 1983.
The Referee
- The referee is Michael Oliver.
- This is the third Premier League match he will be officiating in his career. He has never worked an Arsenal match.
- Last year, he worked two West Brom matches in the Championship. a 4-1 win over Bristol City and a 1-1 draw with Barnsley.
Around the League
- Saturday: Manchester City v. Chelsea; City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
- Saturday: Birmingham City v. Wigan Athletic; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
- Saturday: Blackpool v. Blackburn Rovers; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
- Saturday: Fulham v. Everton; Craven Cottage, London
- Saturday: Liverpool v. Sunderland; Anfield, Liverpool
- Saturday: West Ham United v. Tottenham Hotspur; Boleyn Ground, London
- Sunday: Bolton Wanderers v. Manchester United; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
- Sunday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Aston Villa; Molineux, Wolverhampton
- Sunday: Newcastle United v. Stoke City; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
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