Preview: Arsenal v. Stoke City

On-loan Aaron Ramsey scored for Cardiff last night, as Arsenal 
prepares for the side he was injured against last season. Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Wednesday, February 23

7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST

• Referee: Peter Walton
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 2 - 0 Stoke City
• All-Time in All Competitions: 48 Arsenal wins, 22 Stoke wins, 21 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: D-W-W-W-D-W
• Stoke's Recent Form: L-W-L-L-W-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Sagna - Squillaci - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

Bendtner

Subs from: Almunia, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh
Suspended: Diaby (third of three, violent conduct)

Out: van Persie (hamstring), Koscielny (back), Fabianski (shoulder), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Suddenly, Robin van Persie and Laurent Koscielny have slight knocks and are unavailable. Part of me suspects that they could play if this was a huge match, but there is an element of caution with a cup final on Sunday.
• Abou Diaby still has a calf injury, but can't play anyway, serving the final match of his three match ban.
• Johan Djourou will be available following his back injury suffered against Barcelona.
• I suspect Nicklas Bendtner will start over Marouane Chamakh in RVP's place. Bendtner is in "better" form, if you can really say that. This is more to say that Chamakh is in poor form. Also, Arsenal could use Bendtner's height against a rugby team.
• This is the first of five Arsenal matches within a two week span (the others being the Carling Cup final on Sunday, FA Cup replay next Wednesday, Sunderland in the league next Saturday, and Barcelona on the following Tuesday.)
• Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 across all competitions and nine in the league.
• Arsenal have only lost once (the 1-0 at Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg) in their last 16 competitive fixtures.
• The Gunners are unbeaten in 12 at home and have won six straight at the Emirates since the Leeds draw.

Stoke News and Notes

• Matthew Etherington faces a late fitness test after withdrawing from Stoke's Saturday FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion with a back problem.
• Mamady Sidibe has a long term Achilles injury; Abdoulaye Faye has a hamstring injury.
• Stoke City have not won away from home in the league since Boxing Day (four straight losses), though they have two away wins in that time period in the FA Cup.

Match Facts

• The Gunners won this fixture 2-0 last year. Cesc Fabregas missed a penalty, but Arsenal got goals from Andrei Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey.
• Arsenal have won eight straight home fixtures against Stoke in all competitions; five of those were league matches.
• Stoke's last league result at Arsenal was a 1-0 win in 1981/82.
• Stoke City scored in the opening ten minutes of both matches against Arsenal at the Britannia last season; they have not scored in the opening 15 minutes of any match this year.

The Referee

• The referee is Northamptonshire-based Peter Walton.
• Walton was in charge of Arsenal and Stoke's league meeting at the Britannia last year and was the man who showed red to Ryan Shawcross.
• Walton's only Arsenal match this year was the Gunners' 3-0 win at Birmingham on New Year's Day.
• For Stoke, Walton has taken charge of a 2-1 loss at Bolton and 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Around England

• Today, Champions League: Copenhagen 0 - 2 Chelsea
• Today, Premier League: Blackpool 3 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
• Wednesday, Premier League: Marseille v. Manchester United; Stade Velodrome, Marseille
• Thursday, Europa League: Liverpool (0) v. (0) Sparta Prague; Anfield, Liverpool
• Thursday, Europa League: Manchester City (0) v. (0) Aris, City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester