Cardiff vs Arsenal: Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man & Predicted Score

Arsenal are in Wales this Saturday afternoon to take on Cardiff City looking to extend our lead at the top of the league to seven points.

We are the only team in the top five who play on Saturday so have a great opportunity to put some pressure on our rivals ahead of a busy Sunday of fixtures.

Last weeks 2-0 win over Southampton saw us go four points clear with Liverpool dropping points away at Everton and we followed that up with another victory 2-0 over Marseille on Tuesday in the Champions League, so have certainly be heading to the Cardiff City stadium in confident mood.

However, Malkay Mackay’s men showed last week that they are no pushovers after coming from behind twice to salvage a late point against Manchester United, while the Bluebirds also beat Manchester City 3-2 earlier in the season, so we know it’s not going to be easy this weekend.

Despite their impressive results against some of the league ‘big-boys’, Cardiff still find themselves at the wrong end of the table and currently sit 15th in the division, just three points above the relegation zone, so will be fighting for their lives on Saturday.

Team News

Arsenal welcome back Kieran Gibbs after he missed the midweek win over Marseille with illness. His return is likely to see Nacho Monreal drop back to the bench despite his impressive display against the French outfit.

Mikel Arteta was rested last time out so should come back in and may play alongside Mathieu Flamini in midfield. Theo Walcott is pushing for a recall but Arsene Wenger may opt to stick Aaron Ramsey on the right wing and go with a slightly more defensive line-up away from home.

Jack Wilshere is likely to be rested after starting his last two games while Santi Cazorla is expected to start having been among the subs in midweek. Lukas Podolski is three weeks away from returning to action, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Abou Diaby and Yaya Sanogo are still some way off full fitness.

Cardiff boss Malkay Mackay is unlikely to make too many changes from the side that held United last weekend. Striker Andreas Cornelius is back in contention after several weeks out with an ankle injury while Kim Bo-Kyungis pushing for a start after grabbing the equaliser last week.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

Aaron Ramsey: It’s likely to be an emotional game from Ramsey as returns to his boyhood club. He arrives in the form of his life and I think he’ll be the one to watch out for tomorrow.

Predicted Score

Cardiff 0-2 Arsenal: The Gunners are in excellent form and despite Cardiff putting up a good fight, I think we’ll have too much for them to handle.

What would be your starting line-up and whats your predicted score? Share your thoughts below.