Arsenal have a huge Premier League game coming up this weekend as they welcome newly-promoted Middlesbrough to the Emirates Stadium and it’s safe to say their fans in the Tavern are feeling confident!
The Gunners are going well in the league and sit in second, level on 19 points with leaders Manchester City. Arsene Wenger’s side overcame Swansea City this weekend and despite struggling in the final quarter of the game, they came away with a slightly more difficult than expected 3-2 win.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are probably going about as well as you’d expect in the league and they’re currently 17th in the table with just six points from their opening eight fixtures.
Many have tipped them to survive the chop despite a less than convincing start but they’re going to have to start picking up more points in the very near future.
And ahead of the game between the two, we want to have a look at some players we think are going to make a real impact in the fixture.
So with that in mind, here’s 3 players you need to watch out for in the Arsenal v Middlesbrough match!
Theo Walcott
Arsenal forward Theo Walcott is in red-hot form going into the game at the Emirates this weekend.
His brace helped his side to the win over Swansea City last Saturday and the Gunners will hope his good form continues into the foreseeable future.
Middlesbrough haven’t been defensively solid by any means and this might be a good chance for the speedy forward to bag himself a couple more goals.
Alvaro Negredo
Alvaro Negredo has just one goal to his name so far this season and he’s quickly distancing himself from the home support, who assumed he’d score more than this after his summer move.
And it’s hard to disagree with them either – his display against Watford at the Riverside was pretty atrocious and he needs to pick it up quickly.
We know how good he is but he just needs to find that form again. No better time than starting at the Emirates on Saturday.
Shkodran Mustafi
Whether you’re an Arsenal fan or not, you can’t argue Shkodran Mustafi hasn’t made a difference in this current Arsenal set-up.
For years they’ve been short of one real quality centre-back but now with Mustafi in their ranks, they look like a much more solid unit. The German and former Valencia man might be just 24-years-old, but he plays with a real maturity.
He’s been excellent so far and if he is on form in this game, Middlesbrough will really struggle to break through the Gunners ranks.
