The second day of a Gameweek that stretches across three, presents us with a double-bill of meaningful Premier League fixtures. First up we’re at Bloomfield Road to see if Arsenal can keep up the pace with league leaders against a plucky Blackpool side. The hosts are in the middle of an intriguing relegation battle, and will be desperate to build some confidence at home as they begin a four-game home stint. The Dugout Discussion chatroom is open for business, where you can follow the action as it happens.
The team news is in and here is how they line-up…
Blackpool XI: Kingson, Baptiste, Evatt, Cathcart, Crainey, Adam, Southern, Taylor-Fletcher, Puncheon, Campbell, Varney
Arsenal XI: Lehmann, Eboue, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Diaby, Fabregas, Wilshere, Nasri, van Persie, Arshavin
The Seasiders welcome back their star striker DJ Campbell from suspension, who will be raring to go having missed the last three. The only deviation from the eleven we expected is that Keith Southern starts at the expense of Elliot Grandin.
As for the visitors, Arsene Wegner opts to leave Theo Walcott on the bench despite the damage he inflicted on Blackpool at the Emirates. Bacary Sagna isn’t passed fit so Emmanuel Eboue starts at right-back, and a late injury in the warm-up for Manuel Almunia sees Jens Lehmann come in. What a story.
Following that game, Aston Villa are also seeking survival (and revenge for the reverse fixture this season) against their opponents today . Newcastle United are so close to that widely-regarded safety-mark of 40 points, so we should expect both sides to be going for the points.
Once again, the Dugout Discussion chatroom is open and available by clicking here.
