Arsenal v Swansea City preview: Gunners going for second
Monday 11 May 2015 19:51, UK
Arsenal will remain on course for their highest Premier League finish in 10 years if they can beat Swansea at the Emirates on Monday Night Football.
Arsene Wenger has not led his team to a top two finish since the 2004-05 season but victories in their remaining games against Swansea, Manchester United, Sunderland and West Brom would put that right.
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The Gunners have won seven of their last eight league games and will be confident of remaining unbeaten for the rest of the season and pipping Manchester City to the runners-up spot.
Swansea have already recorded their best Premier League points tally and could still finish seventh, ahead of Southampton. That would mean Europa League qualification should Arsenal beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup final.
Team news
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is a major doubt after a blow to the leg sustained in last week's victory at Hull.
Danny Welbeck (knee) is almost certainly out but could return the following week against former club Manchester United.
Mikel Arteta (ankle), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin) and Mathieu Debuchy (hamstring) remain absent, along with Abou Diaby (knee).
Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis is set to be thrust back into action with loan signing Nelson Oliveira unlikely to play again this season.
Gomis has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury but has been back in training and his return could not be more timely with Oliveira having picked up an ankle injury against Stoke last time out.
Spanish defender Jordi Amat (broken metatarsal) has joined Oliveira, Kyle Naughton, Tom Carroll and Wayne Routledge on the sidelines but full-backs Jazz Richards and Dwight Tiendalli are available following respective loan spells at Fulham and Middlesbrough.
Opta facts
Danny Welbeck has scored three goals in four Premier League games against Swansea City.
21 of the last 22 goals in this fixture in all competitions have been scored in the second half of the match.
The teams have met seven times in the Premier League with three wins apiece and one draw. Swansea have had to come from behind to get seven of the 10 points they have earned against the Gunners.
Arsenal have lost just one of their last 34 Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium (W24 D9 L1).
The Gunners have conceded just two goals in their last seven Premier League games at the Emirates.
Arsenal named the same XI for the fourth time in a row in the Premier League last time out – the last time they did this was in March-April 1996.
The Gunners have not named the same team in five successive matches in the Premier League since January 1994.
Aaron Ramsey has had a hand in seven goals (three goals, four assists) in his last six Premier League appearances.
After scoring a combined total of three goals in his first two PL campaigns combined, Swansea's Ki Sung-yueng has scored eight times in 2014-15.
Merson's prediction
I cannot see anything other than an Arsenal win here, and I am going to go 3-0 as I think they are playing very well at the moment - very, very well - and it happens every year, but you would like to think that next season might be the season… might be!
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
Betting
Sky Bet make Arsenal odds-on favourites at 30/100 for the victory, with Swansea 8/1 outsiders while the draw is priced at 9/2. The Gunners are also odds-on to secure second spot while Garry Monk’s men are 12/1 to finish above seventh-placed Southampton. Olivier Giroud heads the first goalscorer betting at 16/5, closely followed by Alexis Sanchez (7/2), while Bafetimbi Gomis is considered the visitors’ biggest threat at 11/1 to net first.
