After a forgettable 3-0 away defeat against Crystal Palace last Monday, Arsenal will be looking to atone for their errors in another away fixture – against Steve Agnew’s inconsistent Middlesbrough side.
Boro are yet to register a Premier League win in 2017 and Aitor Karanka’s dismissal last month could foreshadow a swift return to Championship football for the Teeside club. You can get the truth about the best odds available for this match and others at sites like critical-reviews.com.
3. The opposition
As previously mentioned, Boro are in a much worse situation than the one surrounding Arsenal currently. Goalless draws against both Burnley and Swansea in recent weeks highlight their failure to convert goalscoring opportunities – what better way to banish them by dismantling an unpredictable Arsenal side to everyone’s surprise?
Álvaro Negredo’s goal during a 4-2 defeat at Hull was his seventh of the campaign, but the first from open play since November. He’s the club’s top goalscorer, which highlights just how few goals they’ve netted with consistency this term.
As for injury news, George Friend (calf), Fabio (concussion) and Gaston Ramirez (ankle) are all selection doubts but could feature at some stage. Calum Chambers (foot) is recovering well but would’ve been ineligible to play due to new Premier League regulations.
With all of that in mind, here’s a possible XI that Agnew will start today (3-5-2): Valdés; Ayala, Espinosa, Gibson; Barragán, Clayton, Leadbitter, Forshaw, Downing; Negredo, Stuani.
