ARSENAL v AZ ALKMAAR
Champions League Group H
The Emirates. Wednesday, November 4th.
Kickoff 19.45.
After Arsenal trounced Spurs off the pitch on Saturday , the visit of Alkmaar cannot be too worrying to Wenger and his band of merry men.
A clean sheet from the Spurs game will please Wenger, as will the manner in which Arsenal scored their three goals, even if Spurs’ defence was slightly dodgy at times.
Fabregas deserves all the plaudits he gets for his goal and will be a vital cog in Wenger’s wheel against Alkmaar if he plays. The fact that the Gunners are cruising towards qualification might mean that Wenger gives his star player a well-earned rest – he can afford to do so.
Arsenal are hot favourites to win this tie and deservedly so. Their home form is terrific, and Alkmaar’s away form is poor, particularly in England.
TEAM NEWS
Gael Clichy will be out for about a month after suffering a stress fracture in his back. This paves the way for young Kieran Gibbs to enjoy an extended run in the side. Rosicky is back in the squad but long-term injuries keep Bendtner, Fabianski, Walcott and Denilson on the sidelines.
VERDICT
This game is expected to all one-way traffic. Arsenal’s price of about 1.20 reflects this. Unless you’re investing very large sums of money (and if you are, you shouldn’t be reading this), you won’t be punting on Arsenal to win. Even the Arsenal winning at half-time and full-time (around 1.80) doesn’t ooze inspiration. Perhaps the value is to found in the number of goals to be scored. Arsenal are no strangers to hitting the back of the net, and Alkmaar are no strangers to picking it out of the back of their own net. In fact, if Arsenal were to lose concentration for a minute, Alkmaar may end up scoring a goal of their own.
RECOMMENDED
Over 3.5 goals 2.36 BETFAIR
Arsenal -2.5 goals 2.48 BETFAIR
Arshavin to score at anytime 2.38 BETFAIR
Fabregas to score at anytime 3.40 BETFAIR
***Please bet responsibly. Only bet with money that you can afford to lose — not your food kitty or rent/mortgage***
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