Queens Park Rangers (A)

Last weekends game against Aston Villa was possibly one of the easiest and most comfortable wins all season, bar the 7-1 game against Blackburn.We cruised through the game with Villa not really presenting much of a threat. It was a solid Arsenal performance like the teams of old. There was a touch of fortune with the first goal and Given will feel he should have done better, the second was well finished by Walcott as Song again made an exquisite pass over the top. I said it was the sort of game where Walcott could turn it on and he did. The last goal was a belter from Mikel Arteta who struck his free kick from 35 yards out which went streaking into the corner of goal.





QPR away today and another game where we should be looking to take 3 points ahead of the Man City game at home next weekend. We need to keep the pressure on Chelsea and Tottenham and this is the perfect game to do so. QPR's inconsistency means they look likely to go down, but as Liverpool found out a few weeks ago they can be a tricky opposition. However without target man Cisse who has been sent of (again) since returning to the Premier League that leaves them with Zamora upfront who is hit and miss.


I think our team will be similar if not the same as the team that eased past Aston Villa. Ramsey will be pushing to start for this game although his poor run of form may suggest that the manager hasn't quite got enough conifdence in him to start. Alex OC will be pushing for a start but Gervinho performed will last week and I think he will retain his place. Koscielny should be fit to start after recovering from a bout of tendinitis. I think Rosicky will back up RVP who of course will be up front.


As I mentioned earlier QPR are without Cisse which means Zamora will be upfront on his with a support player slotted in behind him (probably Taarabt). Diakite can be dangerous as well so we'll need to keep our eyes on him. That thug Barton will no doubt play, hopefully Song will take a leaf out of Frimpong's book and flatten him. QPR are poorly organised at the back and I think we'll exploit that to our full effect.


March 31st is a date every Arsenal fan remembers. In 2001 we sadly lost David Rocastle to a Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On that day we played Tottenham at Highbury, the silence was perfectly observed and we went on to win the game 2-0. I have no doubt that 11 years on the fans will chant his name at QPR as they do nearly every time we play on this date.

 

Prediction: QPR 0-2 Arsenal