Just Arsenal News

While Arsenal only have the injured Chamakh as an unavailable striker, West Brom have bigger worries concerning their attacking force.

Their top scorer from last season, Peter Odemwingie, is a doubt and faces a late test on his knee. Shane Long – their most prolific player of this campaign with three goals – will not be involved at all because of a knee injury. This leaves Brunt and Fortune as the only players to have scored more than two goals in 2011/12, while Paul Scharner’s absence leaves the Baggies without the midfield link that did a lot of the damage against Arsenal last season.

Ex-Gunner Jerome Thomas proved to be a threat in last season’s campaign but it looks like Somen Tchoyi will be Roy Hodgson’s most likely source of goals today – a player who is yet to register this season. It is therefore most likely that it will be Chris Brunt who is the biggest menace to Arsène Wenger’s side. Whether he starts on the left or on the right, he will drift inside and will look to cause more trouble for Arsenal after setting up the winner in their 3-2 win over Wenger’s side just over a year ago. If the full-backs show the promising signs they have done at times, he can be stopped.

With Long, Scharner and possibly Odemwingie all missing out and Koscielny, Mertesacker and Vermaelen looking solid, a clean sheet should be an achievable target. The three goals conceded at Stamford Bridge last week weren’t ideal but the result was gained, despite the occasional wobble at the back.

Would it be acceptable to concede at home to West Brom, today a team considerably lacking in attacking depth? Or, should Arsenal be gaining their first clean sheet in four league games?