Arsenal will travel to Ewood Park to play the Blackburn Rovers this Saturday in a game that with a context; both the teams would want to win it because of the kind of pressure they find themselves in.
Blackburn has already lost a manger during the stint that the new owners, the Rao brothers have had and if things continue to remain as bad for Steve Kean, he may lose his job as well. The Rovers have only one point to their name in four matches, and will be desperate to win.
And no, the pressure is not restricted to the manager alone, it is the Venky group which is facing the flak as well. So much so that the fans have protested the presence of the Kean as the manager and the Venky’s have had to take a backfoot in trying to assuage the feelings of the fans.
Thankfully for them, they have got in the big-name players like Scott Dann and Yakubu apart from Radosav Petrovic and Simon Vukcevic beihng instated as well.
Arsene Wenger will be tad happier, if not too much to have had a couple of decent games; a win in the EPL and a draw to begin their Champions League campaign. That coupled with the fact that the pressure would be more on the Rovers than them could work in their favour.
As if to have things falling into place, there is even a comeback for the pair of Gervinho and Alex Song, who were both on a three-match suspension. Incidentally, it was only the first game of the season that Arsenal played against Newcastle United that saw the side go into the match full-strength.
Kieran Gibbs should be a part of the side, in a bid to continue at the left-back spot in the side while Thomas Vermaelen’s Achilles injury will keep him out of the reckoning.
With Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshire expected to miss the game, Arsenal will be happy to be playing away from home against a side which is so unsure of itself.
The Gunners, despite their obvious form, will be favourites to win this one, while Rovers will hope for divine intervention on the football field to turn the tide in their favour. Either way, it looks like it has the potential to be an exciting game with Arsenal having the edge.