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Cardiff City welcome Arsenal to the Welsh capital in the Premier League on Sunday, as the Gunners attempt to reignite their early form.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery watched his new side concede defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea, but a 3-1 victory at home to West Ham United halted the losing streak.
The Bluebirds were impressive as they were promoted from the EFL Championship last term, but life in the top league will test a squad lacking in firepower.
Here is how you can watch the game:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 2
Time: 1:30 p.m. (BST), 8:30 a.m. (ET)
Odds: Cardiff win 22-5, Arsenal win 11-20, Draw 31-10
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), NBC Sports Live (U.S.)
TV: Sky Sports (UK), NBC Sports Live (U.S.)
Odds via OddsShark.
Preview
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Cardiff manager Neil Warnock is an old hand at fighting relegation battles, but his team are without a win in their first three games of the new campaign in England’s top division.
Arsenal arrive as a team settling into a rhythm after the appointment of former Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery, but the football on show has mimicked former coach Arsene Wenger’s philosophy.
The passing style has remained for the Gunners, but Emery will demand more defensive steel from his north London squad.
However, Arsenal were poor on the road last season, with a succession of away defeats blighting Wenger’s final months.
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The hosts go into the game with a number of fitness questions, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing now ruled out for three months.
BBC Sport reported the 26-year-old attacker will be absent until the end of November, with Aron Gunnarsson also missing the match.
Warnock admitted his side face a difficult schedule, but advised calm from his contingent.
Per BBC Sport, Warnock said:
“It will be so difficult for us in the next few weeks, but we’ve got a great bunch, a great set of fans and we’ve just got to enjoy it.
I’ve got to come up with a recipe to give our fans something to cheer about during the game.
I think we’ve got to do the best we can to get the crowd on their feet. We’ve got to take the Premier League onboard and enjoy it.”
Warnock’s relaxed approach is the move of an experienced manager, and he knows the pressure is on Arsenal rather than Cardiff.
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Emery has seen little return from his attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang preferred over Alexandre Lacazette.
The time might be right for the pair to team up on a consistent basis, and with Cardiff expected to sit back, the Gunners stars can play out their scripted roles.
Former Arsenal legend Martin Keown said Emery is likely to keep experimenting in the early weeks of the season.
In his Daily Mail column, Keown wrote about Aubameyang and Lacazette:
“These two seem desperate to play with one another. When Lacazette plays, Aubameyang comes to life. There is undoubtedly a connection between them.
When Lacazette came on against West Ham, it gave Arsenal focal point. Everything stuck and without him, Arsenal lacked a target man.
It may be that Unai Emery has one team for Arsenal’s home games and another for when they play away.”
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Keown’s assessment might be correct, but a trip to Cardiff could produce a hatful of goals for the visitors if Emery gives his primary strikers minutes together.
Lacazette will not be happy on the bench, and his excellent pre-season form deserves the starting role his talent demands.
Cardiff will have to wish the Gunners have a bad day at the office and carelessly leave the door open for the home side.
However, with a squad that is very comfortable in possession, Arsenal should be able to dispatch the Welsh side with relative ease.
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