Can Arsenal hold onto their FA Cup status?

Just days remain now until Arsenal take on Hull City at the Emirates Stadium. After the Gunners managed to beat Hull’s Tigers 3-2 at the FA Cup final on 17th May, doubtless Hull’s Steve Bruce will be baying for Arsene Wenger’s blood to gain a much-needed three points.

Arsenal currently stand at eighth place in the Premier League table, with Hull City trailing behind in 11th place. But the Gunners could be lacking a couple of vital ingredients in their upcoming match against the Tigers – namely, Laurent Koscielny and Mesut Ozil.

29-year-old Koscielny has been plagued by an Achilles injury which recently saw him returning to Arsenal from international duty to receive treatment. The star is said to be suffering from chronic tendinitis of both Achilles tendons and would have been replaced by Calum Chambers at the weekend but as he is suspended and Arsenal already short of a right back, thanks to injured Mathieu Debuchy’s absence this could be a tricky problem to solve.

Injuries seem to have been plaguing Arsene Wenger’s 11 for a while now, and it’s come as a shock for fans as World Cup superstar Mesut Ozil has also confirmed he will not be playing in the upcoming Hull game. The 26-year-old has been ruled out of play until 2015 thanks to a knee injury, which fellow player Jack Wilshere has described as “devastating.”

However, despite whispers of an ‘injury curse’ taking over Arsenal, Ramsey remains positive about their upcoming match. While Debuchy and Olivier Giroud will not be returning until the New Year, many players who have recently suffered injuries have now returned to training. Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Yaya Sanogo, Serge Gnabry, Abou Diaby and Nacho Monreal will all be healthy choices for Wenger’s starting 11 on Saturday.

Injuries, returning players and team morale have paved the way for endless choices on the market for sports bettors, from overall winner to top scorer. With Arsenal missing so many key players, this could make for an interesting pairing for spectators who want a little more out of the game.

Hull remain confident about their upcoming game and have said they want to “ruffle Arsenal’s feathers.” Morale is high for the time at present, having recently announced their record-breaking profits in their accounts for the financial year.

History has a tendency to repeat itself however, and though Arsenal may be missing a few stars, they aren’t going to take an invasion from Hull without a fight.