Hull City have now won two on the trot, having beaten both Crystal Palace and Liverpool last week. Hull are still not safe, however, and they will be looking to build on their recent form and add another three points to push them towards safety.
Ahmed Elmohamady has been one of the key parts of Steve Bruce’s 3-5-2 formation this season with his pace and energy down the right hand side. Elmohamady has crossed the ball successfully 46 times, which is the second most in the Premier League behind Kieran Trippier, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
One of Hull’s areas of strength is in central midfield., where Jake Livermore has impressed for Hull. Livermore has covered 379.1km this season, more than any other player in the Hull team and fifth most in the Premier League, averaging out at 11.5km per game, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Livermore is 23/2 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.
Livermore’s midfield partner, Tom Huddlestone, has been equally impressive. Huddlestone is traditionally known to be someone who sprays the ball around the park, but he has shown proficiency when dribbling this season. Although only attempting 12 dribbles, he has been successful on 11 of those attempts, meaning he has recorded a 91.7% success rate.
Arsenal have now all but admitted defeat in the title race, with Chelsea needing just three points from their remaining four games – however the race for second is still on, and with City seemingly returning to form, a win is a must at the KC.
Olivier Giroud has been working his way up the goalscoring charts of late, and remains Arsenal’s joint top goalscorer alongside Alexis Sanchez on 14. Giroud has 26 shots on target in 22appearances, and has scored with 28.6% of his shots, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Giroud is 39/10 to score first with 888sport.com.
Sanchez, joint with Giroud in goalscoring terms, has recorded some impressive statistics according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. He is one of only two players (alongside Eden Hazard) to have completed more than 100 successful dribbles, carrying the ball on 105 occasions this season. Sanchez has put 69.3% of his shots on target this season, and he is one of the more likely candidates to test Hull’s defence this weekend.
Santi Cazorla has been a key cog in the Arsenal midfield this season and currently finds himself in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index Team of the Season. Cazorla has completed the fifth most passes in the opposition’s half out of any Premier League player, with 1,126, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and has also laid on eight assists for his teammate.
Hull vs Arsenal Match Facts:
- Hull famously beat Arsenal 2-1 in the first-ever top-flight match between the sides back in 2008. They then lost the next five league meetings before drawing at the Emirates in October.
- Arsenal beat Hull in the FA Cup final last year and also in this season’s third round.
- Hull have managed just three wins in 21 meetings with the Gunners in all competitions.
- Hull have won consecutive league matches for only the second time this season. They have only ever won three or more games in succession in the top flight once before – four matches in September-October in the 2008-09 season.
- They have kept successive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since October 2013.
- Arsene Wenger’s side have more points after 33 games this season than any season since 2009-10. This is despite having fewer points after 12 games than they have had in any other Premier League campaign.
- Their draw with Chelsea was their first since 21st December when they were held 2-2 by Liverpool – a run of 15 games.
Facts compiled from BBC
Hull vs Arsenal Possible Lineups:
Hull: Harper; Brady, McShane, Dawson, Chester, Elmohamady; Huddlestone, Livermore, Quinn, Aluko; N’Doye
Arsenal: Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud
Hull vs Arsenal Prediction:
A 1-2 win for the home side.