Arsenal – Huddersfield Town preview: Gunners eyeing to take unbeaten record to 21

Unai Emery’s on-fire Arsenal team will be looking to extend their unbeaten run this weekend when they welcome relegation candidates Huddersfield Town to The Emirates.

The Gunners are yet to lose a game in all competitions since a 3-2 loss away to Chelsea on the second game of the season, and the North London side maintained this unbeaten run on Wednesday night after they claimed a valiant 2-2 draw away to Manchester United.

Huddersfield come into the match a point above the relegation zone and in desperate need of a positive result. With fellow Premier League bottom dwellers Cardiff City and Southampton playing each other this weekend, David Wagner will be eager to gain some ground away from the bottom three with a big result against the Gunners.

The team news

The big team news coming into Saturday’s game is that Arsenal defender Rob Holding has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after the young English centre-back suffered a cruciate ligament injury following a challenge with Marcus Rashford midweek.

The loss for Emery could mean a reversion to the 4-2-3-1 formation that the Spaniard has used for the majority of Arsenal games, however the Gunners have recently been using a 3-4-3 to great effect in games against Bournemouth and Tottenham.

Aaron Ramsey is also a doubt for Saturday’s game. He was forced off at half-time against Manchester United, but the Welshman’s injury is said to be only a minor one and could miss this game at max for Arsenal.

For the Terriers, key players Philip Billing and Steve Mounie are both out due to suspension, but full-back Chris Lowe could return to the squad following a period of time out with a shoulder problem.

The history

Arsenal came away the wins in both games against Huddersfield last campaign. The Gunners demolished Wagner’s side at the Emirates in an entertaining 5-0 win, whilst a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal in Arsene Wenger’s final game as manager of the North London club was all that separated the two teams on the last day of the 2017/18 Premier League season.

History also shows that this is a fixture Arsenal have dominated over the decades. The last time Huddersfield claimed a win against the three-time Premier League champions was in 1971, with the previous win before that for the West Yorkshire side was in 1954.

Prediction

History, form, home advantage. It all adds up to a comfortable Arsenal win. These are the type of games Emery has to win if he wants to get his side into Champions League football, and although key players will be out for the Gunners, the North London side should still have enough to outmatch Huddersfield.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Huddersfield Town

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