Arsenal vs Hull City: 3 Things To Watch For

Arsenal is forced to replay their FA Cup match against Hull City because they were unable to put away a lower-level side. Here are three things to watch for.

Arsenal was unable to put away Hull City when they came to the Emirates in the first leg. The match ended goalless. Now, Arsenal will be forced to play their third game in eight days. Away from home, Hull City will not be an easy beast to tame and with the rotation that is bound to happen, Arsenal will not have their traditional weapons.

That being said, the FA Cup is becoming increasingly important as the Champions League and the Premier League slip away. Arsenal have to remain in the competition. No silverware this year would be devastating.

With all of that in mind, here are three things to watch for as the action unfolds.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Hull City

1. Is This Momentum?

There was a major debate over how to feel after the draw at White Hart Lane, and for just cause. It is not an easy answer, not by any stretch. Arsenal needed all three points after losing to Swansea and United. But to think that Arsenal, in their weakened state, could go into a clash with a red-hot Tottenham and win seemed shaky from the start.

When Arsenal went up 1-0, there was genuine belief. Arsenal held control for an entire half of football and they had a goal to show for it. But Coquelin coq’d it up and Arsenal had to fight and claw for a draw.

Should we be happy with a draw? No. But we should absolutely be happy with the grit that this club showed. That is a momentum builder and it will hopefully show against Hull City.

2. Who Will Score?

More from Pain in the Arsenal

This is becoming a recurring theme anytime I do the three things to watch for. With the rotation, we are likely to be without Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis and maybe even Giroud. That will leave us Welbeck, Walcott, Iwobi and Campbell up front – again, most likely.

Who will do the finishing? Welbeck has had brief heroics but nothing sustained. Campbell is probably our best bet, as he is not afraid to shoot. But even then, can we rely on him to score?

Campbell has to understand that he is constantly under scrutiny. Performing well in each chance he gets is the best he can do to assert his claim to be a regular starter.

3. Can This Shaky Defense Cope?

I have not been happy with Per Mertesacker lately. It has been a similar feeling with Gabriel Paulista. These are two guys who keep gifting the job to one another. Still, no one takes it. Their partnership has been hit or miss as well, so we will have to see if they can cope.

Next: Saul Niguez A Versatile Answer

Then there is David Ospina, fresh off his best performance in quite some time. Will he be capable of the same heroics we saw against Tottenham or will the pressure get to him? All questions that we will be able to answer after the match.