Arsenal will welcome Watford to the Emirates this afternoon in the final matchday weekend of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta will more than likely take the opportunity to rest some of his key players today, with one eye on the cup final against Chelsea next Saturday, but Watford have no such luxury.
The Hornets come into the match in the drop zone, level on points with Aston Villa who sit just outside it.
The Villains of course beat us during the week to seal our fate of finishing outside the European places, while seeing their side escape the bottom three of the division for the first time since February.
Their fate should be a fight to the finish, and should both sides win, Bournemouth would need to win by two more goals than Villa in order to climb to safety.
More interestingly, Bournemouth trail the pair by three points, and any win for them paired with losses for both of the above would see them saved in dramatic fashion, and they travel to Everton, who have little to pay for today.
While our team has little to play for going into today’s tie, I do expect some younger players to be given the chance to impress, and those players will be wanting to impress the boss in hope of earning a more regular role going into the new season, so I wouldn’t be expecting too much of an easy ride.
One player who may get the nod to start is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who currently sits three goals off of the Golden Boot leader Jamie Vardy, and a hat-trick for our goalscorer is never impossible.
With our opponents very much needing the points, and Aubameyang very much needing the goals, I can see this being a goalfest, and even against a rotated side I can see us coming out on top. I’ll go with a 3-2 victory for our boys, hopefully with Aubameyang matching Vardy’s tally before the end of the day.
Which players would you expect to get the chance to play today? Will Arteta be ringing major changes ahead of the FA Cup?
Patrick
