Arsenal vs Everton Pre-game thoughts

   Arsenal takes on Everton today at the Emirates stadium in match no 27 of their Barclays Premier League campaign. They start this game after sliding to 4th in the table courtesy of Manchester United's win against Sunderland rising back to 3rd. Its obvious a win will take us to 3rd again.

   Gunners will be eager to put the midweek disappointment behind them and continue their fine form in the league. The key issues faced during the match against Monaco especially in finishing the chances and in defense needs to be addressed quickly as Roberto Martinez will be planning to exploit it further. Everton boss also talked of being wary of wounded Arsenal who are known for their comebacks and ability to bounce back after the demoralising defeat we've sufferred.

   Arsene Wenger was talking of rotation due to demanding fixtures where they are playing twice a week. So there may be changes in the playing XI with likes of Gabriel, Chamberlain, Walcott and Rosicky all knocking on the door after being deprived of game time in recent matches. There may be change in the goal as well with Ospina not doing enough in 2 months to cement his place in the squad so the Colombian making way for Szczesny may not be a surprise for me. Gibbs also not did enough to retain his place, so Monreal's inclusion would be a no-brainer for Wenger.

   The most debated question is should Giroud start today given his below par performance in last game. In my opinion, he should start and must be given a chance to prove his worth today. I believe he is a strong character and will bounce back. Besides the forgettable 60 minutes on Wednesday, he has been playing at his best since the comeback from injury scoring 8 goals in 11 appearances. Every Arsenal fan knows how honest the HFB is and all will like to see him on the pitch and score a goal or two to see him getting his confidence back.

   If I would have been in place of Arsene Wenger, my starting XI will be
Szczesny, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Walcott, Özil, Sanchez, Giroud

   3 points and a good performance is need of the hour and anything less than that will lengthen the presence of gloom. Fingers crossed.