Gunners to Edge City

On the big Wembley pitch it seems likely that Arsenal’s class will have room to flourish and ultimately end Birmingham City’s resistance. This is such a massive game for the Blues, in particular, that I fully expect them to have a good part of the game and there’s every chance they will score. The problem they have is that stopping the Gunners from bagging two or three goals of their own may be beyond them. A final score of 2-0 or 3-1 to Arsenal seems likely and I’d be inclined to take the 7/2 on offer from Skybet that Wenger’s side win by two.

The reasons why Arsenal should score in this game are pretty self-explanatory. They score against most teams, and a side they dispatched with relative ease 3-0 at St Andrews on New Year’s Day, will hold no fears. The return of Robin van Persie to the ranks has given the side a greater cutting edge and the possible absence of Walcott and Fabregas can be covered by the likes of Arshavin and Bendtner, playing off the sublime Samir Nasri. Meanwhile, the injury to arguably Birmingham’s best defender, Scott Dann, has been a hammer blow to Alex McLeish’s hopes of tightening up at the back.

A two goal margin of victory might seem unlikely in a game that I think will be very tight but this is Arsenal. If they get their noses in front at 1-0 I can well imagine Birmingham having a real go in response. But Wenger doesn’t believe in simply holding onto slim leads and his team are liable to add a second after surviving a few scares. If City do get on the scoresheet, at say 1-1, I could still envisage Arsenal’s dynamic forward movement creating a couple more goals to win 3-1 and put a flattering sheen on the final result.