Arsenal are back in action at the Emirates against Hull City on Saturday, after a 13-day long, injury-ridden (Mesut Özil, Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny are all out, although Danny Welbeck should be fit despite a scare) and, frankly, dull international break. Arsenal are looking to bounce back after the disappointing 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Hull will be relatively confident after their 2-0 win against Crystal Palace, securing their second win of the season. They are currently sitting 11th in the table and will definitely not be a pushover on Saturday. The last time the two sides met was at Wembley in May, when Arsenal beat Hull 3-2 in the FA Cup Final to end a nine-year trophy drought. Hull have, however, strengthened after a very busy, and seemingly successful, summer transfer window. Here are three players Arsenal will need to keep an eye on come 3pm on Saturday:
1. Mohamed Diame
The 27-year-old midfielder has started the season in superb form, after a £3.5 million move to The Tigers from West Ham on deadline day. The Senegalese international has flourished in the central midfield role he was denied for most of last season by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, scoring three goals in his last four starts for Hull in the Premier League, including a 30-yard wonder strike against Newcastle and a clever finish against former team West Ham. As well as being able to cause Arsenal problems aerially, the powerhouse midfielder’s strength and tackling will be hard to match in the centre of midfield, particularly as Arsenal lack a real presence in that area.