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There are points to be won at the top and bottom of the Premier League table this weekend when Blackpool take on Arsenal at Bloomfield Road.
The Sunday afternoon game is likely to be an extremely entertaining affair, with Blackpool not afraid to attack an Arsenal side that will always be positive and look to hit teams on the counter attack.
As for what this contest means for both teams, they each need the points. Blackpool are in a desperate fight against relegation, while Arsenal need to win virtually every remaining game if they are to challenge Manchester United for the Premier League title.
Focusing on Ian Holloway’s men to begin with, it is worth noting how much better they have done with regards to pre-season predictions. As the Blackpool boss has pointed out on numerous occasions, they were expected to be comfortably relegated by now.
They have been a breath of fresh air in the top flight though, putting in some excellent performances during a thoroughly entertaining campaign.
Unfortunately for them, their form has faded as the season has progressed with just one win in their last eleven Premier League games. This means they are heavily involved in the fight for survival as they sit just a single point above the drop zone.
By the time the Arsenal game comes around, they could be in the bottom three, so it really is imperative that the Tangerines go into Sunday’s contest with the belief they can pick up a positive result.
As for Arsene Wenger’s men, they need to get their season back on track after a disastrous few weeks that has seen them crash out of the Carling Cup, FA Cup and Champions League as well as fall behind in the race for the title.
The Gunners are currently seven points behind Manchester United and with the Red Devils at home to Fulham on Saturday, you would expect this to be a gap of 10 points by the time Arsenal are underway at Bloomfield Road.
They just need to focus on their own game though and do everything they can to keep the pressure on the league leaders.
They will still have a game in hand over them after the weekend, so Wenger’s message to his players has to be to take each game as it comes and be ready to pounce if United slip up.
In reality, the Gunners cannot afford to drop any more points in their remaining eight games, so the clash with Blackpool this weekend has to go down as a must win.
