After the dramatics in Rome on Wednesday night it is back to the bread and butter for Arsène Wenger's men when they take on Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. This season Arsenal.com will be identifying the key battles for the game. We will bring you all the statistics and information a fan could need so swot up now and come Saturday you will be impressing anyone who will listen with your new-found knowledge.
Robin van Persie v Ryan Nelsen
Considering his sizzling form throughout January, Robin van Persie has been slightly quiet in recent weeks, with only one goal in his last five appearances. One man who won’t read much into that stat is Ryan Nelsen, who could come up against the Dutchman on Saturday. Nelsen has won an impressive 19 tackles this term in addition to a staggering 44 clearances. He will need to be at his best to thwart his opponent who has hit the target more than any other Gunner this term.
| Robin van Persie | Ryan Nelsen | |
| Appearances | 23 | 26 |
| Minutes played | 1826 | 2340 |
| Assists | 7 | 1 |
| Clearances | 4 | 44 |
| Successful dribbles | 9 | 7 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 6 | 7 |
| Goals scored | 9 | 0 |
| Complete passes | 86 | 108 |
| Incomplete passes | 46 | 76 |
| Shots off target | 45 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 38 | 0 |
| Tackles lost | 12 | 7 |
| Tackles won | 4 | 19 |
Abou Diaby v Keith Andrews
Expect a good, old-fashioned tussle in the middle of the park if Abou Diaby and Keith Andrews meet at Emirates Stadium. There’s very little to choose in the tackling stakes but the Frenchman trumps former MK-Dons man Andrews in the passing stakes, with a 65 per cent success rate. Diaby’s two assists also hint at a greater degree of precision in his passing although it’s worth noting that Andrews has scored one more goal than his opponent.
| Abou Diaby | Keith Andrews | |
| Appearances | 17 | 23 |
| Minutes played | 1103 | 1706 |
| Assists | 2 | 0 |
| Successful crosses | 0 | 2 |
| Unsuccessful crosses | 4 | 4 |
| Successful dribbles | 12 | 8 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 8 | 12 |
| Goals scored | 1 | 2 |
| Complete passes | 66 | 81 |
| Incomplete passes | 37 | 62 |
| Shots on target | 10 | 12 |
| Shots off target | 5 | 9 |
| Tackles lost | 8 | 9 |
| Tackles won | 11 | 10 |
Bacary Sagna v Stephen Warnock
Stephen Warnock’s superb attacking displays at left back for Blackburn prompted manager Sam Allardyce to push the 27-year-old into the left-wing berth. His direct opponent on Saturday is likely to be Bacary Sagna who performed brilliantly against Roma in midweek, despatching his penalty with aplomb in the shoot-out. The Frenchman has won the most tackles in the Arsenal team and he shades Warnock in the passing and dribbling success rates.
| Bacary Sagna | Stephen Warnock | |
| Appearances | 26 | 26 |
| Minutes played | 2160 | 2318 |
| Assists | 0 | 3 |
| Successful crosses | 3 | 4 |
| Unsuccessful crosses | 32 | 27 |
| Successful dribbles | 8 | 14 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 3 | 20 |
| Goals scored | 0 | 3 |
| Complete passes | 118 | 125 |
| Incomplete passes | 58 | 78 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 5 |
| Shots off target | 5 | 9 |
| Tackles lost | 11 | 14 |
| Tackles won | 22 | 16 |
