Sunday sees the return of 'Mr Arsenal', Tony Adams, when he brings his Portsmouth side to Emirates Stadium. 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 Sunday you will be impressing anyone who will listen with your new-found knowledge.
Manuel Almunia v David James
There is a chance that Manuel Almunia could be eligible for England in the next couple of years. If that was the case then it is likely that the 31-year-old would be in direct competition with Sunday’s opponent, David James. The pair have played almost the same number of minutes and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Spaniard comes out on top in most areas. Arsenal’s No 1 has conceded fewer goals, is more successful in his distribution and has more clean sheets than James, although the Pompey stopper has made the most saves.
| Manuel Almunia | David James | |
| Appearances | 17 | 17 |
| Minutes played | 1518 | 1530 |
| Bookings | 0 | 2 |
| Goals conceded | 19 | 26 |
| Distribution made | 180 | 164 |
| Successful distribution | 117 | 102 |
| Unsuccessful distribution | 63 | 62 |
| Clean sheets | 6 | 4 |
| Total saves | 73 | 94 |
Denilson v Papa Bouba Diop
There is a huge contrast in the central-midfield clash this Sunday. Pape Bouba Diop is an archetypal ball-winning dominator whereas Denilson relies more on brains than brawn. The Brazilian, fresh from his Boxing Day strike at Villa Park, has much the better attacking stats, scoring two goals and boasting four assists. Diop, on the other hand, trumps his opponent in defensive areas, winning more tackles, completing more clearances but also committing more fouls – including two inside the penalty area.
| Denilson | Papa Bouba Diop | |
| Appearances | 16 | 14 |
| Minutes played | 1377 | 1166 |
| Assists | 4 | 0 |
| Bookings | 2 | 5 |
| Clearances | 1 | 9 |
| Fouls | 23 | 36 |
| Goals | 2 | 0 |
| Complete passes | 73 | 45 |
| Incomplete passes | 42 | 28 |
| Penalties conceded | 0 | 2 |
| Shots off target | 7 | 12 |
| Shots on target | 10 | 5 |
| Tackles won | 7 | 10 |
| Tackles lost | 7 | 9 |
Emmanuel Adebayor v Sol Campbell
Emmanuel Adebayor returns from suspension on Sunday and could come up against his former Arsenal team-mate Sol Campbell. Questions have been asked of Portsmouth’s defence this term but, as ever, Campbell’s defensive stats make solid reading. The 34-year-old has only failed in one of his seven tackles, blocked 11 shots and completed 22 clearances. But he is sure to have a busy afternoon against seven-goal Adebayor. The Togolese has hit the target 23 times this season as well as clocking up seven assists.
| Emmanuel Adebayor | Sol Campbell | |
| Appearances | 15 | 12 |
| Minutes played | 1197 | 1080 |
| Assists | 7 | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 | 11 |
| Clearances | 8 | 22 |
| Successful dribbles | 10 | 2 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 7 | 0 |
| Goals scored | 7 | 0 |
| Incomplete passes | 23 | 36 |
| Complete passes | 53 | 42 |
| Shots on target | 23 | 3 |
| Shots off target | 23 | 1 |
| Tackles won | 0 | 6 |
| Tackles lost | 11 | 1 |
Please note that the stats used are of Friday, December 19.
Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 26 Dec 2008