The view from.. Germany

In the latest of our blogs with the club’s official supporters’ groups from around the world, Marc Liebe of Arsenal Germany talks Hull, Arsenal's FA Cup final against Aston Villa and Arsenal's German contingent.

On Monday we face another stern test in the Premier League with an away trip to Hull. Our FA Cup final opponents last season have had a tough campaign and, given our recent form, it looks relatively straightforward on paper. If we can keep our recent level of performance we should win, but a late Monday kick-off can be tricky. We predict a 3-1 away win.

Our German Gooners will gather in pubs in the bigger cities across the country - Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin - having established a loyal supporter base there. On match day, one can come across around 30-50 Gooners (especially in Berlin). Matches in the week are popular as fathers can also attend those without disregarding their family duties. If you happen to drop by at either the Blarney Irish Pub in Berlin or the Paddy’s Pub in Hamburg, you will witness a very passionate and loud crowd of Gooners.

While you certainly won’t hear the Arsenal Germany version of "Que Sera“ - the Wembley version is more accurate these days - Alexis’ new chant ("Alexis Sanchez, baby, Alexis Sanchez, woahhh“) gained some deserved momentum and has been sung loudly during the past few weeks. On the day of the FA Cup final, all German Gooners will gather in Hamburg, like last year, to celebrate that special day together and hopefully it will end with another victory.

Other German fans who live in areas that are not as filled with Gooners have many other opportunities to exchange their opinions as we possess a lively Facebook page, a panel on our webpage and a WhatsApp group that is available to all Arsenal Germany members. Up to 500 messages are exchanged on a matchday. Since we started our Facebook page in late 2012, and the Twitter account in early 2013, the supporters club has seen a vital rise in members and backers, nearly doubling our numbers.

A key factor in the rise of members at our supporters club has been the signings of Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and especially Lukas Podolski. The former two had initially been eyed critically but have since made it into the hearts of the German Gooners. Podolski, on the other hand, was a super hero from the get-go. Some think he‘ll come back from Inter a stronger player and head straight back into the squad. You never know in football. As for Serge Gnabry, everybody was super excited for he’s a magnificent prospect. Hopefully, he can play his way back to the first team next season.