Gervinho back to boost cup hopes

Arsenal will welcome back Gervinho for their FA Cup clash with Sunderland on Saturday, following the forward's return from the African Cup of Nations. The Ivorian has been integral to his country's progression to the final of the tournament, scoring the winning goal in the semi-final victory against Mali. 

The 24-year old will soon return to the Emirates, where he will be hoping to immediately lift spirits following Thierry Henry's return to New York. The Frenchman grabbed an injury-time winner last weekend, as both teams played the first of their two games in a week against each other, Arsenal running out 2-1 winners at the Stadium of Light. http://betting.betfair.com/football/

Arsene Wenger revealed the forward would be back and available for selection for what is sure to be a tough fifth round clash against an ever-improving Sunderland side, one which has looked capable of beating anyone on their day since Martin O'Neill took over. 

"I have Gervinho on the phone and sent him some messages a few times," he said.

"He plays in the final and you know what the rule is - 48 hours later he has to be back. I see him playing on Saturday, not on Wednesday."

The former Lille man's return will be a boost to Arsenal ahead of the Sunderland match. With both Manchester sides now out of the tournament, the FA Cup looks set to be Arsenal's best chance at finally ending their six-year silverware drought, and Gervinho's return will add to Wenger's options for this all-important cup tie.  betting.betfair.com

Gervinho may have to earn his place back in Wenger's first team, following the impressive impact Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has made since bursting into the side. The youngster has stepped up and filled in for the absent Gervinho, exciting the Arsenal fans with a string of sensational performances over the past few weeks.

Jack Wilshere injury means that Arsenal now look lightweight in midfield

Although Arsene Wenger clearly thought it was the right decision to rule that this January wasn’t the right time to get seriously involved in the transfer market, with the not particularly notable exception of a player nobody has ever heard of apart from perhaps a few Premier League scouts, the Arsenal manager has arguably hammered the last nail in a coffin that he has been building since he failed to turn his "kids" project into a trophy-winning one.

The decision from Wenger not to enter the market may well have been based on the idea that there is normally very little value in the market during January, as well as the notion that in order to add to his squad he would perhaps have been forced to sell first. However, this does not excuse the Arsenal manager's decision to leave his team in no fit state to challenge for that vital fourth place. Those looking at the Betfair football betting odds will be wondering how well they can do.

Having now seen Jack Wilshere injured, and likely to sit out the action until the end of the season, and surely knowing all too well that Abou Diaby (remember him?!) is a) rubbish and b) always injured, Wenger now only really has four players able to be selected for midfield duty. Furthermore, one of those players (on loan Yossi Benayoun) seems not to be favoured by the manager, despite having been brought in specifically to bolster the Gunners squad for the rest of the season. All of this adds up to suggest that the Gunners now look like an outfit that is just one injury away from becoming a mid-table side. People following the Champions league betting will also have doubts about their ability to progress in that competition.

With the Gunners fans already angry at Wenger, the last chance he had to save himself at the Emirates may have just come and gone without the Frenchman realising it.