3. Diakite v Giroud
6 foot 4 inch Frenchman Modibo Diakite will come up against compatriot Olivier Giroud for the first time this weekend and for what is a rare occasion, will not have the height advantage over the striker he faces the task of preventing from scoring. After just a season in the Premier League, Giroud is known for his size, physical style of play and heading ability. Unfortunately for him, Diakite is also known for his physical style of play - as well as being a good reader of the game. For that reason, it's unlikely that either of them will be able to dominate this encounter. Giroud has scored 3 of Arsenal's 5 goals this season and the man who has scored the other 2,
Lukas Podolski, is out for a maximum of 10 weeks after pulling his hamstring in Arsenal's Champions League play-off victory against Fenerbahce. Therefore, you can be forgiven for assuming that Arsenal are fairly reliant on Giroud to having a significant contribution to Saturday's game. If Giroud can continue the form that has seen him start the season brilliantly then there probably isn't much Diakite can do to stop him. Having said that, I doubt the giant French centre-back will go down without some sort of a fight.