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ARSENAL v MIDDLESBROUGH BIG MATCH FACTS
It's Boro's last ever league game at Highbury tomorrow and our last ever game there altogether unless we meet in the FA Cup.
Highbury has been an unhappy hunting ground for Boro as we have been beaten in our last four league matches there. We did get a win in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg in January 2004 however and the unforgettable 3-0 win in April 2001 still remains fresh.
Boro won this season's reverse fixture in September. Yakubu scored first and was also involved in the second as Hail Massimo Maccarone took advantage of Boro's dominance to blast us to an unexpected 2-1 win. Consequently, Boro have the chance to land a very first Premiership double over Arsenal. The one and only time we have acheived that was in 1901/02 when Colin Cooper was in the youth team.
He may be called upon tomorrow, as he was last year when Boro took a 3-1 lead against the Gunners at Highbury through Joseph Desire Job, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Franck Queudrue, only to let it slip and go down 5-3 in an enthralling match when we really should have won.
OK, that's enough positivity for now. Boro are in the shit, currently sitting two places and five points above the relegation zone with a meagre five wins all season compared to Arsenal's ten.
We have drawn our last three in all competitions, conceding goals in the last minute in the last two to Newcastle on New Year's Day and Midlands giants Nuneaton last Saturday.
We are without a win in seven Premiership contests having drawn four and lost three since the 3-2 home victory over Fulham on 20th November. Boro have taken a point each from their last two League games which makes them the joint draw specialists in the division. Tottenham, Villa and Boro have all finished level on seven occasions.
Arsenals are having a mediocre season by their own high standards and are currently six points outside a Champions League qualifying spot with thirty-four points from twenty games.
They've not had so few points at this identical stage in a Premier League season since 1997/98. Arsenal went on to win the title that season...
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