After their disappointing defeat at the Emirates against Manchester United, Arsenal has bounced back with three consecutive victories and cleansheets. This afternoon they will aim for three more important points against Stoke City, who has lost just once from their last eight meetings at home against the Gunners.
Mark Hughes' side has endured an up and down campaign, but they will want to bounce back from three consecutive defeats in the Premier League.
Currently 13th in the league standings, the Potters are just five points clear of last placed Leicester City. A few more negative results for Stoke City could put them in a difficult situation.
Club captain Ryan Shawcross will need to help rally his squad ahead of the match, with the Englishman confident that him and his teammates can cause problems for the London side. Arsenal's last victory at the Britannia came in February of 2010, they have yet to win there since.
Injury and illness problems will have kept Mark Hughes up at night leading up to this match.
Jonathan Walters & Robert Huth will face late fitness tests, but it looks very likely that Glenn Whelan will be unavailable due to a calf injury. Stephen Ireland and Steve Sidwell are both battling an illness and their presence later today is unknown.
Arsenal's injury list isn't any shorter, but Arsene Wenger's side will certainly be getting more sleep as of late.
On paper, the Gunners looked to have a very promising squad heading into the current campaign, but injuries have led to loads of inconsistencies within the squad. With some players making their way back into the squad, Arsenal has managed three consecutive victories without conceding a goal, but they will be put to the test against the Potters.
Laurent Koscielny brought some stability to the back four after missing some time with an injury, and it looks as if the Frenchman will be out of the squad yet again. A nagging achilles injury has kept him sidelined a few times over the last two seasons, and Arsene Wenger could be forced to make some changes at the back.
With or without Koscielny, the visitors will be hopeful that Alexis Sanchez can continue his fine form.
The Chilean scored the decisive goal on Wednesday against Southampton, and although he may have looked a bit fatigued, it's more than obvious that until the likes of Theo Walcott and even Mesut Ozil are in the squad, the pace of Alexis and even Oxlade-Chamberlain will be vital.
If Koscielny is out of the squad, Monreal could see himself at the heart of the defence, where he's struggled to adapt. Mark Hughes will certainly make sure his offensive unit targest the Spaniard, who hasn't been able to find much chemistry alongside Per Mertesacker.
Stoke City vs Arsenal team sheets
Stoke City's first XI: Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross (c), Muniesa, Pieters; Nzonzi, Cameron; Diouf, Bojan, Walters; Crouch
Arsenal's First XI: Martinez, Bellerin, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis, Cazorla, Giroud.
Stoke City's bench: Butland, Huth, Whelan, Ireland, Adam, Assaidi, Shenton
Arsenal's bench: Szczesny, Koscielny, Ajayi, Maitland-Niles, Campbell, Podolski, Welbeck
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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