Arsenal will hope to climb back up the table with a win when they host Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners could only draw against London rivals West Ham during the week, a result which saw them slip to seventh and extended their winless run in the Premier League to three games.
Newcastle are enduring a terrible run of form, without a win in their last eight games - seven of which were defeats - and they are in danger of being sucked in to a relegation battle.
| Game | Arsenal vs Newcastle United |
| Date | Saturday, December 16 |
| Time | 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
The game is not being shown live in the United Kingdom because it falls within the Saturday 'blackout' period, but highlights will be available to watch on BBC.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC (highlights) | N/A |
In the United States (US), the Premier League can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Arsenal players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cech, Ospina, Macey, Iliev |
| Defenders | Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Holding, Mustafi, Monreal, Chambers, Bellerin, Kolasinac |
| Midfielders | Ramsey, Wilshere, Ozil, Iwobi, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Sheaf, Willock, Dragomir, Gilmour, McGuane, Reine-Adelaide |
| Forwards | Sanchez, Lacazette, Giroud, Welbeck, Akpom, Nketiah, Dasilva, Nelson |
Shkodran Mustafi has resumed training but Arsene Wenger is unsure whether to take a risk by using the Germany international for the game.
Aaron Ramsey is out of action for up to three weeks so will not be available, while Theo Walcott is nursing a groin injury and will not be risked.
Santi Cazorla, meanwhile, is a long-term absentee as he endured another setback in his foot injury.
Potential Arsenal starting XI: Cech; Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal; Bellerin, Xhaka, Wilshere, Kolasinac; Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette.
| Position | Newcastle players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Elliot, Darlow, Woodman |
| Defenders | Clark, Dummett, Lascelles, Mbemba, Manquillo, Lejeune, Yedlin, Haidara, Gamez, Sterry |
| Midfielders | Colback, Murphy, Diame, Ritchie, Shelvey, Hayden, Merino, Aarons, Saivet, Atsu, Barlaser |
| Forwards | Gayle, Ayoze, Joselu, Mitrovic |
Newcastle currently have no injury worries coming into the game, but they will be without Jonjo Shelvey, who is suspended after receiving a red card against Everton during the week.
Potential Newcastle starting XI: Darlow; Manquillo, Lascelles, Clark, Yedlin; Ritchie, Merino, Hayden, Murphy; Gayle, Joselu.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Arsenal are 1/4 favourites according to dabblebet, with Newcastle priced at 10/1 to win. A draw between the sides at the Emirates is considered a 5/1 bet.
Alexandre Lacazette is the Gunners' top scorer and he is 9/4 to score first, while Magpies forward Dwight Gayle is 10/1.
GAME PREVIEW
Arsenal were left with a familiar sense of frustration after they were held to a scoreless draw against West Ham on Wednesday and questions have once again been raised around the suitability of Wenger to continue steering the fortunes of the north London club.
The result saw the Gunners tumble down to seventh in the Premier League and, while they are just a point removed from fourth, the pressure is once again mounting on the long-serving manager.
With a League Cup quarter-final against West Ham as well as games against Liverpool and Chelsea to play in the coming weeks, it will be vital to kick-start a recovery at home to Newcastle on Saturday.
Rafa Benitez's side may be hurtling on a downward trajectory, but, as they look up at Burnley, Liverpool and Tottenham, the Gunners cannot take anything for granted against a team desperately trying to prevent themselves from being dragged into a relegation scrap.