Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns. The Gunners picked up victory over minnows Lincoln City in the FA Cup last weekend to offer a welcome respite - just a second win in eight outings overall. Albion have been struggling for momentum over the past fortnight, too, losing back-to-back games in the league since hitting the 40-point mark.

Games such as this have a 'no-win' feel to them as far as under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is concerned, knowing that defeat will see the calls for him to leave grow even stronger, while victory - still not enough to take the Gunners back into the top four - will do little to ease the pressure. Albion will be eyeing a place in the top seven between now and the end of the season, although defeat to Everton last weekend now makes that an even tougher task.

TEAM NEWS!

WEST BROMWICH ALBION XI: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom; Livermore, Fletcher; Brunt, Chadli, McClean; Rondon

ARSENAL XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Ramsey; Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez; Welbeck

Starting with a look at the visiting side, Wenger has made two changes from the XI that saw off Lincoln City last weekend. Nacho Monreal and Danny Welbeck are brought back into the fold, with Kieran Gibbs and Olivier Giroud the men to make way from that 6-0 mauling at the Emirates Stadium. The introduction of Welbeck up top is a little surprising, with many expecting Giroud to retain his place - or Alexis Sanchez to shift forward - but the Englishman is clearly feeling fit and ready.

There had been talk prior to the match that Alexis may have been left out altogether for this lunchtime clash, in fact, despite being involved in a league-high 26 goals in as many appearances this season. The Chilean will likely start on the left on a three-pronged attacking midfield, looking to build on his tally of 17 goals and nine assists in what has been another impressive campaign in North London - on the field, at least!

Aaron Ramsey retains his place in the engine room for Premier League appearance number 200, starting alongside the hot-headed Granit Xhaka, with Mohamed Elneny in reserve after recovering from an ankle injury ahead of schedule. Gibbs was always likely to miss out today due to injury, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - the only other real fitness doubt - is declared fit enough to start, taking up a spot alongside Theo Walcott, Sanchez and Welbeck in that strong-looking attack line.

Switching attention to the home side now, manager Tony Pulis has also gone with two changes from his side's last outing - a 3-0 defeat to Everton seven days ago. Chris Brunt and Salomon Rondon both come back into the starting lineup, taking over from Claudio Yacob and Hal Robson-Kanu in midfield and attack. There is no Matty Phillips for the Baggies this afternoon for the fourth game running, as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Rondon is back in the side this afternoon but he is not exactly high on confidence, having gone 13 league and cup games without a goal. There is far more to his game than just finding the net, of course, proving a key link in attack, but Pulis will no doubt be worried to see him fire blanks in front of goal since his impressive headed treble against Swansea City in December. It perhaps explains why Albion have gone some 250 minutes of football without scoring.

James Morrison is the other player to miss out for the hosts this afternoon due to an ankle injury, as Pulis goes with an expected 4-2-3-1 formation from the off; Rondon leading the line and support being provided by James McClean, Nacer Chadli and the returning Brunt. Another former Tottenham Hotspur product in Jake Livermore takes his place in the engine room, just a few days on from being called up to the England senior squad by Gareth Southgate.

BENCH WATCH!

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Olsson, Robson-Kanu, Yacob, Wilson, Leko, Field

ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Giroud

There is no Mesut Ozil and Lucas Perez in the Arsenal squad this afternoon due to a hamstring and thigh injury respectively. That leaves the Gunners with just Alex Iwobi and Giroud among their attacking back-up options, while Elneny returns from injury to join fellow defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin on the bench. Robson-Kanu and Yacob are both among the Albion subs, meanwhile, after dropping out of the starting lineup.

Danny Welbeck has had countless injury problems since joining Arsenal from Manchester United a couple of years back, but he takes over from Olivier Giroud to lead the Gunners' line this afternoon - his second Premier League start of the campaign. The Englishman is one of two new faces in the side from last weekend's win over Lincoln City, with Nacho Monreal replacing the injured Kieran Gibbs in the only other alteration. West Bromwich Albion also make two changes - Chris Brunt and Salomon Rondon replacing Claudio Yacob and Hal Robson-Kanu.

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West Brom start this packed weekend of Premier League football sitting eighth in the table, a position that they look likely to finish in. Back-to-back defeats, including against the side directly above them in Everton last weekend, leaves Pulis's men with little to fight for on the face of it. The Baggies are now seven points below the Toffees and four ahead of Stoke City in ninth, so it is essentially a case of keeping things ticking over between now and the middle of May.

Pulis has carved out a reputation as being the ideal man to not only keep sides out of relegation trouble but to build them into a solid, mid-table outfit, but a look at his stats after hitting the magic 40-point mark does not paint the greatest of pictures. The no-nonsense Welshman tends to see his teams tail off in the final third of a season once essentially achieving the target he set out for, which is highlighted by those recent successive losses to Palace and Everton.

This is a good chance to prove the naysayers wrong, however, by finishing in a joint-high position of eighth in the Premier League with Albion - five places higher than his first full season in charge at The Hawthorns. There was a time when the former Palace and Stoke chief was not the most popular of men around these parts, with many disgruntled fans citing the bland style of play, but it certainly works and now Albion are in the band of sides that will look to strengthen in the summer and potentially challenge for Europe next term.

Exiting both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle to lower-league opposition was tough to take for Albion supporters, who would have loved to have seen this potential joint-high finish of eighth supplemented by a rare run to the latter stages of either the EFL Cup or FA Cup. The Baggies do have a tough run to come, though, taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford immediately after the international break, while also facing Liverpool (April 16) and Chelsea (May 13) - both at home - before the end of the campaign.

DID YOU KNOW? West Bromwich Albion have not lost three Premier League games in a row this season, but they could do so today following defeats to Crystal Palace and Everton in recent weeks, ending a previous run of five without defeat. The Baggies have never previously lost three in succession under Tony Pulis without finding the net, either, with their last goal coming inside the opening quarter of the 2-1 win over Bournemouth on February 25.

Albion's goalless run now stands at 250 minutes of top-flight action, but Pulis will be hoping that Rondon - himself without a goal since before Christmas - is ready to return to goalscoring form this afternoon after being brought back into the side. The Baggies boast a strong run of form on home soil, winning seven of their last nine games here. They did slip-up against Palace in their last outing at The Hawthorns, however, and could now lose successive home matches for the first time since April last year.

It is worth mentioning that WBA have failed to beat any of their top seven here so far, though, with Chelsea and Liverpool still to come, and they have earned just one point from nine games against the seven sides above them overall this term. Furthermore, each of the last seven of those matches have finished in defeat for Albion since a draw with Tottenham Hotspur in October - a time when the Lilywhites were struggling for momentum without Harry Kane in the side.

Tony Pulis has enjoyed another successful campaign at The Hawthorns, remaining on course to guide West Bromwich Albion to a joint-high Premier League finish of eighth. The Baggies exited both cup competitions to lower-league opposition at the first hurdle, however, and have also picked up just one point from nine games against the seven teams directly above them in the division. Plenty to build on, then, with another big summer ahead.

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Arsenal head north to the Midlands occupying fifth place in the table, five points off Liverpool with two games in hand to play. Victory over Lincoln last weekend was certainly a welcome one, coming on the back of two heavy defeats to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and giving up further points in the top flight after losing 3-1 to Liverpool in their last league outing. It has been stop-start for the Gunners in the Prem of late, but they now have a chance to build some momentum.

The Gunners' victories over non-league Lincoln and Sutton United in the fifth and sixth rounds of the FA Cup are two of just three in their last eight games overall, with the other coming against Hull City in the league a month ago. It has left to a groundhog day scenario, whereby the fanbase is split down the middle yet again, some wanting Wenger to call it a day after more than two decades at the helm, while others feel that he is still the right man to take the club forward.

In the league, it is just the one win in four, losing the other three to Watford, Chelsea and Liverpool to not only see their slim title hopes evaporate but also drop outside the top four entirely - albeit with games in hand over the side directly above them. Wenger has still not yet made a decision over his future beyond the summer, with a two-year contract waiting to be signed should he wish, but we can surely expect some sort of announcement during the two-week international break to put an end to this unhealthy situation.

The Premier League may have taken a backseat since the turn of the year due to cup commitments, but Arsenal have six games to play in April, as well as facing off against Manchester City in the last four of the FA Cup, so it is very much all systems go once the two-week hiatus comes to an end. That run of games includes a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on April 30 and a league clash with semi-final opponents City, while Man United are also in the pipeline in their third-from-last outing of the season.

Taking all results into consideration, it is five defeats in 11 games for Arsenal, whose previous five were spread across 40 matches. They are now in danger of losing three-successive away games in the Premier League for the first time since October 2011, winning only one of their last six and losing to Chelsea and Liverpool in successive matches. The Gunners have also kept just the one clean sheet in their last nine away, so a vast improvement is required to get back on track.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! West Bromwich Albion's only win in their last 13 competitive meetings with Arsenal came here last season, with Mikael Arteta's own goal earning the Baggies a 2-1 win, and they are now looking for consecutive top-flight home wins over the Gunners for the first time since the 1950s. Arsene Wenger's side, who have won the last two meetings at the Emirates Stadium, have scored in 22 consecutive matches in this fixture since a goalless draw 32 years ago.

With less than 10 minutes to go until kickoff in the West Midlands, let us turn attention to some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Tony Pulis "The most important thing is that we get that mentality into the players and into everyone around the football club that we want to get more points, that we want to push on. My aim is to get a team that can stay in the top 12 every year and get to cup finals. You've got to have that strong mentality and desire to do that."

Arsene Wenger: "Success, it's not down to me to judge that. Our job is to do as well as we can until the end of the season. We want to play in the Champions League next season. We have a tough job because we have six or seven teams fighting for the places. We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup - we have an opportunity to [win] that as well."

Pulis stressed in the build-up to today's match that he is eager for his players' levels not to drop off in the closing weeks of the season, which is usually the case when his side's hit the 40-point mark. Since reaching that figure, the Baggies have tasted defeat to Crystal Palace here and a 3-0 reverse to Everton on Merseyside a week ago. A "strong mentality" is now required, in the words of Pulis, to ensure that a third defeat on the spin does not follow.

Wenger was asked what constitutes as success for his side this, meanwhile, which he answered in his own typical way. It is down to the fans to decide whether the Frenchman has done enough to warrant a new contract, yet as the days tick down towards the end of the season it is looking increasingly likely that he will indeed put pen to paper in the coming weeks. Defeat today, though, and the calls for him to leave will be deafening.

Both sets of players have now made their way out on the field of play at The Hawthorns, with kickoff just a couple of minutes away. One big factor that could decide today's game is set pieces; Albion scoring 48% of their goals via that route since Pulis took charge of the club in January 2015 - more than any other team in the top flight during that time frame.

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KICKOFF! Arsenal, in their changed strip, get us up and running at The Hawthorns. As expected, Welbeck is the man through the middle for the Gunners, with Sanchez out on the left and Walcott on the other flank.

Good hold-up play from Rondon, who drops deep and earns his side a free kick. Albion looking to play off the returning Venezuelan up top as they allow Arsenal to enjoy possession of the ball in these opening few minutes.

First sight of goal for either side, and it comes at the end of a superb charging run from Allan Nyom. The full-back intercepted the ball and ran at the backtracking Arsenal backline, but he failed to pick out a teammate when inside the box.

It is the hosts who have looked the more lively in attack so far, with McClean shoving Oxlade-Chamberlain off the ball and leading a charge that ultimately comes to little. The Gunners unable to find any sort of rhythm early on.

Almost a tap-in for Walcott, who looked to get on the end of Bellerin's ball but was beaten to it by Foster. Arsenal starting to see more of the ball in areas where it matters now, patiently looking to find a way through.

Albion with a six-man backline when Arsenal turn into attack mode, with McClean and Chadli dropping back. Rondon is the lone focal point, having to put in a big shift every time the ball is hit in his direction.

A 'Wenger Out' banner was flown above The Hawthorns prior to the match, more on which can be found here. A difficult period for Arsenal, this, and a difficult start to this afternoon's match in the West Midlands.

I mentioned it right before kickoff - Albion have a knack of scoring from set pieces, with just short of half of their goals coming via that route since Tony Pulis took charge. A corner is whipped into the box and Dawson was there ahead of Koscielny to head home, making it 13 corners scored from this term for the hosts.

Sanchez is picked out in acres of space inside the area - and when I say acres, I mean acres. The Chilean takes a touch to settle himself and then rockets it into the roof of the net for 1-1, just two-and-a-half minutes after seeing his side fall behind.

Credit to Xhaka for picking out Sanchez towards the back post, but that was so unlike West Brom's defence. A breakdown in communication between Dawson and Chadli to blame, with the latter seemingly abandoning his defensive duties.

A lively start to the match, then, with both teams making the most of their openings so far. Dawson nodded Albion in front from close range, less than three minutes before Sanchez blasted the ball home at the other end to level things up.

Oxlade-Chamberlain slips the ball through to Ramsey down the left, with the Welshman in turn lofting the ball towards Bellerin at the back post. Nyom did enough to prevent his opposite number getting on the end of it.

Sanchez furious with some of referee Neil Swarbrick's decision making, but the official has done well to take the sting out of the game. Banners galore at The Hawthorns at the moment, as another plane flies overhead with a positive message for Wenger this time.

Pulis is unbeaten in his last four home meetings with Arsenal, incidentally, and has lost only one of six in the Premier League against the Gunners. Sanchez again left unhappy as Rondon bundles into him when breaking away.

Just 165 seconds between the two goals, which has given the scoreline a bit of sparkle. Very few chances either side of that lively burst, with Arsenal the side just about on top but failing to create anything in front of goal.

The Gunners enjoying a prolonged spell of possession now, but still they are unable to find a way through that packed Albion defence - no easy task when they have six players spread across the backline. Pulis will be happy with the way things are going.

SHOT! West Brom put together their strongest counter-attacking move of the half so far, with Chadli slipping it through for Rondon. The Venezuelan could only scuff it wide of goal, while up the other end Foster was quickest to react to a ball headed for Walcott.

SAVE! Arsenal having more success now and come very close to a second of the match. Ramsey is allowed to turn inside the area and forces a fine stop out of Foster, with Walcott unable to turn home the rebound under pressure.

SAVE! The match has burst back into life all of a sudden, as Cech is this time called into action to keep out a Fletcher drive. It was a stinging volley from the Scotsman, but the Arsenal stopper was equal to it.

Bad news for Arsenal, as Cech has just pulled up with some sort of muscular injury. The Czech pulled up after spraying a pass out wide, and Ospina was instantly told to strip down ready to come on. A first change of the match imminent.

ARSENAL SUB! A first Premier League appearance in just under a year for Ospina, whose outings have been restricted to cup ties this season. He certainly does not lack experienced - 76 caps for Colombia - but it is never easy for a keeper to come on midway through a match.

This first half is now petering out a little, not helped by that stoppage for Cech to receive treatment a little earlier. We have a well-balanced game on our hands at The Hawthorns, which looks likely to end level after 45 minutes.

YELLOW CARD! James McClean rightly booked for a rash challenge on Sanchez. Wenger will just be hopeful that the Chilean can shake off the knock to his ankle, with half time now three minutes of added time away.

There were 19 passes in the build-up to Arsenal's goal, which went a little under the radar. Much focus on Xhaka's pass to Sanchez and the sublime finish from the Chilean, but plenty of work went into it prior to that point.

Neil Swarbrick blows for half time, bringing a close to a decent opening 45 minutes at The Hawthorns. Both goals came in quick succession, while the only other two real opening also came in double-quick time - Ramsey testing Foster at one end and Fletcher likewise with Cech at the other. Plenty to ponder for both managers at the break, with this one delicately poised at the midway point.

Albion were ahead with the first real opening of the match, making the most of a corner whipped into the box from Nacer Chadli for Craig Dawson to divert into the back of the net. Dawson's goal, after getting to the ball ahead of Laurent Koscielny, was the 13th West Brom have scored from a corner this term, taking their tally of goals scored from set pieces under Tony Pulis to over 48%.

Just 165 seconds later it was all square in the West Midlands, as Alexis Sanchez clinically buried the ball via the crossbar after being picked out be a fine Granit Xhaka pass. The move included 19 passes before the top-class finish from Sanchez, who made the most of a breakdown in communication over defensive duties between Dawson and Chadli. West Brom were largely sitting with six across the backline and looking to make the most of counter-attacks, one of which saw Salomon Rondon drag the ball wide when through on goal.

The first half burst into life once more around 35 minutes in when, in quick succession, Ben Foster kept out Aaron Ramsey on the turn and Petr Cech produced a big stop to keep out Darren Fletcher's volley up the other end. That would prove to be Cech's final involvement in the contest, though, as he pulled up with a calf injury soon after to be replaced by David Ospina - his first league appearance since last April.

Wenger has already lost his first-choice keeper to a calf injury, and it may well get worse because Sanchez could not fully shake off that knock sustained from McClean's scathing challenge shortly before the interval. If the Chilean fails to re-emerge, we could see either Iwobi or Giroud for the second half.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUBS: Myhill, Olsson, Robson-Kanu, Yacob, Wilson, Leko, Field

ARSENAL SUBS: Mertesacker, Gabriel, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Giroud

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RESTART! We are back under way at The Hawthorns, where there is no news of any changes at the break. Sanchez clearly over that knock, for which McClean offered a handshake at the start of this second half.

Arsenal five points adrift of the top four at the start of play, remember, so a point is simply not enough - even if they do still have that one game in hand still to come. Albion will be quite content with a draw, on the other hand, as they jostle for top-half position.

Fairly quiet start to this second half which, should it continue for the next five minutes or so, could well see Wenger spark into action. Giroud up top is the most likely option, providing some added attacking height.

CHANCE! Evans lays the ball off for Brunt on the left wing, and there is only one place the cross is going. It was superbly hit in the direction of Rondon, but the forward could only glance wide under pressure from close range.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! Robson-Kanu, a starter at Everton last weekend, is on in place of Rondon in attack - some added pace in behind. Wenger holding off before making his second alteration of the afternoon.

West Brom lead for a second time, and it is Robson-Kanu - on the pitch for all of a minute - who has scored it. Ospina made a hash of a cross into the box, clearing only as far as the Welshman who prodded it home. A little controversy as McClean was stood offside right on the line, but the goal was rightly awarded - he did not interfere with play.

Rondon went straight down the tunnel and was shaking his head, so assuming the decision to bring on Robson-Kanu was enforced. A fourth league defeat in five for Arsenal now on the horizon after the substitute's prodded goal from the bench.

Seventy-five seconds and just two touches of the ball was all it took Robson-Kanu to make a telling difference on the game. Arsenal with it all to as we enter the final third of the match, with Wenger still holding off making a change.

ARSENAL SUB! Here comes that first Arsenal change of the second half - Giroud on for Walcott, meaning a change of ploy to get back into the match. Wenger still has Iwobi among his back-ups, too, should he be required.

OFF THE BAR! So unlucky from Welbeck, as he peels off Nyom at the back post but sees his header come back off the bar. West Brom are quickly up the other end and, after Robson-Kanu was denied by Ospina, Chadli saw his follow-up strike blocked on the line by Mustafi.

A free kick is awarded to Arsenal in a good shooting position around 20 yards from goal, but Xhaka blasts it straight into the wall. Now approaching the final 20 minutes and the Gunners require two goals to steal the win that is required.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! A second change of the afternoon made by Pulis, as Yacob comes on from Brunt. This is now the XI that began the meeting with Everton last weekend, but will this second change have just as big an impact as the first?

Arsenal inevitably asking most of the questions, without troubling Foster between the sticks. Limited chances created by the Gunners this afternoon - just a few, in fact, one of which ended in the back of the net through Sanchez.

West Brom not exclusively sitting back, looking to make the most of gaps opening up in the Gunners' defence. Another corner has been won, which tends to mean trouble at the back for the visiting side. Chadli the man to take it...

It is a near carbon-copy of the first goal for Albion, as Dawson again gets to the ball first to nod home from a corner. It was actually McClean who sent the ball in, and not Chadli like the first, which the Gunners were simply unable to deal with.

Could this be the defeat that brings an end to Wenger's long-running tenure? Probably not, in truth, but the Gunners now have two weeks to stew over this defeat - their fourth in five league outings - which leaves them in fifth place.

ARSENAL SUB! Wenger elects to take off Sanchez for Iwobi, leading to a chorus of "you don't know what you're doing" from those travelling Arsenal fans. Ten minutes remaining for a miracle as far as the visitors are concerned.

Just a case of seeing this game through now as far as Albion are concerned, which they are more than doing at the moment. It is the hosts who are currently bossing possession, looking for a fourth goal of the contest.

Arsenal doing very little to change the outcome of this match, failing to put together any real attacking moves together. Man City to come after the international break for the Gunners, so this is a truly massive loss in the race for the top four.

Mustafi now playing as a right winger, but for the second time this half his cross is hit high and wide and goes behind for a goal kick. That acts as the signal for the away end to slowly empty, as we enter the final four minutes of the game.

Another cross into the West Brom box from the right, which is again overhit. Pulis looks ready to bring on Sam Field for the final few moments of the game, knowing that the points are surely now in the bag.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUB! Field is brought on for Chadli. Albion moments away from avoiding defeat against a top-seven side for the first time in 10 outings, courtesy of two Dawson goals and one from Robson-Kanu.

Albion run the ball to the corner to see out the final seconds of the match. Three minutes were added on, two of which we have now played. Plenty of 'Wenger Out' banners now appearing in the sparse away section at The Hawthorns.

The full-time whistle sounds at The Hawthorns, signalling a section of the remaining away contingent to air their frustration at Wenger. It is another tough defeat to take for them - their fourth in five league outings - which leaves the Gunners on the outside looking in when it comes to those top four places. West Bromwich Albion, on the other hand, are now hot on Everton's heels in the race for seventh place.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at The Hawthorns. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from the West Midlands will follow over the coming hour or so. Thanks for joining!