Arsenal will look to continue their recent upturn in form when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Monday night.
Arsene Wenger's side have won three of their last four matches in all competitions, although a total of just seven points from five Premier League matches this season has left them in the bottom half of the table.
Arsenal
© Offside
Arsenal opened their 2017-18 Premier League campaign with a narrow win over Leicester City, but the Gunners then lost back-to-back away league games to Stoke City and Liverpool without scoring.
At that point, it appeared to be more of the same for the Gunners, who were battling to keep hold of a certain Alexis Sanchez. All was not well in the early weeks of the season, but the London club do appear to have turned a corner over the last couple of weeks.
Indeed, they have won three of their last four matches across three separate competitions - beating Bournemouth and drawing with Chelsea in the league, in addition to wins over FC Koln and Doncaster Rovers in the Europa League and EFL Cup respectively.
It would be fair to say that the two cup competitions currently in play are not high on Arsenal's list of priorities, but the Gunners were well worth their point against Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
A draw at the home of the Blues was a big step in the right direction, and although Arsenal are currently down in 12th position in the table, Wenger's side will face West Brom, Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford in their next three Premier League matches.
There is still a lot of work to do if Arsenal are to enjoy a successful 2017-18 campaign, but a strong win over West Brom on Monday night would certainly be another step in the right direction.
Recent form: WLLWD
Recent form (all competitions): LLWWDW
West Brom
© Offside
West Brom will enter Monday's match at the Emirates Stadium ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League table. While the Gunners have seven points from five league games this season, the Baggies have eight after a promising start.
Indeed, Tony Pulis's side recorded back-to-back wins over Bournemouth and Burnley in the first two weeks of the campaign, before making it seven points from a possible nine with a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City.
West Brom's first league defeat of the season occurred away to Brighton & Hove Albion after the international break, before picking up their eighth league point of the campaign at home to West Ham United last weekend.
The Baggies will enter Monday's game off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup, but it would be fair to say that Pulis would not have been too disappointed to exit that particular competition at an early stage.
West Brom have only conceded four times in their five league games this season, but they have only found the back of the net on four occasions, and a lack of goals might well turn out to be a problem this term.
Last season's 10th-place finish represented another impressive campaign at The Hawthorns, but the challenge will be greater this year as a number of clubs look to secure a position in the top half of the table.
Recent form: WWDLD
Recent form (all competitions): WWDLDL
Team News
© Offside
Arsenal will be without the services of Danny Welbeck for the next three weeks after the England international picked up a groin problem against Chelsea last weekend.
Mesut Ozil, however, is available for the Gunners after recovering from the problem that forced him out of the clash at Stamford Bridge, and he could start alongside Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette in the final third.
Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott have also been passed fit, although Calum Chambers is unavailable after picking up a hip injury in the EFL Cup clash with Doncaster on Wednesday night.
As for West Brom, Jake Livermore is expected to return after his mini-break, while it will be a special occasion for Gareth Barry as the midfielder is set to become the Premier League's all-time leading appearance maker on 633.
Salomon Rondon is also pushing for a spot in Pulis's XI, which could see Jay Rodriguez switch to a wide position.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech; Monreal, Mustafi, Koscielny; Bellerin, Xhaka, Ramsey, Kolasinac; Sanchez, Lacazette, Ozil
West Brom possible starting lineup:
Foster; Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Barry, Krychowiak, Livermore; Philipps, Rondon, Rodriguez
Head To Head
West Brom have won each of their last two home Premier League games against Arsenal, including a 3-1 victory when the two teams last locked horns in March.
Arsenal recorded a 1-0 win in the corresponding league match at the Emirates Stadium last season, however, and the Gunners have not lost to the Baggies on home soil in the Premier League since a 3-2 defeat in September 2010.
We say: Arsenal 3-1 West Brom
West Brom boss Pulis will attempt to make it difficult for Arsenal, but the Gunners have been in decent form over the last couple of weeks, and we are tipping Wenger's side to emerge as fairly comfortable winners.
No Data Analysis info
