Arsenal vs. Stoke City: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

This Premier League fixture is an encounter between two teams, Arsenal and Stoke City, who are still waiting for their campaigns to ignite.

This will be the Gunners’ third league game at the Emirates Stadium, and thus far they have not won any. If Arsene Wenger’s men are serious about mounting a championship challenge, they must turn their north London home into a fortress—starting with this Stoke match.

In Arsenal’s first match since a desperately quiet transfer deadline day, tensions will be high at the ground. If the Gunners get off to a slow start, it will not be long before the fans grow impatient.

Mark Hughes’ side have undergone another impressive summer facelift, but they are yet to jell into a coherent force. After five games, their only win was a narrow penalties victory over lowly Luton Town in the Capital One Cup. A positive result against Arsenal would delight Hughes and light the blue touch paper under Stoke’s season.

It won’t be easy: Hughes’ men are without a win in each of their last seven games on the road.

After four matches, Stoke are in the relegation zone. For a club with their budget, that is not acceptable. Hughes will be feeling the pressure to change the situation, and quickly.

Date: Saturday, September 12

Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

Location: Emirates Stadium, London

Television coverage: USA (U.S.) 

Streaming: USAnetwork.com

Form

Arsenal

L (0-2) vs. West Ham

W (1-2) vs. Crystal Palace

D (0-0) vs. Liverpool

W (0-1) vs. Newcastle

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Stoke

L (0-1) vs. Liverpool

D (2-2) vs. Tottenham

D (1-1) vs. Norwich

D (1-1) vs. Luton Town (Stoke won 8-7 on pens)

L (0-1) vs. West Brom

Although Arsenal have been impressive on the road, they’ve struggled to replicate that form in their home games. Stoke will have observed the way West Ham punished Arsenal on the counter-attack and will be eager to replicate that strategy come Saturday.

For Arsenal, the main focus here will be surely on finding a path to goal. The Gunners have scored just three times in the league this season, and on two of those occasions it took an opposition player to divert the ball into the net.

Stoke, meanwhile, have yet to keep a clean sheet this season. Their defending will need to improve significantly if they’re to keep a motivated Arsenal side at bay.

Team News

Arsenal

JUSTIN TALLIS/Getty Images

Initially, Arsene Wenger had hoped to welcome back Danny Welbeck for this fixture. However, news of his cartilage surgery has put paid to the idea of selecting him anytime soon. His place in the squad is likely to go to Costa Rica international Joel Campbell, who will begin the game on the substitutes bench.

Better news for Arsenal arrives in the return to fitness of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph writes:

"

Koscielny and Mertesacker have also been a concern this season to Arsene Wenger but, barring any further problems, they will both be fit to play against Stoke City on Saturday.

Mertesacker has missed the past two clubs games with a virus while Koscielny sat out France’s friendly match against Serbia on Monday as a precaution. Both players are back training and expected to play on Saturday.

"

That’s a huge boost for Arsenal, who have become somewhat reliant on that central defensive partnership to form the foundations of their team. Without either of the pair or polar opposites, they can look somewhat lost.

Up front, Wenger must choose who starts at centre-forward. In the last game at Newcastle, it was Theo Walcott who got the nod. However, against a more physical Stoke XI who will surely defend deep, Oliver Giroud seems a more sensible choice. The Frenchman was booed off by his fellow countrymen during the international break, and Wenger will surely be wary of doing any further damage to his fragile confidence.

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez; Olivier Giroud

Stoke

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Mark Hughes must do without Ibrahim Afellay and Charlie Adam after the pair were sent off in Stoke’s last Premier League game against West Brom. Although Afellay has since had his ban reduced, he will not be eligible to play at the Emirates Stadium.

Adam’s playmaking role in midfield is likely to go to long-time Hughes protege Stephen Ireland, while Affelay’s absence could make room in the team for Marko Arnautovic. The last time he appeared at the Emirates Stadium, he inflicted a serious injury on Arsenal full-back Mathieu Debuchy. He’ll hope to do a different type of damage to the Gunners in this encounter.

Predicted Stoke XI (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Glen Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Marc Muniesa, Erik Pieters; Glenn Whelan, Marco van Ginkel; Xherdan Shaqiri, Stephen Ireland, Marko Arnautovic; Mame Biram Diouf

Players to Watch 

Arsenal: Olivier Giroud

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Olivier Giroud endured something of a personal nightmare during France’s 2-1 win against Serbia in midweek. He missed a series of presentable chances before being jeered from the field by his own supporters.

However, Giroud is determined not to let the setback weigh too heavily on him. Speaking to Adrian Karumba of the Mirror, Giroud said:

"

As a striker, what you get used to on a daily basis, it is to be applauded when you score goals. When the opposite happens, it’s difficult. Everybody gets criticised at one point.

That’s not the first and surely not the last time it happens. I have the mental strength to bounce back. Now I am going to focus on working. I am everything but worried about that. I will bounce back.

"

He’ll be desperate to return to scoring form as soon as possible. Stoke beware: Giroud is on the lookout for redemption.

Stoke: Jonathan Walters

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Jonathan Walters seems to have a particular relish for this fixture.

Irish international Walters has scored in two out of the last three meetings between the two teams. If he scores at the Emirates Stadium, he’ll have managed three goals in his last four games against the Gunners.

His physical style seems to be particularly hard for Arsenal to handle. Mertesacker and Koscielny will have to be on their guard against Walters’ muscular threat.

He’ll certainly be motivated to impress, as he is currently locked in awkward contract talks with his employers. Speaking to the BBC about why the deal is not yet done, Walters explained:

"

In my eyes, if they valued me, it would be there but it's not. People behind the scenes know why. I'll leave it with my agents and my lawyer. I can't really go too much into it. I've been here five years and improved every year. I can give you every stat for the past five years and I'm probably in the top two for everything.

"

If he produces a match-winning display against Arsenal, one suspects Stoke will do all they can to meet Walters’ demands.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.