Arsenal vs. Stoke City: Team News, Preview, Live-Stream, TV Info
Arsenal will put their 13-match unbeaten Premier League streak on the line on Saturday as Stoke City make their way to the Emirates Stadium hoping to cause an upset in north London.
The Gunners can temporarily move level on points with league leaders Chelsea if they take three points against the Potters, and manager Arsene Wenger's men are in good shape after scoring 12 times in their last four games in all competitions.
Stoke travel to the Emirates in good form too, having lost just once in their last nine Premier League outings, winning five of those meetings. They have an opportunity to move up to sixth if they topple Arsenal in Week 15.
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Read on for a preview of what promises to be a feisty encounter in north London, complete with viewing information and all the latest team news leading into a dangerous fixture for the Gunners.
Date: Saturday, December 10
Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.)
TV Info: NBCSN (U.S.)
| Basel 1-4 Arsenal | Stoke City 2-0 Burnley |
| West Ham United 1-5 Arsenal | Watford 0-1 Stoke City |
| Arsenal 0-2 Southampton | Stoke City 0-1 Bournemouth |
| Arsenal 3-1 Bournemouth | West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City |
Team News
Club captain Per Mertesacker and striker Danny Welbeck remain on Arsenal's treatment table as long-term injuries and have yet to feature for the Gunners this season. There are abundant short-term concerns too.
Hector Bellerin recently informed the Mirror's Matt Lawless he was set to start running again in early December following an ankle injury, and the right-back gave fans a positive fitness update on Monday:
A return against Stoke is likely too much for Arsenal to hope for, however. Mark Mann-Bryans of the Press Association quoted Wenger in early December as saying that second-choice right-back Mathieu Debuchy could be out of action for six weeks.
Meanwhile, Santi Cazorla will be absent for several months after undergoing surgery on his ankle, per Arsenal's official website. The Spaniard recently hinted at a February return date:
In defence, Gabriel Paulista stands to make another appearance at right-back for the Gunners after starting in that role in each of the club's last two matches, both of which they've won.
Stoke's injury list is far less extensive, with long-term absentees Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay certain not to feature against Arsenal. Neither Potter is likely to feature until 2017, after Ireland broke his leg in May, per Sky Sports, while Afellay suffered serious knee-ligament damage in April, per BBC Sport.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland's fitness is perhaps the greatest boost for the Potters, with coach Mark Bowen telling BBC Radio Stoke the stopper could soon be ready to make his return between the posts, via Stoke City:
The Stoke Sentinel's Keith Wales also recently reported positive news regarding Afellay's blow, while the club's official Twitter account cited Geoff Cameron and Phil Bardsley as doubts ahead of the recent 2-0 win over Burnley, in which neither player featured.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Gabriel Paulista, Nacho Monreal, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny; Francis Coquelin, Granit Xhaka; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil; Alexis Sanchez.
Predicted Stoke City XI (4-2-3-1): Lee Grant; Glen Johnson, Erik Pieters, Marc Muniesa, Bruno Martins Indi; Glenn Whelan, Giannelli Imbula; Joe Allen, Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Arnautovic; Wilfried Bony.
Preview
Alexis Sanchez was in the Arsenal lineup for Tuesday's 4-1 hammering of FC Basel in the UEFA Champions League, but all eyes were on summer signing Lucas Perez, who grabbed his first Gunners hat-trick in Switzerland.
That said, it will be the Chilean the Gunners rely upon for goals against Stoke after notching three in the 5-1 throttling of West Ham United last time out in the Premier League. Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe consequently gave Sanchez a push up his Premier League rankings:
A win is far from sealed for Saturday's hosts, though, and Potters centre-back Marc Muniesa spoke hopefully of the club's December schedule after beating Burnley to clinch a second successive win, per Stoke's official website:
"It was a really good day for me but more importantly for the team because of the win and another clean sheet.
We’re back in the top half at the moment with five tough games against top teams coming up, so we will need to be strong if we are to show people that we are capable of moving higher in the table.
We are in a very good mood at the moment and everybody will be needed, so we need to keep this momentum going.
"
Following a rocky start to the season, Stoke are unbeaten in their last four away Premier League fixtures, winning two of those—a record that suggests Arsenal have their work cut out for them on Saturday.
Manager Mark Hughes' side could move above his old club Manchester United and into sixth with a win at the Emirates, but even that motivation may not be enough to down a spirited Arsenal lineup.
