Arsenal will look to temporarily go top of the Premier League table when they face Stoke City at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.
With leaders Chelsea not in action until Sunday, a 2-0 win or better for the Gunners would see them leapfrog their rivals for 24 hours at least, and based on recent performances they will be confident of doing so.
Arsene Wenger’s side secured a 5-1 win over West Ham United last time out and followed that up with a 4-1 win in Basel in the Champions League in midweek.
In turn, things are going to plan for the Frenchman and his team currently, but this will be another tough test that they must pass in order to sustain their form and continue on their march towards the title.
The wait is over… here's how we line up for #AFCvSCFC pic.twitter.com/vIEUDghC9b
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) December 10, 2016
Petr Cech, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all return to the starting line-up after being rested in midweek, while Francis Coquelin was suspended but the tenacious French midfielder is also back in the side.
That means Lucas Perez, the hat-trick hero in Switzerland, will have to be content with a place back on the bench alongside Olivier Giroud with Alex Iwobi, Kieran Gibbs and David Ospina all dropping out too.
In a major boost for the Gunners, Hector Bellerin is named amongst the substitutes as the Spaniard returns and will hope to feature for the first time since injuring his ankle in the north London derby last month.
Gabriel will continue to deputise for him at right back, but it will certainly be a welcome sight to see him pushing for a return.