This Sunday afternoon, Arsenal will travel to South Wales to take on Gary Monk's Swansea side. The Gunners are finally beginning to find their feet in the league this season after two successive victories over Sunderland and Burnley. However, after letting a three goal lead slip in midweek to Anderlecht there is still plenty of work ahead.
Swansea meanwhile go into the game off the back of a 0-0 draw with Everton and a 2-0 win over Leicester. A win for the Swans could see them move into the top four depending on Saturday's results but if they were to win then they'd overtake Arsenal. The Gunners are sitting in fourth place just two points ahead of Sunday's opponents and if previous encounters are anything to go by then it has the potential to be an exciting match.
Arsenal's form so far this season has been stuttering and the draw with Anderlecht proves that. Back to back routine wins in the league saw Arsenal begin to build up some momentum but the Champions League result could halter that. Alexis Sanchez has been the driving force behind this Arsenal side this season and he has four goals in his last two league games. He could well be the difference on Sunday against a side that has five clean-sheets from ten Premier League games this season. As for Arsenal, they only have three clean-sheets in the league and their defence will need to be much improved after the calamity against Anderlecht. In the Gunners' last two league games the defence had looked much improved, albeit against struggling sides but two clean-sheets were gained nonetheless.
The game against Swansea will be an interesting tie, especially if you consider the Gunners form at the Liberty since Swansea were promoted. Arsenal have won there on the last two occasions but before that they drew and lost. The Gunners are in fact unbeaten in their last six meetings with Swansea which have seen a remarkable nine goals scored after the 80 minute mark. Fans certainly won't be leaving this one in a hurry!
Despite Arsenal's slip up in the Champions League they will be boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere to the Arsenal midfield after he missed their last two matches. Mikel Arteta was injured against Anderlecht meaning Wilshere could be straight back in the starting line-up. Theo Walcott may also make his first start since January. Defender Laurent Koscielny is due back after the international break which means the Arsenal defence is expected to be unchanged.
Swansea will have to fill the gap in midfield left by Jonjo Shelvey, who is set to serve his second suspension of the season after his red card against Everton. Amat and Tiendalli could meanwhile return from knee and groin injuries respectively. Former Gunner and last season's FA Cup hero Lukasz Fabianski will look to continue his good run of form and should get a good reception from the travelling support. Wenger revealed this week that he didn't want to let the Polish stopper leave but conceded to the fact that a player of his age should be playing every week.
It'll be an interesting encounter and will be a game that will be played for the majority in midfield due to both sides style of play. Aside from the midfield battle, it will be interesting to see Arsenal try and put a few goals past their former colleague in Fabianski.
This weekend will be a test of Arsenal's resolve, and they will be looking to bounce back quickly after what happened in the week. Swansea meanwhile will be looking to prove themselves against the supposed Premier League 'big boys' after already suffering a defeat to Chelsea this season.