Arsenal will aim to get back to winning ways against Stoke City on Sunday as they continue their hunt for the Premier League title, which they have not won since 2004.

The Gunners slipped up against Liverpool in midweek and they travel to the Britannia Stadium to face a team who have won their last two games in all competitions.

Stoke City

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Mark Hughes's side have proved already this season that they can more than hold their own against the big boys of the Premier League as they have beaten Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.

This weekend, they will be up against a side who let slip a 3-2 lead to draw 3-3 with Liverpool, but Stoke have been on the losing end to Arsenal already this season.

In September, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud sealed Stoke's fate at the Emirates, but Hughes is building a team with players that look comfortable up against the league's elite.

It came as something of a surprise when the Potters gained the signatures of Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan Krkic and Ibrahim Afellay - all of whom were in the past linked to 'bigger' clubs, so to speak - but Hughes has managed to make it work as the club currently sit seventh in the league table, four points off a Champions League spot.

At the moment, Stoke are on a good run of form having won three of their last four league matches, and two of those wins came against Manchester United and Everton, so they will be a genuine threat when they welcome Arsenal to the Britannia on Sunday.

On Wednesday night, the Potters showed their fighting spirit after relinquishing the lead against Norwich City only to come back to seal a 3-1 victory.

The club have been spoken about within the transfer gossip pages as they have been linked to West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino, who is up for sale, according to his manager Tony Pulis.

At the moment, there is no indication that Stoke will seal his signature, but there are more pressing matters at hand as their leading goalscorer Marko Arnautovic is yet to sign a new deal.

Hughes has tried to calm the situation numerous times by claiming that the ongoing contract talks are a normal part of the process, and fans will definitely be hoping that is the case as Arnautovic has been a key player in their campaign so far.

Recent form: DLWWLW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLLWW

Arsenal

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The Britannia Stadium was not a happy hunting ground for Arsenal last season as they suffered a 3-2 defeat and lost Calum Chambers to a red card.

Not only that, manager Arsene Wenger was verbally abused by a group of his own supporters while boarding a train at Stoke railway station.

During Friday's press conference, the Frenchman was asked about the incident, to which he replied: "I took it as people who were upset because we lost a game and didn't take it personally.

"It was my function and the fact that I'm responsible for the club that was attacked. I was sad and upset more by the result than by the individual reactions of people, which I can understand."

So, no bad feelings from Wenger, but he will be confident that a repeat of the incident will not happen on Sunday as his team have only lost once in their last eight Premier League games and they currently find themselves at the top of the standings on level points with Leicester City.

There will be a slight disappointment, though, from Arsenal's point of view as they dropped two points against Liverpool on a night when Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur failed to win their respective games.

Every season Arsenal are always in the hunt for title glory, but they seem to fall away towards the end and do just enough to finish in the top four, but the North London outfit have a realistic chance of going all the way given the lacklustre campaigns from their rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Gunners have also strengthened in the transfer window by bringing in Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny, who is available to make his debut against Stoke this weekend.

Arsenal have been very quiet in recent transfer windows as their only acquisition in the summer was that of goalkeeper Petr Cech, who joined from Chelsea for £11m, but given how they are leading the title race, perhaps the lack of spending was not detrimental.

One player who has certainly found an extra lease of life is Olivier Giroud, who has scored 12 Premier League goals, two of which came against Liverpool in midweek.

The France international has netted seven times in his last eight matches on the road, but he has not performed hugely well against Stoke in the past as the striker has only created two shots on target in three games at the Britannia.

In the last five games, Arsenal have scored eight goals, but they conceded three against Liverpool and four against Southampton on Boxing Day, proving that they can still be vulnerable at the back.

Recent form: WWLWWD
Recent form (all competitions): WLWWWD

Team News

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The big question for Arsenal this weekend is, will Alexis Sanchez start? The Chile international has not played since the end of November when he suffered a hamstring injury.

Wenger has repeatedly claimed that he wants to be cautious when it comes to reintegrating their star player back into the side, and on Friday he admitted that it would be a "gamble" to play Sanchez.

As mentioned, the Gunners' new signing Elneny is eligible to play after his transfer from Basel went through earlier this week, but a spot on the bench is likely for the midfielder.

Arsenal did not suffer any fresh injuries during Wednesday's match against Liverpool, meaning that a similar side could be named, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could come in for Joel Campbell.

As for Stoke, Shaqiri and Geoff Cameron will play no part in the match, but Stephen Ireland and Phil Bardsley are available for selection.

On Friday, Hughes told reporters that Marc Muniesa is continuing to work with the club's physios, so is unlikely to feature this weekend.

Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Butland; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Afellay; Walters, Arnautovic, Bojan; Joselu

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal; Flamini, Ramsey; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Walcott; Giroud

Head To Head

As mentioned, Arsenal have already beaten Stoke this season as they earned a 2-0 triumph at the Emirates, but 2014 was a good year for the Potters as in March during the 2013-14 campaign they earned a 1-0 win and in December of the following campaign they edged to a 3-2 victory.

Overall, though, Arsenal have a better record against Stoke as they have beaten the Potters 54 times in all competitions, compared to their opponents' 25 victories.

Twenty-three of the meetings between the two clubs have ended in draws, but that has not happened since August 2012 when a goalless stalemate was witnessed at the Britannia.

We say: Stoke City 1-2 Arsenal

As mentioned, Stoke have done well against the top teams in the Premier League this season and they pose a serious threat to Arsenal's title challenge on Sunday. Stoke are known for making it tough for teams to play against them, but Arsenal have plenty of quality in their ranks to get the result that they need this weekend. In addition, this game could mark the return of Sanchez, who will cause problems for the Potters' defence. While the home side are capable of getting on the scoresheet, Wenger's men should have enough to earn a win.

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