Arsenal will be bidding to continue their fine run in the Premier League when they make the trip to the Liberty Stadium to meet Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
Swansea ended a poor stretch of results with victory over Aston Villa last weekend and they will be confident of picking up a result against the Gunners, who were beaten in the League Cup in midweek.
Swansea
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After a week of surprising reports suggesting that Garry Monk's time could be running out at Swansea, his players relieved any kind of pressure on his shoulders by recording a 2-1 triumph over Aston Villa last weekend.
In truth, Monk's departure never really seemed realistic but it was an impressive response to a run of six successive games without a win in all competitions as Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew clinched the points at Villa Park.
The club have made it clear that they are behind Monk, who has taken the club further forward in his short spell in charge since retiring to replace Michael Laudrup and continues to win many admirers despite the recent tough spell.
A club searching for a top-10 finish such as Swansea will go through poor runs during the campaign, and a no-panic approach seemed to be key for the manager, but he is fully aware that another improvement will be needed on Saturday.
"We know that when we are at our best we can give anyone a game in this league and we'll need to be at that level on Saturday. If we do that we are in with a chance of getting the result we want," Monk told the club's website.
Bringing out the best of individuals has been a trademark of Monk's reign, and the sooner the likes of Sigurdsson, Bafetimbi Gomis and Jefferson Montero are on top form again, the quicker Swansea will climb from their current position of 12th.
Recent form: LDLDLW
Recent form (all competitions): DLLDLW
Arsenal
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A mixed week has left Arsene Wenger with plenty to ponder, but the overriding feeling surrounding the club is one of optimism as they bid to make their strongest Premier League title challenge in many years.
After extending their winning run in the Premier League to four games by beating Everton 2-1 last weekend, confidence could not have been higher in the squad in a week which also saw them claim a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich to boost their Champions League qualification hopes.
Despite the success in recent weeks, frustration returned on Tuesday night as a much-changed Gunners lineup slipped to a 3-0 loss against Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.
The result grabbed the headlines, but the performance was the biggest story as Arsenal were comfortably beaten by a Championship side to leave Wenger suggesting that the club's academy products were not yet ready to be involved with the first-team squad.
Although the display certainly was not acceptable, the loss could prove to be a blessing in disguise as Wenger looks to keep his squad fresh in the hope that he can deliver the title his supporters crave.
The focus is, of course, on the league. Arsenal have started campaigns well before and fallen short later in the season, but Wenger must be hopeful that this talented group will show the consistency required to keep pace with Manchester City.
Recent form: WLWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWWW
Team News
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On a disappointing evening at Hillsborough, Wenger was dealt a huge blow when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott picked up hamstring and calf injuries, respectively, which will keep them out of action for the next two games.
It comes ahead of Wednesday's vital meeting with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, but Wenger may decide against resting any key men as he looks to maintain his side's momentum in the league.
Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla are among the players set to return to the lineup, while Mathieu Flamini could be given a rare start in the league.
Monk could be tempted to name an unchanged side after last weekend's victory, which means that the responsibility of leading the line should still be with Gomis, who has not scored in any of his last six league games.
Ki Sung-yueng is set to keep his place in central midfield alongside Jonjo Shelvey, with Jack Cork once again likely to be named on the bench.
Swansea possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor; Shelvey, Ki; Montero, Sigurdsson, Ayew; Gomis
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Flamini, Coquelin; Cazorla, Ozil, Snachez; Giroud
Head To Head
Unusually for many of the teams in the Premier League, Swansea hold the edge in meetings with Arsenal thanks to four victories from eight matches.
Gomis will have fond memories of coming up against the Arsenal defence after scoring the winner in each fixture to lead Swansea to a double over Wenger's side last season.
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We say: Swansea 0-2 Arsenal
A trip to Wales is likely to push Arsenal to the limit at the weekend. With one eye on the crucial meeting with Bayern and a number of key players out of action, the Gunners face a battle against a confident Swansea side after their return to form last weekend. However, with the likes of Sanchez and Ozil in such good form, the visitors should have enough to claim the win.
Callum Mulvihill
