Arsenal welcome old rivals Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday looking to continue a resurgence which has lifted them back into the top half of the table.

Only Manchester City have picked up more points over the last six games, with the Gunners making it five wins and no defeats during that spell courtesy of a 3-1 victory at Southampton in midweek.

Arsenal's resurrection of their campaign has seen European qualification become a target once again, but this weekend they take on a Man United side flying high in second place.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Mikel Arteta could set his side up for the contest.

Out: None
Doubtful: Thomas Partey (muscle), Emile Smith Rowe (muscle), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (personal), Kieran Tierney (leg), Martin Odegaard (fitness), Dani Ceballos (calf), Pablo Mari (calf)

> Click here for Arsenal's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Arsenal will hand late fitness tests to a number of players ahead of this one, while they are also hopeful that captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be back available.

The Gabon international has missed the last two games in order to help care for his unwell mother, and he remains a major doubt for this game.

Arteta confirmed that the situation is now "looking better", but was less forthcoming over whether Aubameyang had left the country and would therefore face quarantine rules, leaving his availability shrouded in a certain degree of mystery.

Aubameyang's presence would likely be missed considering he has netted four goals in his last five games against Man United, including the winner in the reverse fixture at the beginning of November.

Arsenal fans will also have to wait to discover the extent of the injuries suffered by Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe, both of whom limped off with muscle discomfort against Southampton in midweek.

Arteta put that down to fatigue and so it would not be a surprise to see either or both players miss out this weekend, but the magnitude of the game could take precedent and lead to both being included.

New signing Martin Odegaard provides a readymade alternative to Smith Rowe, although Arteta is likely to exercise caution over his introduction to the team after his arrival on loan from Real Madrid, and so a place on the bench could be more likely here.

There are also question marks over the fitness of Kieran Tierney, Dani Ceballos and Pablo Mari, the latter two of whom are expected back in training in the coming days and may therefore fall just short for this match.

Bukayo Saka has established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for Arsenal now, with his goal against Southampton in midweek seeing him become just the second English teenager to score in back-to-back Premier League games for Arsenal, following in the footsteps of Ashley Cole.

Indeed, Saka has now been directly involved in seven league goals this season - the most by any teenager in the division, and the most by an Arsenal teen since Cesc Fabregas in 2006-07.

Alexandre Lacazette has also begun to rediscover his scoring touch, with his goal against Southampton seeing him reach double figures for the season.

> Click here to see how Manchester United could line up for this contest