Arsenal seem to have overcome their problems lately, as they have won 3 of their last 4 matches. They are coming off a very important win on the road against Southampton, and they are now getting ready to play their last road match of the season, when they will be hosted by Stoke City. Stoke City might be coming off a draw, but it was a very important point, as they mathematically avoided the relegation.
Stoke City (10-15-11) are coming off a peculiar match, as they played for a 2-2 draw on the road against Bournemouth. They took the lead at the 33rd minute when their opponents scored an own goal, but Bournemouth remedied their mistake when they pulled even at the 62nd minute. However, Stoke City took the lead once again at the 73rd minute, but it was their turn to score an own goal at the 81st minute for the final 2-2. It might not be much, but that point mathematically ensured that they will stay in the league, as they are sitting at the 13th spot with 41 points, 7 points above the red line with just 2 matches to go. Stoke City have been quite mediocre at home all season (7-5-6), where they have lost just 2 of their last 8 matches (3-2-3), against Chelsea and Liverpool. They will be coming into this match with just a single injury concern, as Ibrahim Affelay is still listed as unavailable due to a knee injury.
Arsenal (20-9-6) are coming off a solid win on Wednesday, when they overcame Southampton by 2-0 on the road. It was a pretty balanced match, with several scoring chances by the two sides, but it was Arsenal who were more accurate. After a goal-less first half, Arsenal took the lead at the 60th minute with Alexis Sanchez, before Olivier Giroud doubled his team’s lead for the final 2-0. They look like they have found some stability at the end of the season, as they have won 4 of their last 5 league matches, while they also moved to the FA Cup final where they will meet Chelsea. Arsenal have now moved up to the 5th spot of the Premier League, where they have 66 points, 1 point ahead of Manchester United, 3 points behind Manchester City and 4 points behind Liverpool. Besides their road match against Stoke, their two remaining matches are at home against Sunderland and Everton. They have a 8-7-3 record on the road, where they have won just 2 of their last 6 matches (2-4-0). They will be coming into this match with just a couple of injury concerns, as Oxlade-Chamberlain is unavailable, while Koscielny is still listed as questionable to participate.