Arsenal will look to bounce back from consecutive Premier League losses when they make the trip to face West Brom in Saturday's early kick-off.
The Gunners drew 1-1 on their last trip to the Hawthorns, but anything other than a win won't do for a team that sits among a selection of sides hoping to make their own moves on the top four.
The Baggies also look vulnerable after losing their last two fixtures, but Alan Irvine's men will hope once again to darken Arsene Wenger's mood.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 29
Time: 12:45 p.m. GMT/7:45 a.m. ET
Live Stream: BT Sport stream (UK, subscription required), NBC Sports Live Extra (US)
TV Info: BT Sport 1 (UK), NBCSN (U.S.)
Borussia Dortmund Win Needs to Kick-start Gunners
A 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday has given Arsenal fans cause for hope amid the club's recent disappointments, ensuring the Gunners a place in the Champions League knockout stages.
However, Wenger's men need to summon the same form on English shores if they're to feature in next season's European competition. Losing at home to Manchester United last Saturday was but their latest dark hour, returning the club to its lowest position of the season so far (eighth).
One familiar storyline to emerge from the Black and Yellows victory saw Alexis Sanchez score and help the north Londoners pull away, and Wenger sang high praise of his summer signing after the result:
However, there is an argument to say Arsenal have grown over-reliant on the Chilean international. As long as he continues to impress, Arsenal will care little, but should West Brom succeed in isolating the Arsenal talisman, the Gunners could find themselves stumped for ideas.
Despite the growing pressure on Wenger, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wilson insists the players are the ones to be held accountable for recent upsets:
Saturday's trip to the West Midlands will be viewed as a result there for the taking, but the club's recent Premier League struggles nonetheless make West Brom an enemy worthy of wariness.
Key Battle
Saido Berahino vs. Per Mertesacker
Just as Sanchez provides the Arsenal attack with an enigmatic, livewire presence, Saido Berahino has done much the same for West Brom this season, continuing on from the breakout term of 2013-14.
However, this week brought about a gloomier moment in the striker's rise to fame, after the Independent reported that Irvine's talisman had been arrested on suspicion of drink driving:
The West Brom and England striker was stopped for travelling at "high speed" on the M6 motorway in the early hours of the morning. And when officers spoke to Berahino, he was then arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.
In a career that's been full of nothing but high points thus far, this threatens a significant low for the Baggies star, and Berahino will be hoping to spin circles around Arsenal's defence in an attempt to win back his admirers.
Per Mertesacker has been the one constant in Wenger's central defence this season, and he'll be expected to take a leading hand in repelling any threat the West Brom attacker might bring against his goal.
Should he be able to do so, Mertesacker will nullify the threat of a figure who has scored seven of West Brom's 13 goals this season, putting the away outfit in an advantageous position to build from the back.
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