Arsenal are waiting to assess the fitness of Jack Wilshere, who is closing in on a comeback after missing the Gunners last two matches with an ankle injury.
Mikel Arteta may feature despite limping off during the last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace though Theo Walcott, Kim Kallstrom, Aaron Ramsey, Thomas Vermaelen and Yaya Sanogo all remain injured and Mathieu Flamini serves the second game of a four-match suspension.
Three points will see Arsene Wenger’s men extend their lead at the top to five points, with second place Manchester City and third place Chelsea not playing until later in the day.
Meanwhile ahead of the weekend’s fixture, Arsene Wenger has ruled out making a fresh bid for Luis Suarez when the transfer window reopens, according to the Telegraph.
The Arsenal boss oversaw two bids for the 27 year old in the summer, though both were rejected out of hand by the Merseyside club.
The Uruguay international has been in sublime form since returning from suspension in September, scoring twenty-three goals in just nineteen league games, but Wenger will is set to look elsewhere as he looks to add more firepower to his squad.
Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa, Porto’s Jackson Martinez and Mario Mandzukic of Bayern Munich are just three of the names thought to be on the Frenchman’s list of transfer targets.
