This fixture may really not be coming at the right time for Arsenal but they surely have the home advantage if they will make good use of that.
The Gunners welcome a rejuvenated Hull City to the Emirates on Saturday but they can take solace from the fact that the Tigers have not been finding it easy in their travels.
Macro Silva has turned the KC Stadium into a fortress and has won all home matches, including the 2-1 EFL semi-final win over Manchester United and the 2-0 win over Liverpool last weekend.
But scoring in away matches has been problematic for Silva’s men and Arsenal should be able to exploit that area. The Tigers have lost nine of their last ten matches away from home in all competitions and have scored in just one of their eight away Premier League games.
Arsenal’s hope of winning their first Premier League title in 13 years appears to be over after consecutive defeats to Watford and Chelsea. They are now 12 points adrift of their London rival at the top of the table and face a perennial scramble to even finish in the top four.
Despite that, Arsene Wenger’s men surely need a win to at least boost their confidence ahead of their Champions League tie with Bayern Munich.
Mohammed Eleny is expected back in the Arsenal team after a disappointing loss to Cameroon in the final of the African Cup of Nations.
Hector Bellerin faces the race to be left again after suffering concussion in the match against Chelsea while Granit Xhaka is still available for the match as he serves the final game of his four match ban.