Arsenal will qualify for a 17th successive UEFA Champions
League campaign with victory over West Brom in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Emirates Stadium outfit's run in Europe's elite club
competition looked set to come an end when they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the
hands of Everton, their main challengers for fourth place, last month.
However, two major slip-ups from Roberto Martinez's men
since then have put Arsenal firmly back in the driving seat for Champions
League qualification.
Everton have lost to both Crystal Palace and Southampton
in recent weeks, while Arsene Wenger's side have bounced back from their
Goodison Park loss with three straight Premier League wins - scoring nine goals
in the process.
However, Arsenal, now four points clear of Everton, have
met West Brom on two occasions this season - once in the League Cup and once in
the league - and have been held to 1-1 draws after 90 minutes in both matches.
A weakened Arsenal eventually edged through on penalties
in the cup tie, and this will be the first Emirates meeting between the clubs
since Mikel Arteta scored twice from the spot in a 2-0 Arsenal win in December
2012.
Wenger's team have only lost two home Premier League
games since that clash 17 months ago, but the Frenchman has bemoaned the number
of fixtures his side have drawn at the Emirates this season.
"The restriction we had was in the big games, when
we only made draws and not wins in some of them," he said. "That's
where the missing points are at the moment because we are very close to the
top.
"Maybe one or two wins at home would have made that
difference.
"The regret we have of the season is that we have been
remarkably consistent, (but) it is against the teams who did not fight for the
Premier League title."
West Brom's win over West Ham last week lifted them four
points clear of the relegation zone, so an unlikely victory on Sunday would be
enough to ensure their survival.
Head coach Pepe Mel insists his side are still not safe,
but if Cardiff City and Fulham fail to win and Norwich City lose this weekend,
West Brom's top-flight status will be assured for another season, regardless of
their own result.
Jack Wilshere (foot), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin) and
Kieran Gibbs (hamstring) remain sidelined for Arsenal, while Bacary Sagna is a
doubt with a knee injury.
Gareth McAuley (calf) could be in line for a return for
West Brom, while Steven Reid (groin) and Zoltan Gera (hamstring) are set to
miss out.
Culled from Soccerway
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