KEY POINTS

  • Arsenal have won just once in their last three meetings against Swansea (P5, L3, W1, D1).
  • Bob Bradley will manage his first game in the Premier League after taking over from Guidolin.

Arsenal host Swansea at the Emirates on Saturday (15 October) as they look to continue their good run of form, which has seen them win the last five games in the league.

Where to watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm BST. There is no live TV coverage of the match in the UK. Catch the highlights of the game on Match of the Day at 10.30pm BST on BBC One.

Overview

Arsenal will welcome struggling Swansea to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday in what will be new manager Bob Bradley's first game since taking over from Francesco Guidolin, who was sacked earlier in the month. The Gunners are in form at the moment having won their last five Premier League games, while the south Wales club have lost their last four and are hovering just above the relegation zone at the moment.

Arsene Wenger's side will be looking to continue the momentum they had built prior to the international break and will also be looking for revenge as it was Swansea that effectively ended their title challenge last season. The French manager admitted that his team have to be cautious despite their opponents' lack of form at the moment.

Bob Bradley
Bob Bradley took over at Swansea City following the sacking of Francesco Guidolin earlier in the month Getty

Apart from the long-term absentees, Arsenal will be without Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey, who are yet to recover from their injuries. It could be at least a couple of weeks before the duo return. The starting lineup is likely to be the same as the one that started against Burnley prior to the two-week break.

Bradley's first job will be to arrest the slide as his side have lost four consecutive games. Swansea will face an uphill task against an in-from Arsenal, but the arrival of a new manager could galvanise the players, who will be playing for their places in the team.

The Liberty Stadium outfit came close to beating Chelsea earlier in the season, but had to settle for a draw. Their only win in the league this season came against Burnley in their opening game of the season.

Arsenal, however, do not have a good record against the south Wales club having won just once in their last five meetings, which include three losses and a draw.

What managers say

Arsene Wenger [on Bob Bradley]: Bob Bradley has a lot of experience. He's not a beginner, he has travelled a lot and has accumulated experience in the United States. He has been in Egypt, France recently and is now in England which is certainly a fantastic opportunity for him. It's also good for the Premier League because the Premier League is taking off in the States. To have an American here will create even more interest for the Premier League in the United States. He is equipped to deal with what is asked of him.

Bob Bradley: I still believe that football fitness and sharpness comes largely from training. Sometimes, you need to add some additional fitness work, but in the main it comes from training. The players have been incredibly respectful towards Francesco, but I think you would also find that they felt that kind of training had gone away a little bit. My sense is that the sharpness, the extra bit of fitness and quickness – some of them felt that dropped a little bit.

Betting odds (betfair)

  • Arsenal win: 2/7
  • Draw: 11/2
  • Swansea win: 11

Team news

Arsenal

Possible XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Cazorla; Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi; Sanchez.

Swansea

Possible XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Hoorn, Amat, Naughton; Fer, Britton, Cork; Routledge, Baston, Sigurdsson.

Premier League Arsene Wenger