Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck has still not recovered completely from his knee problem Getty

Arsenal host Watford in the Premier League on Saturday (2 April) as the Gunners look to close the gap on Tottenham and Leicester City, who play later in the weekend. The north London club are currently trailing Leicester by 11 points and Spurs by six, albeit having played a game less.

Where to watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm BST. Highlights of the game will be available on BBC Match of the Day at 10:25pm BST on BBC One.

Overview

Arsenal come into the game having taken only four points from their last four league fixtures, a harrowing run of results that has all but cost them the title. The Gunners turned things around against Everton at the Goodison, winning the game 2-0 after Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi scored to give Arsenal the advantage. However, the title is out of Arsenal's hands at the moment, with Arsene Wenger's men having to depend on the results of the teams above them to have a chance of getting back into the mix.

The north London club will be desperate for revenge, having been turned over by the Hornets a few weeks back in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the Emirates. Arsenal struggled to get behind the Watford defence in the entire game and were short at the back, which allowed the newly-promoted side to score two goals.

Welbeck gave the Gunners a shadow of hope but that was too little too late as they failed to progress in their quest to win their first league title in over a decade.

Meanwhile, Watford's form in the league has been abysmal since the turn of the year, having won only twice thus far. However, their performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup should give them confidence and instil belief that they can get something out of the fixture, having already done it once.

Manager Quique Sanchez Flores has been rumoured to have been shortlisted for the Spain job but he has specifically rubbished all talk regarding the same and wants the club to end the season on a high. Heurelho Gomes, who poked fun at the Arsenal squad following the defeat, will start in the Watford goal ahead of Costel Pantilimon, who has been starting in the cup games.

What managers say

Arsene Wenger: "All the players who were away have come back in good shape. Petr Cech will join training today, but I haven't decided if he'll be in the squad tomorrow. The other good news is Wilshere and Rosicky are back in full training. Cazorla has started to run but he's still a few weeks away, I think. You have to always be a bit cautious because you never know how people will respond to training. Whether he'll be fit properly before the end of the season, I don't know."

Quique Sanchez Flores: "For sure we will have more options and it is better for the coach, but also it's hard because we can only have 25 players. Sometimes it's good but it can also be hard. There are a lot of interesting players for the next year but now the most important thing is to train with the players we have in the squad, because they are the providers of this season. I think next season is going to be very interesting. There are a lot of players coming so we will try to learn and compact the attack. But this is in three months, and we have to focus on the Premier League."

Betting odds (betfair)

  • Arsenal win: 4/11
  • Draw: 4
  • Watford win: 9

Team news

Arsenal

Possible XI: Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Elneny, Coquelin, Sanchez, Ozil, Iwobi; Welbeck

Watford

Possible XI: Gomes; Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake; Jurado, Amrabat, Suarez, Capoue; Deeney, Ighalo

Arsenal FC