Arsene Wenger and Mark Hughes
Arsene Wenger will try to get one over Mark Hughes for the first time in eight attempts Getty

Arsenal travel to the Britannia to take on Stoke City on 17 January as the Gunners look to go back on top of the Premier League table. The north London club have a dreadful record away against the Potters and need to right the wrongs if they want to end their title drought this season.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 4.15pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Stoke will fancy their chances at home against Arsenal who are going through a rough patch of form in away games, having managed only a single win in their last six games out of the Emirates. The Potters have the measure of Arsenal at the Britannia, with the Gunners' last win coming in 2010, a game which also saw Aaron Ramsey break his leg following a tackle by Ryan Shawcross.

Meanwhile, Stoke come into the game on the back of a 3-1 win over Norwich and have shown over the season that they are a more than a handful against bigger teams, dominating the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United at home. Mark Hughes also has an enviable record against the Gunners, having not registered a single loss on home soil in seven encounters.

Meanwhile, the Gunners will be looking to bounce back from their injury time setback against Liverpool in the midweek, where Joe Allen's equaliser scuppered Arsenal's hopes of opening up a five-point gap over Manchester City. Arsenal showed great mental strength to come back from being a goal down twice in the first half, but failed to hold on to the lead provided to them by Olivier Giroud in the second half.

A win here will open up a two-point lead over Leicester City and three over Manchester City, ahead of their game against Chelsea next weekend at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger is likely to bring back Alexis Sanchez, who has recovered from a hamstring injury which he sustained against Norwich City in November. Mohamed Elneny is also expected to feature in the game after completing his much anticipated move to the Emirates.

What managers say

Mark Hughes: "Our record is good. It's a record we'd like to think we can expect to maintain. It's something that we're proud of. We've always caused good Arsenal teams here real problems, even before my time. It's something that we want to continue, something we have the capability of doing. We may play in a slightly different way to other times when they've struggled here. In the last couple of occasions we've gone up against them at the Britannia, we've played a different type of football but still caused them problems. Either way they know they're going to be in a game that's intense, with high quality, and questions will be asked of them."

Arsene Wenger: "[On abuse after Stoke loss last season]It was four people shouting. "It happens to me at the [Emirates] stadium, as well. More was made of it than it really was. It didn't stop me from sleeping. What stops me from sleeping is losing games. I can live with the fact that people are not happy. I can understand it. You ask me: 'Can I live with it?' I say 'I would prefer not to but if I have to, I will.' In our job, it's a balance always to find between the masochistic trend that you get and the right to exert your passion."

Betting odds

  • Stoke City win: 3/1
  • Draw: 13/5
  • Arsenal win: 10/11

Team news

Stoke City

Possible XI: Butland; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan, Afellay; Walters, Arnautovic, Bojan; Joselu.

Arsenal

Possible XI: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal; Flamini, Ramsey; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Walcott; Giroud.

Arsenal FC Stoke City FC