Arsenal welcome bogey side Swansea City to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, aiming to pick up back-to-back Premier League home wins in this fixture for the first time.
The Gunners have won three matches on the spin overall since going down to Watford and have momentum on their side once again, while the visitors are level with the bottom three following a disappointing run.
Arsenal
© OffsideWatford captain Troy Deeney said what many were thinking a fortnight ago when proclaiming that Arsenal 'lack cojones', having played a key part in the Hornets' 2-1 comeback win at Vicarage Road that led to yet more questions regarding the Gunners' character.
Since then Arsene Wenger's men have responded well, though, scoring late on at a hostile Rajko Mitic Stadium to overcome Red Star Belgrade, recovering from behind to beat Everton 5-2 and, most recently, earning a dramatic 2-1 win over Norwich City in the EFL Cup.
Arsenal had 18-year-old forward Eddie Nketiah to thank for the latest of those victories, coming off the bench with six minutes of normal time left to rescue his side - first netting a late leveller and then winning the fourth-round tie in extra time with a powerful header.
The Gunners' second-string have certainly stepped up to the plate over the past two weeks, then, sealing progression in the EFL Cup and moving to the brink of a place in the bloated knockout stage of the Europa League, while the 'first team' did well to pick up three points at Goodison Park last time out in the league.
Nine wins from their last 11 is not a bad record, with the only defeat in that time coming against Watford, but Arsenal always seem to be just one loss away from a full-blown crisis, as will be the case should they pick up anything less than three points against the struggling Swans on Saturday afternoon.
With a trip to league leaders Manchester City, currently nine points better off, to come before the international break, as well as the visit of Tottenham Hotspur immediately after the two-week hiatus, Arsenal quite simply must keep the momentum going with a fourth win on the spin this weekend.
Wenger has managed to put out a number of proverbial fires during his 21 years in North London, most recently when steering his side back on track following that setback in Hertfordshire earlier this month, and the visit of Swansea will mark a special occasion for the Frenchman.
An 800th Premier League game in charge will put Wenger within 10 of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson's record. Anything less than three points on Saturday, however, and it will be unlikely that the 68-year-old will have much cause to celebrate.
Recent form in Premier League: WDWWLW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWW
Swansea City
© OffsideDefeat to Man United in the EFL Cup in midweek, going down to a couple of Jesse Lingard goals either side of half time, leaves the Swans in desperate need of a revival with nearly a quarter of the campaign now played.
Swansea have lost four of their last five games in all competitions and have just four wins from 12 to their name all campaign, two of which have come against lower-league opposition in the EFL Cup.
The Welsh outfit have gained a tag as perennial strugglers in the top flight and, on the basis of their performances against Watford, West Ham United and Leicester City of late, fans have every right to be concerned.
Manager Paul Clement's biggest issue since being appointed at the turn of the year has been a lack of serious momentum, winning more than one league game in a row on just one occasion when picking up three victories in succession to see out the 2016-17 season.
Swansea did well to drag themselves off the foot of the table and finish a comfortable seven points clear of danger last time out, but their start to this campaign points to another fight for survival being on the cards, especially if they do not click into gear in an attacking sense.
While the Swans may boast a pretty decent defensive record, shipping two goals fewer than Arsenal so far in the top flight, their tally of six goals scored in nine games - the joint-second worst in the division - must be improved on before it is too late.
Clement's charges have actually fared better on their travels in 2017-18, holding Spurs to a goalless draw at Wembley Stadium last month and also accruing four points from games against Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Ham.
Throw a good past record against this weekend's opponents into the mix and the travelling Swans supporters may just see this fixture as a chance to truly kickstart their campaign, though another defeat and they may very well find themselves in the dropzone come the end of the weekend.
Recent form in Premier League: LDLLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WLLWLL
Team News
© OffsideWenger made 10 changes to his side for the midweek cup tie against Norwich and is expected to revert back to the XI that saw off Everton last weekend.
Star attacking trio Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez linked up for the first time at Goodison Park and all three are expected to be fit enough to play a part against the Swans.
Nketiah is unlikely to come into the mix, despite his heroics against Norwich, while Santi Cazorla, Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi, Danny Welbeck and David Ospina all remain sidelined.
In terms of the visitors, Martin Olsson picked up a hamstring problem against Man United to compound Clement's misery and is a major doubt for the trip to North London.
Experienced full-back Angel Rangel is in line to take over at the back for his second league appearance, with Kyle Naughton moving to the opposite flank, and there are also question marks over the fitness of Renato Sanches and Wilfried Bony.
Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham will almost certainly lead the line for City, aiming to build on a record of four goals in nine top-flight outings this term.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech; Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal; Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil, Sanchez; Lacazette
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Rangel, Fernandez, Mawson, Naughton; Fer, Britton, Carroll; Narsingh, Abraham, Ayew
Head To Head
Swansea boast a pretty formidable record at the Emirates Stadium, where they have picked up wins in 2012, 2015, 2016 and held out for a draw in 2014 - only Chelsea boast a better win rate.
Arsenal have therefore never won back-to-back home matches against the Swans in the Premier League, though they can change that this weekend after winning the most recent clash 3-2 just over a year ago.
The two sides have met 20 times overall, seven of which have come in cup competition, with the Gunners winning 12 of those and losing eight.
We say: Arsenal 3-0 Swansea City
Swansea may enjoy visiting this part of North London, but Arsenal have won nine games in a row on home soil and kept a clean sheet in seven of those. For all the talk of the Gunners' lack of character on the back of their defeat to Watford, they have otherwise been in fine form since the beginning of September and should push on with another victory here.
