Relegation candidates Middlesbrough welcome an out of sorts Arsenal side to the North East on Monday evening, with both team's desperate to put together a winning run.
The Gunners have been in free-fall in recent months whilst Boro have been struggling all season. It may not be an ideal time for Arsene Wenger's team to play a side trying to stay in the Premier League, but on the other hand it could be the perfect opportunity to pick up points against a troubled opposition.
Top four is not completely out of the equation yet, but another defeat would be hugely damaging for Arsenal.
Arsenal in poor form
The Gunners recent run of form has been terrible; seven defeats from 12 games is a stat that tells you all you need to know. It's a troubling period which has never really been seen during Wenger's tenure at the club, and for that reason, it has increased the pressure already on the manager's shoulders.
If Arsenal and Wenger are to salvage anything from this season then they will need to sort themselves out ahead of their FA Cup semi-final next week. That starts with Middlesbrough on Monday.
During Arsenal's awful run they have lost their last four Premier League away games, which after the debacle of last Monday's 3-0 defeat to Palace, does not bode well for another away fixture.
Arsenal beat West Ham 3-0 before that game, and it looked as though they were back to their free-flowing best. Against Palace it was completely the opposite, signalling the free-fall they currently find themselves in. The Gunners' defence has been especially poor over this poor run too, but the fact Middlesbrough have only scored 22 goals all season could bring them some salvage going into Monday's fixture.
Boro fighting to stay up
Going into this weekend Middlesbrough sit six points below the relegation zone, and are in real danger of going down. They haven't won a league game since December 17th, a 3-0 win over Swansea, and not even the sacking of Aitor Karanka around a month ago has been able to change their fortunes.
Caretaker manager Steve Agnew has so far been in charge for four games and has only managed two points. Three of those games have been against teams in and around Boro, matches which were absolutely crucial to getting them out of the drop zone. 0-0 draws against both Swansea and Burnley just about summed up their season.
They have conceded less goals, 37, than anyone in the bottom ten, and have also conceded two less goals than Arsenal in the League this season. However whilst they have been fairly solid at the back they have struggled going forward. That aspect certainly doesn't bode well for a game against the Gunners' then, who are likely to score goals even with the poor form they are in.
Team news
There is encouraging news for Arsenal who are likely to have both Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny back in the squad for the trip to Middlesbrough. Their returns will be hugely welcome after the defensive display at Selhurst Park last Monday. They are both due to have tests, but Wenger has claimed they have an 80% chance of being fit.
David Ospina is still out injured, whilst Lucas Perez remains sidelined. Santi Cazorla is meanwhile still a long-term absentee.
As for Monday's hosts, Calum Chambers is ineligible due to the game being against his parent club. George Friend and Gaston Ramirez have both been doubts but look set to come back into the Boro team after Agnew revealed the squad has a clean bill of health.
Last time out
Earlier in the season Middlesbrough held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates stadium, a game where the Gunners dominated possession but struggled to create chances. Something which tells the story of much of their campaign.
It was a draw which at the time brought Arsenal's six game winning run to an end. That was back in October, a point in the season when everything appeared to be going right for Wenger's men.
The Gunners now sit in seventh place however, and despite having games in hand it is looking increasingly likely that it will be the first time in over 20 years they don't finish in the top four. It has got to the stage of the campaign where both team's really need to start turning their fortunes around.