Things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly for Arsenal of late. Their injury situation has finally reached the point where things don’t look abjectly miserable, but they haven’t won in their last two matches, and in doing so they lost any faint hope they had of winning the English Premier League title -- and they’ve slipped to fourth place just to make things worse. Now they’ve got a visit from always-tough West Bromwich Albion to deal with as they try to turn things around, a prospect few are looking forward to.
Arsenal vs. West Bromwich Albion 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Arsenal are slipping, and that must stop if they’re going to hold onto a Champions League place.
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Of course, West Brom haven’t won in four matches, a run that the Gunners will be hoping to extend to five games on Thursday. Despite that recent run, though, they’ve still been a tough opponent -- Manchester City had to come from behind to beat them two weeks ago, and Watford struggled to keep them in check last weekend. On their day, West Brom can beat anyone and have several times this season, so Arsenal will have to be on guard and at their best if they want to make sure they get the win they so dearly need.
What’s at stake
Thanks to Manchester United’s win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Arsenal only have a one-point edge on the fifth-placed team. That’s an awfully narrow margin this late in the season, leaving the Gunners no room for error -- they can ill afford to miss the Champions League next season, and that’s what they’re at risk of doing unless they start winning matches again.
If Arsenal win, they would also pass Manchester City thanks to that team’s draw on Tuesday -- that would put the Gunners in third place, in the last spot in the Premier League table that goes straight to the Champions League group stage without having to go through qualification first. After falling so thoroughly out of the title race, earning that guarantee would serve as some small consolation for their fans -- not to mention being able to needle City like that would be greatly amusing.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere
West Bromwich Albion injuries and suspensions
Out: Alex Pritchard, James Morrison, Chris Brunt
Match Date/Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. local
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S.), Sportsnet World (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
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