CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LIVE MATCH

Arsenal host London rivals Brentford in a Premier League match on Saturday afternoon, hoping to avoid a third straight loss across all competitions.

Mikel Arteta's team was startled by relegation-threatened Everton by a score of 1-0 in their most recent match, while the Bees rolled to a 3-0 victory against Southampton to boost their European hopes.
There were all the makings of an upset, and Arsenal got their due desserts at Goodison Park, a venue that has not been kind to them in recent years, as a physically superior Everton team deservedly defeated the Gunners for the second time this league season.

Everton, guided by football realist Sean Dyche, put in the kind of hard work that would have made the ex-Burnley manager proud, and they were rewarded with a goal at the hour mark when James Tarkowski outmuscled Martin Odegaard and headed in a corner.

While the whole of North London cheered on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester City 1-0, the Gunners remain five points ahead at the top of the league with a game in hand, and would momentarily have an eight-point advantage should they win that game.

The possibility of punishments against Man City following their series of charges for alleged financial breaches is music to the ears of Arsenal fans, but any potential punishments — including point deductions — will not be administered for some time yet, so keeping the champions at bay for the foreseeable future is of paramount importance prior to the two sides' meeting at the Emirates on Wednesday.

Arsenal welcome Brentford to the Emirates still undefeated at home in the Premier League this season (only Newcastle United can say the same), having won eight and drawn one of their past nine home matches in the top level, although despite maintaining only two clean sheets in that span.

The Gtech Community Stadium also hosted a match between a top-flight team and a bottom-dweller, but Southampton fared no better, losing by a score of 3-0 to the buzzing Bees.

Thomas Frank's team are making the most of Chelsea and Liverpool's misfortunes to place themselves right in the European mix, thanks to goals from Ben Mee (brave header), Bryan Mbeumo (finish), and Mathias Jensen (third).

Frank's squad is in good shape as they go to the Emirates; they are now in seventh position, six points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, and one point behind Brighton Hove Albion, despite the Seagulls having played one game less.

Brentford's win against Southampton extended their Premier League undefeated streak to nine games. Frank's resolute defense has allowed just one goal in their previous five league outings, with clean sheets in three of those games.

Only twice have Brentford won away from Griffin Park this season, and one of those victories came at the hands of Manchester City. In September, Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium, a game that will be remembered for the debut of Ethan Nwaneri, then 15 years old, as the youngest player in Premier League history.