Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's late Premier League kickoff as Stoke City host Arsenal at the bet365 Stadium! This has developed into a fierce rivalry over the years due to the clash of styles between the two clubs, and Arsenal have not fared too well on this ground during that time. They have little choice but to win today, though, with Manchester City's victory over Leicester in the early kickoff leaving the Gunners four points adrift of the Champions League places. Stoke, meanwhile, are eyeing a top-half finish once again and won't make things easy for their visitors. First, though, let's take a look at the team news...

STOKE STARTING XI: Butland; Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Whelan, Cameron, Allen; Arnautovic, Diouf, Shaqiri

STOKE SUBS: Grant, Muniesa, Berahino, Adam, Walters, Crouch, Ramadan

Arsenal are being unusually tardy with their team news, so while we wait for it let's first have a look at that Stoke City starting XI. The biggest question for manager Mark Hughes this afternoon was who to start up front, with Berahino back available after illness and Peter Crouch having scored eight Premier League goals against Arsenal over the course of his career - a personal-best tally against any one club. Hughes instead goes for Diouf, though, after this goal in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last time out.

There is only one change to the side from that draw with the Cherries last Saturday, with Erik Pieters returning to the starting lineup in place of Muniesa, who drops to the bench this afternoon. Otherwise the Potters are unchanged, with Ryan Shawcross - a man who has history in this fixture after breaking the leg of Aaron Ramsey seven years ago - keeping his place at the heart of the defence despite his own goal against Bournemouth. Johnson and Martins Indi make up the back four.

There is also another start in goal for fit-again Jack Butland, who will be looking to get back up to speed over these closing weeks of the season having missed more than a year with an ankle injury. The England international was developing into one of the best goalkeepers in the country before that injury and will be desperate to pick up where he left off, so being able to get a few games under his belt before the end of this campaign should stand him in good stead ahead of next season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal will need to be wary of the attacking talents of Arnautovic and Shaqiri, both of whom have arguably more match-winning ability than anyone else in the Stoke team. Both will feel that they should get more goals with the quality at their disposal, though, and it will be interesting to see how they cope up against Arsenal's 3-4-3 formation this afternoon.

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Holding, Mustafi, Koscielny; Bellerin, Coquelin, Xhaka, Monreal; Sanchez, Giroud, Ozil

ARSENAL SUBS: Ospina, Gabriel, Ramsey, Walcott, Iwobi, Welbeck, Elneny

As for Arsenal, the headline news as far as they are concerned is that Laurent Koscielny returns to the starting XI having missed the win over Southampton with a calf injury. The French centre-back is a key component of that Arsenal defence, particularly since the successful switch to a 3-4-3 formation, so to have been back alongside Mustafi and Holding will be a big boost for the Gunners. His return sees Gibbs drop out of the squad entirely, with Nacho Monreal moving into the left wing-back role.

There is also a notable inclusion at the other end of the field as Olivier Giroud starts up front for the Gunners this afternoon - just his 10th league start of the season. He replaces Danny Welbeck as the England international drops to the bench, no doubt to give Arsenal more of a physical presence in the final third. Ozil may not fit that description, but he starts just behind Giroud and will be charged with picking a way through this Stoke defence.

Alexis Sanchez completes that attacking trio, and the Chilean has been Arsenal's standout player this season. His goal against Southampton took him to 20 in the Premier League this season and 49 overall, leaving him just one short of reach the half-century. Speculation continues to swirl over his future, though, as he approaches the final year of his contract - alongside Ozil - with no sign of an extension yet in sight.

There are two more changes from Arsenal aside from the introductions of Koscielny and Giroud, with Coquelin coming into the side along with his compatriots and Hector Bellerin also making his return to the starting XI. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey, who as I have already mentioned will not have found memories of this fixture, drop out to make way for them, with Bellerin expected to play as a wing-back. It is a defensive midfield quartet in truth, with Bellerin joined by Coquelin, Xhaka and Monreal.

That relatively negative set-up from Arsene Wenger is perhaps a good indication of him being worried about the prospect of losing yet more points to Stoke, although his side need to go for the win tonight. The Gunners, as always seems to be the case, have hit a good run of form towards the end of the season to keep their top-four hopes alive, but their poor record prior to that means that every game is a must-win one for them now and any slip-up could all but end their Champions League hopes.

Manchester City's 2-1 win over Leicester earlier today made Arsenal's task all the more difficult, but ultimately the matter is entirely out of their hands anyway and the Gunners must hope for a slip-up from either Pep Guardiola's side or Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, who now occupy fourth place. Arsenal are four points behind the Reds, but they have a game in hand and could close that gap to just one with a victory today, putting the pressure firmly on Liverpool's shoulders ahead of their away game against West Ham United tomorrow.

Arsenal looked to be dead and buried in the top-four race after hey lost 3-0 to Crystal Palace a few weeks ago, but they have since won five of their last six Premier League outings to keep themselves in the mix. A 2-0 triumph over Manchester United - which was followed up with a 2-0 win over Southampton on Wednesday - really raised belief that they could actually recover from the form which had seen them win only two of their eight outings prior to this recent run.

Another victory today would see Arsenal chalk up a third straight win for the first time since December 10, and incidentally the third win in that run was a 3-1 win over - you guessed it - Stoke City. A lot has changed since that result, though. Arsenal's December triumph over the Potters put them top of the Premier League table, but five months later they are now 21 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and still on the outside looking in for the Champions League race. Their improvement of late means that there is still hope of record a 21st consecutive top-four finish, though.

No team in the top seven of the Premier League table has conceded more goals than Arsenal this season, but they have kept clean sheets in their back-to-back wins over Manchester United and Southampton, and another shutout this afternoon would hand them three on the bounce for the first time all term. Their away record will be of concern, though, with Arsenal having lost five of their last seven Premier League trips - as many as they had lost in their previous 27 before that.

Arsenal did beat Southampton in their last away outing, though, and could record consecutive away league wins for the first time since October if they emerge victorious today - not to mentioned back-to-back away league clean sheets for the first time since February 2016. Despite their poor recent record on the road Arsenal have also still managed to amass as many away points as Tottenham Hotspur this season, while only Manchester City have scored more times on opposition territory.

Interestingly, Arsenal's currently tally of 66 points from 35 games is actually two better than at the same stage of last season, when they ended up finishing second, so in terms of points there has been an improvement this season. It will not feel like it to the Arsenal fans who have endured a season similar to so many previously, though, and it will certainly be hard to argue that there has been progress if Arsenal miss out on the top four.

'Progress' is likely to be the buzzword around Stoke at the moment too, with questions being raised regarding Mark Hughes's development of the team. The Welshman has certainly taken a big step towards changing the team's style for their formative years in the Premier League, but whether they are ready to take the next step remains to be seen. The Potters have finished ninth in each of the past three seasons, but they have their work cut out to better or match that this time around.

The Potters are safe from the threat of relegation with two games of their season remaining, but they currently sit 13th in the Premier League table and are in danger of slumping to a bottom-half finish unless they severely improve their form in their last two outings. Defeats for West Brom and Leicester already this weekend were good news for their top-half hopes, though, and victory here would take them to within one point of that top 10 once again.

Stoke are still one point short of their lowest ever Premier League points tally, which was set in 2012-13, and there is no guarantee that they will avoid that considering their final two games come against Arsenal today and Southampton away on the final day. The formbook certainly doesn't suggest much hope for the Potters, who have won just one of their last nine outings including an ongoing three-games winless run heading into this match.

On the flipside, Stoke have drawn their last two games and should they avoid defeat today then it would not only draw them level with that lowest ever points tally, but it would also mark their first three-game unbeaten streak since the beginning of February. Stoke could still finish in eighth place, which would be the club's highest ever finish in the Premier League, but they need wins in those final two games if they are to achieve that.

Mark Hughes's side have only lost two of their last 12 Premier League home games, winning five and drawing five of those with the only defeats coming at the hands of Chelsea and Liverpool - both by narrow 2-1 scorelines. Indeed, four of their five Premier League home defeats this season have come at the hands of the teams currently in the top four, whereas their record against teams below the Champions League places is significantly better.

Arsenal would consider themselves a similar level to the teams directly above them in the table, but Stoke have lost just one of their 14 home games against teams outside the top four this season - including a draw against Manchester United - winning seven and drawing six to take a respectable 27 points from a possible 42 in those matches. Compare that to the zero points from 12 on offer against teams in the top four and it is clear that the Potters struggle here against the very top teams.

Stoke don't often come away empty-handed following the visit of Arsenal, though, and manager Mark Hughes seems to hold a similar hoodoo over his opposite number too. He is unbeaten in his last eight home Premier League games against Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, a run which includes five victories and spans five different clubs - Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR and Stoke. In all, Hughes has beaten Wenger eight times across all competitions, a tally only Sir Alex Ferguson (22 wins) can beat.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the bet365 Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! Arsenal certainly need the win a lot more than Stoke, but they never find it easy coming to this ground and today is unlikely to be any different. Their best hope is that Stoke have already begun thinking of the summer break, but that is unlikely and I can see them coming away from this game with something. I'll go for a 1-1 draw!

I mentioned that Stoke have been something of a bogey team for Arsenal here in recent years, and here are the stats to back that up: The Potters are unbeaten in their last home home games against Arsenal, with three wins and three draws in that time. That run stretches back to February 2010, when Arsenal scored twice in injury time to nick a 3-1 win in the match which also saw Shawcross break Aaron Ramey's leg. That however, is Arsenal only away win against Stoke in league competition in their last 11 attempts - a run which stretches back to 1982.

It is a completely different story at home, where Arsenal have won 15 consecutive games against the Potters, but away from home this ground is statistically the joint-second worst for Wenger side. They have won just one of their eight Premier League visits, giving them a win percentage of 12.5%. Only at Old Trafford (three wins from 25, 12%) do they have a worse winning record in the Premier League era.

Arsenal have failed to even score in three of their last four Premier League trips to the bet365 Stadium, with two of those ending in 0-0 draws - including the corresponding fixture last season. They are unbeaten in the last four meetings home and away, though, including three wins since December 2014. The reverse fixture this season ended in a 3-1 victory for the Gunners, who came from behind courtesy of goals from Walcott, Ozil and Iwobi.

Right, the players are on their way out for this huge match in the top-four. It is must-win again for the Gunners, but their record at this stadium makes it look very interesting.

KICKOFF: Stoke get us underway at the bet365 Stadium!

The Stoke fans are doing their best to make this a hostile atmosphere, roundly booing Arsenal as the visitors look to get their foot on the ball early. There is a raucous atmosphere inside the bet365 Stadium today.

Almost an early chance for Arsenal as Mustafi sends a lovely pass over the top for Sanchez, who chests it down inside the box but can't squeeze the ball past Butland. The Chilean was offside, though, and there was also a question of handball against him as he took it down.

Arsenal have quickly settled into their rhythm today, keeping Stoke penned back into their own half in the opening exchanges. It has been a promising start from Arsene Wenger's side.

SAVE! Brilliant stop from Butland to keep the scores goalless. Ozil corner isn't a great one, but Mustafi makes something of it with a fine header, looping it towards the far corner. It looks like it will float over the head of Butland, but he manages to claw it over his crossbar.

Stoke just cannot get out at the moment. Arsenal have applied relentless pressure almost since the very first whistle, with Stoke unable to keep hold of the ball or get out from their own half at the moment.

CHANCE! Arsenal almost make their early pressure tell as Ozil picks out the run of Monreal in the box. The wing-back has space inside the area, but his touch lets him down and the chance goes begging.

This wouldn't be an Arsenal game without their fans making some sort of protest against Wenger. A plane flies over the stadium with a banner calling for 'Wenger Out', not for the first time this season. The Stoke fans, incidentally, spent much of the opening five minutes singing that they want the Frenchman to stay.

OFF THE POST! Arsenal are getting closer here! Again it is Monreal who has the chance, with a cross from the right being flicked on to the far post by Shawcross. In truth, the full-back should score, but he plants his header against the post and Ozil is unable to convert the rebound.

This will have felt like a lot longer than 19 minutes for these Stoke players. They have been second best all over the field so far, but somehow the score remains 0-0. Arsenal need to make this dominance pay!

Sanchez tries to play Bellerin through down the right channel, ordering the Spaniard to make the run. His chipped pass forward is a little off the mark, though, and Pieters is able to see the ball out.

Arsenal's main joy so far in this match has come down that left channel, with Monreal repeatedly getting in behind Shaqiri. It was a similar story in Chelsea's recent win over Middlesbrough, and if Stoke don't address the situation sooner rather than later then they are sure to be similarly punished.

Arsenal will be amazed at just how easy this game has been for them so far. They would have been expected a much tougher test against Stoke here - they have certainly been given them in the past - but it has been one-way traffic today. All that is missing is a goal for the visitors.

The likes of Diouf, Shaqiri and Arnautovic have barely had a kick in this one so far. What little of the ball Stoke have had has come mainly inside their own half, with the hosts not close to testing Cech so far.

YELLOW CARD! Stoke may have a chance to do that here as Mustafi dives into a silly challenge on Shaqiri to earn a yellow card and concede a free kick in a very dangerous position...

CLOSE! Not a bad effort from Arnautovic, and certainly Stoke's best of the day so far. He curls his free kick over the wall and over the bar, but it ripples the top of the netting on its way over.

That was Stoke's first shot of the afternoon, but for all their dominance Arsenal have only had three attempts, and all of them have come through defenders. No way through the Stoke defence so far, and their grip on the game is just beginning to loosen a little.

Poor from Bellerin as he tries to knock the ball all the way back to Cech, but only succeeds it putting it out for an attacking throw-in to Stoke. Nothing comes of it, though.

SHOT! Poor from Johnson as he gives the ball away in a dangerous position before hauling Giroud down in an attempt to stop the attack. Mike Dean plays advantage as Sanchez takes over, though, and the Chilean fires a low effort into the side-netting at the near post.

Less than 10 minutes remain in the first half here, and Stoke will be satisfied if they can get to the break still level. The hosts have improved over the last 10 minutes or so, but they have been comfortably second best for the majority of this first half.

Giroud thinks that he has won a corner, with both Martins Indi and the Arsenal striker trying to shepherd the ball out of play in an odd little battle. Giroud could keep it in but instead leaves it, and is baffled to see the linesman point for a goal kick.

Arsenal failed to make the most of their most dominant period of the match, and right now it is a lot more even that it was for the majority of the half. The Gunners could be left to rue those earlier missed opportunities!

Or maybe not! Arsenal finally make the breakthrough shortly before half time as Giroud taps home from close range after the ball was put on a plate for him by Bellerin. The full-back was slid in by Coquelin down the right and from then it was all very simple, with a low pass across the face of goal finding an unmarked Giroud for a simple finish.

A small slice of history for Arsenal and Giroud!

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

The first half comes to an end at the bet365 Stadium and it is Arsenal who take the lead into the break. It is a deserved lead too, with Arsenal having controlled proceedings for the vast majority of the game so far, but it took until just a few minutes before half time for them to make the breakthrough. Stoke began to grow into the match as the half wore on, but they will need a significant improvement if they are to get back into this one.

It was Olivier Giroud who got the all-important opening goal despite having put in a rather disappointing performance up to that point. The Frenchman couldn't exactly miss, though, tapping home from just a couple of yards out after being picked out by Bellerin's low pass across the face of goal. Stoke perhaps could have defended it better, but they were caught a little out of position by Arsenal on that occasion.

Arsenal almost broke the deadlock after just 17 minutes when Monreal stole in at the back post, only to see his header strike the woodwork when he probably should have scored. Mustafi and Sanchez have also come close for the Gunners, while at the other end the only Stoke effort of any note was an Arnautovic free kick that flew a couple of yards over the crossbar.

KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half at the bet365 Stadium - can they complete the job in the coming 45 minutes and move to within one point of the top four?

Shaqiri tries to swing a cross into the box but Diouf is the only man in there and it would need to be a sensational delivery to pick him out. Diouf goes down and appeals for a penalty, but it is a wishful shout.

Sloppy play from Cameron, just as Stoke were beginning to string together a few passes. Cameron allows the ball to go under his foot which sees Coquelin steal possession before being fouled by the Stoke man.

There has been a little more attacking intent for Stoke at the start of this second half, but the fans are still frustrated by their team's performance today. Stoke were booed off at half time and will need a bigger reaction in this second half if they are to avoid a similar reaction at the full-time whistle.

Arsenal have begun to take control of possession again in the last couple of minutes. They haven't looked like conceding yet today, but they will still want that second to give them a cushion.

A second goal was called for, and a second goal materialises through Ozil! It is a love piece of play between himself and Sanchez, who plays an exquisite pass through to Ozil as the second leg of a one-two. The German takes the ball into his path and then calmly clips the ball past Butland to double his side's lead. Clinical stuff from the Gunners.

There is a long way back for Stoke now, and in truth it is very hard to see them recovering from that second goal. They have barely looked like scoring one goal today, yet alone the two they now need to get something from this game.

Giroud is left writhing in agony on the floor following a collision with Shawcross, and the replays show that the Stoke man did catch the Arsenal striker with his elbow. No punishment is forthcoming, but Giroud should at least be able to continue.

CHANCE! Big chance for Stoke to give themselves a lifeline! Arnautovic twists and turns away from Holding down the left channel and manages to squeeze a cross into the middle for Diouf. The ball is slightly behind the striker, though, and he can't steer it on target from close range.

STOKE SUBS: Double change from the hosts as Mark Hughes goes all out attack here, with Peter Crouch and Saido Berahino replacing Allen and Diouf.

SAVE! Better from the Potters as they put Arsenal under a prolonged spell of pressure for the first time today. They fire a string of crosses into the box in quick succession and one of those sees Martins Indi flick it towards goal from close range, which Cech needs to turn over the bar.

How important is it that Arsenal keep hold of him this summer? Surely they cannot afford to lose the Chilean!

Ohhhhhh you have not heard the last of this goal, mark my words! Crouch channels his inner Maradona with a 'Hand of God' goal which hauls Stoke right back into this match! The hosts have improved since that double change, and it is one of the subs who makes the difference here as Crouch darts to the front post to put Arnautovic's cross in. It looked like a perfectly good goal in normal time, but the replays showed that Crouch put it in with his hand. Wenger will be furious if that ends up costing his side!

Suddenly Arsenal are looking a lot less certain about themselves. The atmosphere has cranked up inside the stadium and finally Stoke are beginning to put up the sort of fight we expected from them all along. Any Arsenal hopes that they would cruise to the victory are proving unfounded now!

SAVE! Cech is forced into another save here as Berahino looks to pick out the bottom corner from 25 yards, but it is comfortable enough for the keeper.

Arsenal are shaken here! Stoke can smell blood and are throwing everything at the Gunners at the moment - this is much more like it from the hosts!

More concern for Arsenal here - both today and for the coming games. Sanchez looks to be limping and, having called to the bench to be withdrawn, is still out there. There isn't a great deal of urgency amongst the Arsenal bench either.

One minute ago he looked like he was coming off, but Sanchez now looks to have sealed the game for Arsenal! The Chilean collects a pass from Bellerin before driving to the edge of the box before drilling a low strike into the bottom corner via a deflection off Shawcross. That should ease a lot of Arsenal nerves!

ARSENAL SUB: That is Sanchez's final involvement as he makes way to be replaced by Aaron Ramsey.

CHANCE! Almost an immediate impact from Ramsey too as he cuts inside and is afforded space to shoot, but his low strike is kept out well by Butland.

YELLOW CARD! Holding becomes the second player in the book today courtesy of a cynical challenge on Arnautovic.

If it wasn't game over before, it definitely is now. Giroud gets his second of the game, but once again it is put on his plate. This time Ramsey is the creator, darting in behind Johnson before twisting into a crossing position and firing a low strike across goal. Giroud has more to do for this one than the first, but he slides in to convert from close range and put the game beyond Stoke.

STOKE SUB: A third and final change for Stoke sees Ramadan Sobhi replace Arnautovic.

ARSENAL SUBS: Arsenal respond with two changes of their own as Ozil and Giroud and replaced by Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott.

SAVE! Fine save from Cech to keep Stoke from pulling one back! The ball drops to Cameron on the edge of the box and he catches his volley sweetly, keeping it low in the process, but Cech gets down quickly to make the stop.

Butland is called into action again as he pushes a cross away at his near post. It goes back into a dangerous area, but there are no Arsenal shirts there to take advantage.

YELLOW CARD! Crouch goes into the book for a rash challenge on Xhaka (who, it is worth noting, has not been booked yet today).

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.

Arsenal end their hoodoo at the bet365 Stadium, Arsene Wenger ends his hoodoo against Mark Hughes, and most important the Gunners keep up the pressure on the top four. They beat Stoke 4-1 courtesy of a Giroud brace and goals from Ozil and Sanchez, with Stoke producing only a Crouch goal in reply. Just one point now separates the Gunners from the Champions League places, at least until Liverpool take on West Ham United tomorrow.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's late kickoff as Arsenal beat Stoke to move within one point of the Champions League places. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!