Middlesbrough vs Arsenal. Premier League.
Riverside StadiumAttendance31,298.
Monday 17 April 2017 19:08, UK
Arsenal will look to avoid a fifth straight Premier League defeat away from home when travelling to Middlesbrough for Monday Night Football.
A 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace left a growing number of Arsenal fans calling for Arsene Wenger to leave the club, with the Frenchman admitting the Gunners are under pressure to deliver results.
The current four-game losing streak away from the Emirates is their worst run under Wenger, while Arsenal haven't lost five successive top-flight away games since December 1984.
Arsenal have never finished outside the top four with Wenger, but face a battle to qualify for the Champions League as they are sixth in the table currently, though they could drop down to seventh with Everton hosting Burnley on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Boro desperately need to pick up points to boost their survival hopes - the club are 19th and six points from safety, though they do have a game in hand over Hull in 17th.
Team news
Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny face late fitness tests ahead of Monday's clash. Cech (calf) has missed the last three games while captain Koscielny (Achilles) has been absent for the last two.
Goalkeeper David Ospina and forward Lucas Perez remain out.
Boro meanwhile could see Gaston Ramirez (ankle) return while Fabio and George Friend remain injured. Calum Chambers is injured though would not have been eligible to play against his parent club.
Opta stats
Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last four Premier League home games against Arsenal (W2 D2), although this will be the first meeting at the Riverside since December 2008.
Arsenal's 7-0 win over Middlesbrough in January 2006 is their joint-largest margin of victory in Premier League history (alongside 7-0 v Everton in May 2005).
Middlesbrough have conceded more goals against Arsenal than against any other opponent in the Premier League (62 in 29 games).
Prior to the 0-0 draw in this season's reverse fixture, Arsenal had scored in 16 consecutive Premier League games against them, winning 10 of those (D4 L2).
Olivier Giroud is the only current member of the Arsenal squad to have netted against Middlesbrough in any competition (two in the FA Cup).
Arsenal have lost four successive Premier League away games for the first time in Wenger's reign at the club, with the previous run of four league away defeats in a row coming back in April 1995.
Merson's prediction
The great thing about this Monday night game is both teams absolutely have to win.
There's no point drawing so with 20 minutes to go it will just be, 'attack, attack, attack' for both teams. It should be a brilliant game to watch.
I'm edging towards Arsenal, they have to do something for the manager. He is under pressure, like the players, and Middlesbrough are sinking.
Boro have turned up to the Premier League party but are sitting at the bar drinking Diet Coke. That's what it feels like to me.
When they did go for it, like against Hull, they got picked apart, and I can see that happening again if they open up against Arsenal.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-3 (Sky Bet odds 10/1)
Betting
Arsenal are Sky Bet's 8/15 favourites for the victory despite their wretched form, with Middlesbrough 5/1 while a draw is priced at 16/5. Alexis Sanchez is the 100/30 favourite in the first goalscorer betting while Alvaro Negredo is rated the hosts' main threat at 8/1 to net first.
