Facts and figures on Sunday's clash at The Emirates Stadium (ko 1.30pm)
What a vital three points it was from the 1-0 win over West Ham last weekend, but the 15th-placed Baggies are still not yet mathematically safe.
A trip to the Emirates this weekend is not the easiest place to continue their quest to rise up the Barclays Premier League rankings, but given recent performances - and results - there is reason for optimism.
Victory over the Hammers meant Albion have lost only one of their last five matches and that came at champions-elect Manchester City.
The Baggies’ away form has picked up dramatically of late, with wins at Swansea and Norwich in the three matches on the road preceding the defeat at the Etihad, where Pepe Mel’s men threatened more than most do to upset City's incredible home record.
Albion come up against a Gunners side who have fallen off the pace at the upper end of the league after threatening to put in a title challenge earlier on in the campaign.
Back when they were at the peak of their form and sat top of the table in the autumn, their progress was twice disrupted by none other than Albion, who ended Arsenal's seven-match winning streak in all competitions with a draw in the Capital One Cup and then just a couple of weeks later ended their run of consecutive Premier League wins at five games with another stalemate at The Hawthorns.
The 1-1 Premier League draw in October looked in its early stages as if the Baggies were heading towards victory, having dominated for significant periods and taken a lead in at the break.
Claudio Yacob was the goalscorer that day, with yet another goal coming from an unlikely source in the Baggies squad.
No fewer than seventeen Albion players have scored in the Premier League this season, with players all over the pitch taking responsibility in attacking areas.
The Baggies sit tenth in the table for goals scored (42), but only Tottenham (18) have more goalscorers this season than them.
Teams are often criticised for being too reliant on the input of one player and if there was ever something to praise this Albion team for, it is the team share the burden equally among them.
| PLD | W | D | L | F | A | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOME | 67 | 24 | 17 | 26 | 96 | 92 | 4 |
| AWAY | 64 | 12
| 14 | 38 | 73 | 136 | -63 |
| NEUTRAL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| TOTAL | 132 | 36 | 31 | 65 | 169 | 229 | -60 |
Interesting facts
Albion have drawn four of their five Barclays Premier League matches in London this season.