Second plays second from bottom in Saturday evening's Premier League kickoff as Burnley host Arsenal at Turf Moor.
The Gunners are looking to apply the most pressure possible to leaders Chelsea as they threaten to run away with the title, but will have their hands full with a Clarets side who held their North London rivals last weekend.
Burnley
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The Clarets picked up another valuable point in their battle against the drop by holding Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor last Sunday, but may have been slightly aggrieved not to have taken all three as Danny Ings had the best chances of an uneventful game.
It was the fourth time this season that Burnley had avoided defeat at home to one of the division's top seven sides, and it is their ability to get results against the big boys which has kept them in the fight in recent weeks.
Their visit of Arsenal marks the end of a sequence of fixtures which has seen them play the top eight in consecutive games. The fact that they are only two points from safety heading into a comparatively easy run in is a good sign for Sean Dyche's charges.
Finding the net has been a problem of late, though; George Boyd's winner against Manchester City is the only goal that they have scored in their previous five matches, and Ings is goalless in his last six outings.
A player that seems destined to leave Burnley in the summer could hold the key to their chances of securing perhaps the most improbable survival in Premier League history, and one that has been made all the tougher by Queens Park Rangers' recent resurgence.
Recent form: DLLWDL
Arsenal
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The Gunners are unquestionably the form team in the country right now, and they proved as much last weekend by dispatching of Liverpool 4-1 to effectively settle the top-four race.
Another positive performance and result against one of their fellow heavyweights is helping Arsenal shake off their reputation for faltering against the big clubs and also gives them a psychological edge ahead of a potential FA Cup final meeting with Brendan Rodgers's boys in May.
Three goals in eight minutes prior to half time killed off the Reds before Olivier Giroud secured his side a seventh successive Premier League win late on.
No team has managed eight wins on the bounce this term, but few would bet against a side who has scored 43 goals and conceded only 13 in all competitions since their New Year's Day defeat to Southampton.
Although this streak appears to have come too late for Arsene Wenger's men to mount a title challenge, with Chelsea holding a seven-point advantage and a game in hand, second is theirs for the taking.
That would represent Arsenal's best finish in a decade, and the Londoners have a chance to consolidate their position as prospective runners-up at Turf Moor ahead of their Manchester rivals doing battle on Sunday.
Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Team News
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Arsenal had Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta and even Abou Diaby emerge unscathed from an Under-21s game in midweek, but their long layoffs and the club's current form mean that they are unlikely to be in the first-team reckoning yet.
Laurent Koscielny is an injury doubt for the visitors and may not be risked with next weekend's FA Cup semi-final against Reading in mind, so Gabriel Paulista is expected to play alongside Per Mertesacker in defence.
Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott will likely have to be content with places on a bench which should include Wojciech Szczesny again after a knock.
Burnley's team has had a very familiar look to it all season. Seven players have featured in 28 or more of their 31 league games.
Sean Dyche is again expected to name an unchanged team, with Dean Marney, Kevin Long and Matty Taylor injury absentees.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Heaton; Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee; Boyd, Arfield, Jones, Barnes; Ings, Vokes
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla; Ramsey, Sanchez, Ozil; Giroud
Head To Head
One of Burnley's few heavy defeats this season came in November's reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium as Alexis Sanchez scored twice in a 3-0 win for the Gunners.
Arsenal have not lost to Burnley in the league since 1974, but the Clarets did pull off a famous League Cup upset on their way to the last four of the competition in 2008.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Burnley have shown this season that they will not roll over for anyone, but this Arsenal side appear almost untouchable at present. There is no doubting Burnley's desire and work rate, but an attack consisting of Giroud, Sanchez and Mesut Ozil could prove too much for them.
Joe Fish
