All eyes will be on Arsene Wenger here as he takes charge of his 811th Premier League game - a record which sees him surpass long-time rival Sir Alex Ferguson - but matters on the field are even more important with West Brom facing the prospect of ending the year bottom of the table while Arsenal fell further behind the top four yesterday.

We will have a closer look at both clubs a little later, but let's start with the team news...

Well, we'll have a look at the hosts in a short while, but let's start with Wenger's selection on his record-breaking day, and the headline news is that Mesut Ozil misses out entirely for the visitors this afternoon.

Speculation continues to rage regarding Ozil's future with his contract due to expire at the end of the season but he was still expected to start today, so to be omitted from the squad entirely is strange - unless it is down to a previously unspecified injury, of course.

There have been rumours of a rift between Sanchez and a number of his teammates due to the Chilean's attitude at times this season - and more questions were raised when some of his teammates appeared to snub a celebration following one of his goals against Palace - but even so Sanchez keeps his place in the team today.

The England international once again starts this afternoon, making it five consecutive appearances in the Arsenal starting lineup for the first time since October 2013 - a real sign that he is coming back to full fitness. A five-game streak would be something to celebrate for Wilshere at any time, but to have come when the games arrive so thick and fast will be particularly pleasing.

That means another start for Chambers in the three-man defence - due largely to Monreal's absence through injury - while Lacazette leads the line again and Xhaka continues alongside Wilshere in the middle of the park.

The Baggies have shown a little more attacking intent under Pardew even if the goals haven't come with it, but against Arsenal they will be resigned to conceding the vast majority of possession and Rondon - who has failed to recover from a hamstring injury - would have been a valuable asset to hold the ball up.

West Brom's team sheet suggests that Rodriguez will play up alongside Robson-Kanu in a 4-4-2 formation, but in reality it is likely to be Robson-Kanu leading the line for the most part.

Barry, of course, knows all about breaking Premier League records having played more times in the division than any other player, who his presence in the West Brom side means that the competition's most experienced manager will come up against its most experienced player today.

There will be plenty of focus on Jonny Evans too, with the West Brom skipper heavily linked with a move in January and Arsenal one of the clubs understood to be interested in his services.

As things stand it could be the difference between a Premier League winners' medal or relegation, with West Brom starting this match as the division's bottom club following Swansea's win over Watford yesterday.

Indeed, at the beginning of the day a victory would have lifted them up to 17th place by virtue of their superior goal difference over Crystal Palace, but Palace's unlikely draw against the Manchester City juggernaut earlier today means that West Brom can no longer climb out of the bottom three.

The Baggies have also only lost nine games - the joint-lowest tally outside the top nine teams - but it is their lack of wins which have been the biggest problem. West Brom have won just twice all season, which is half the amount of the next lowest tally of victories in the division.

However, the Baggies are now winless since August, going a club-record 19 games - including 18 in the Premier League - without tasting victory. Indeed, their current 18-match barren run is the worst suffered by any club since Aston Villa's 19-game streak came to an end in January 2016.

Alan Pardew's arrival has not exactly improved matters either, with the new boss still winless after six games. His record against Arsenal will worry West Brom fans too, with Pardew failing to win any of this last 12 league meetings with the Gunners, after winning two and drawing one of his first three against them.

Indeed, only Swansea have scored fewer in the whole of the Premier League over the course of the season, and they have even failed to score in eight of their last 14 home league games - including three of their last five.

West Brom are actually quite a tough team to beat here, with their three defeats matching Burnley and Everton and only one more than Chelsea have suffered, but they have still picked up fewer home points than every team apart from Swansea in the division, winning only once.

Liverpool's win over Leicester City yesterday took them four points clear of Arsenal and ensured that the Gunners cannot end the year in the Champions League places, but with Spurs not in action this gameweek Arsenal need to only avoid defeat to move above their North London rivals.

Five defeats before the turn of the year is not good enough for the Gunners, and they have already suffered 11 league defeats for the calendar year, which is the most in Wenger's reign.

Three of those games have ended as draws, though, and their defensive record has taken a hit in the last two with five goals conceded against Liverpool and Crystal Palace - although they scored six to take four points from those two games.

The Gunners don't get as much criticism for their defence as a club like Liverpool, but they have actually conceded more goals than any other team in the top seven this season, and their tally of 50 conceded in 2017 is their most in a single calendar year since 1984.

It has been a very patchy December for the Gunners, who have only won two of their six Premier League games this month to drop nine points from the 18 on offer. Indeed, victory today would be the first time this month that they have managed back-to-back league wins.

If only away form counted in the Premier League this season then the Gunners would only sit ninth in the table having won only three of their 10 games on the road, picking up fewer points than Burnley, Watford and Leicester amongst others. They are, however, unbeaten in their last four top-flight away games, which is their best run for more than a year.

During that time Wenger has won 468, drawn 197 and lost 145 of his games, winning the title three times including the only 'Invincible' season in Premier League history. The Frenchman's aura has diminished over the past decade or so, but he is undoubtedly still one of the all-time Premier League great managers.

West Brom are on a torrid run of form at the moment, but they have been slightly better under Pardew despite the results not really improving. Arsenal, meanwhile, have been very hit-and-miss on the road, so this could be a potential banana skin for them. I am backing the Baggies to come away with a point here.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: West Brom 1-1 Arsenal

To put that into contest, West Brom had only won twice in their previous 23 home games against Arsenal before that, so it has been a huge improvement from the Baggies over the last two years.

Sanchez fired back for Arsenal to level the scores at one point, but Robson-Kanu was also on the scoresheet to hand the Baggies a famous victory.

The reverse fixture this season took place in September, when Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners at the Emirates courtesy of a Lacazette brace.

WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Dawson, Hegazi, Evans, Gibbs; Phillips, Livermore, Barry, Brunt; Robson-Kanu, Rodriguez

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Cech; Chambers, Koscielny, Mustafi; Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Iwobi, Lacazette, Sanchez

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Chances were few and far between at both ends of the field, but it is West Brom who will go into the halfway stage happier with their performance so far.

Despite that, the closest they have come was a fairly tame header from Rodriguez which was comfortably saved by Cech. Livermore had a half-chance shortly afterwards when Cech spilled the ball inside the box, but nothing came of it.

Both of Foster's saves - from Xhaka and Iwobi - were routine ones, but the latter almost saw the keeper dive too early and he needed to readjust to claw it behind for a corner.

Arsenal will be hoping that they cannot be as toothless going forward in the coming 45 minutes, while West Brom will want to turn their good positions into tangible chances.

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It is poor defending from West Brom and McClean in particular, who turned his back while in the wall. The ball goes through the gap he left and takes a deflection off him before flying past the keeper and in. It may go down as a McClean own goal, but Sanchez is claiming it for now.

The penalty is a hugely controversial one as Gibbs gets the slightest touch to the ball to turn it against Chambers. It hits the defender's arm, but it is no way deliberate and there was nothing Chambers could do to prevent it, so it is very harsh. Nevertheless, Rodriguez steps up and fires it straight down the middle!

The bulk of the action was reserved for the final seven minutes as West Brom spoil Arsene Wenger's record-breaking day with a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns, with both goals coming in the dying embers of the game. Sanchez appeared to have won it for the Gunners when his free kick deflected in off McClean, but there was more drama to come when Chambers was harshly penalised for a handball and Rodriguez fired the resulting penalty home.

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as West Bromwich Albion strike late to rescue a draw with Arsenal on Arsene Wenger's record-breaking day. I will leave you with our match report, but from me it is goodbye for now, and a very happy New Year!