Weclome to Eurosport's live coverage of the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium!

Stoke string a dozen or so passes together inside the Arsenal half before Matthew Etherington cuts in from the right and drills a low shot wide of Wojciech Szczesny's goal.

Andre Santos gallops down the left wing but the Brazilian controls the ball with his arm and is penalised.

Stoke kick off and we're underway at the Emirates!

The teams are walking out on to the pitch now. You can share your thoughts on Van Persie dropping to the bench, Stoke's good start to the season or anything else you fancy either by posting in the comments box below or getting in touch with me via Twitter @tony_mabert.

This will be the club’s 100th Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium. They have won 66, drawn 22 and lost 11 of their 99 Premier League matches at the stadium, scoring 198 goals and conceding 76. In total they have picked up 220 points there – the fourth-most home points since the start of the 2006-07 behind Manchester United (265), Chelsea (234) and Liverpool (221).

Stoke have lost both league matches which have imediately followed Europa League group games this season, something manager Tony Pulis believes is a psychological issue. He said: "We've looked at the Prozone statistics and it shows the lads did as much running at Sunderland and Swansea. It's a mental thing rather than a physical problem. Our running stats in those two matches were very, very good. But we didn't look as sharp mentally as maybe we could be."

Wenger did reveal in Friday's pre-match press conference that he was contemplating resting Van Persie, who has already played 16 matches this season already and 41 this year. He said: "On Monday I decide always to rest him and on Friday I play him again. It is always a difficult decision (leaving him out) to make at the moment, but I will have to do it. We will assess everybody, then I will make the decision for Sunday. I will have to rotate a little bit."

Head-to-head: Arsenal have won four of their last five Premier League matches against Stoke, but lost in their last meeting – 3-1 at the Britannia Stadium back in May. Stoke have lost all three of their previous Premier League visits to the Emirates and their last six away league matches against Arsenal in total, since a 1 -0 victory in old Division One in August 1981.

Stoke arrive at the Emirates in eighth place, two points and three places better off than their hosts. A win for Arsenal would lift them up to sixth in the table, while victory for the Potters could see them go as high as fifth.

Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson starts for Stoke but another ex-Gunner, winger Jermaine Pennant, misses out through injury. Despite both scoring in the midweek win over Maccabi Tel Aviv, Kenwyne Jones and Cameron Jerome are dropped in favour of Jon Walters and Peter Crouch.

Confirmation there that Van Persie starts against the Potters on the bench, with Marouane Chamakh playing in his stead. The much-maligned Moroccan starts his first Premier League game of the season. Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey return to the starting line-up after they were substitutes in the midweek win at Marseille, while Johan Djourou replaces the injured Carl Jenkinson.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Djourou, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Song, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott, Gervinho, Chamakh. Subs: Fabianski, Frimpong, Rosicky, Benayoun, Arshavin, Park, Van Persie /// Stoke: Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Upson, Wilson, Whitehead, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Walters, Crouch. Subs: Sorensen, Huth, Shotton, Diao, Palacios, Jerome, Jones.

We'll have full team news as we get it, but reports coming out of the Emirates are that Arsenal captain and star striker Robin van Persie has been rested by Arsene Wenger. A big call from the Gunners boss.