Arsenal play host to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday as Mikel Arteta takes charge of his first game at the Emirates Stadium.
The Blues make the short trip across London holding a three-point advantage over the chasing pack in the race for fourth position.
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After picking up a point from his first fixture in charge at Bournemouth, Arteta suggested that his new side had exceeded his expectations given their previous indifferent performances.
However, while earning a share of the spoils at the Vitality Stadium was a respectable result, the Spaniard will know that this needs to be the start of a positive turnaround at the club.
With the draw being the second stalemate in succession after holding Everton at Goodison Park, Arsenal head into the weekend sitting in 11th position in the table after recording just five wins from 19 matches.
There remains just an eight-point gap between themselves and their next opponents, however, and Arteta will regard the upcoming contest as a window of opportunity.
The former Manchester City assistant will also have been delighted to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang get on the scoresheet against Bournemouth at a time when the club captain’s future remains up in the air.
With just 18 months left on his contract, there is the suggestion that showdown talks will soon be held between the pair, but his goal on the south coast reiterated that he remains an important part of this squad until the end of the season.
Arsenal have been at their weakest at the other end of the pitch, although conceding just twice in their last three away games will only suggest to Arteta that this group of players are pulling in the right direction.
Despite the contrasting positions of the two clubs, Lampard will be feeling frustrated with his squad’s inability to build on what the Englishman considered to be their best performance of the season against Tottenham Hotspur.
While he may opt to revert to the same team which began at Spurs, the surprise element of using Mason Mount and Willian has gone, likely making it easier for Arsenal to construct a gameplan for the weekend.
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Having missed out at the weekend, Nicolas Pepe could be handed a starting role by Arteta as he looks to freshen up his starting lineup.
With Sokratis Papastathopoulos having suffered a head injury against Bournemouth, Calum Chambers is expected to return after serving his one-match ban.
Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi may get the nod in midfield ahead of Lucas Torreira, while Mesut Ozil could retain his spot in the team.
Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has also completed his one-match suspension, with the Croatian potentially being preferred to Jorginho.
Mount may come into the team in place of Hudson-Odoi, while Reece James is an option on the right side of defence if he is able to shake off an ankle problem.