Arsenal will host West Ham United at the Emirates, and Mikel Arteta will want to go temporarily on top of the table and add to the pressure on Liverpool.
Arsenal have shown they are consistent and can keep getting stronger with their performances following two accomplished displays in a short span ahead of the latest Premier League game against West Ham United. Starting with last weekend, the Gunners travelled to St. James’ Park, where they had struggled for relevance over the last few years, but came away with a win.
There was a usual feistiness in the game between the two sides, as the Gunners were denied a penalty in the first half and stood still as Newcastle United then went on to take the lead through Nick Woltemade. Arsenal came roaring back in the second period and dominated proceedings, which paid off in the end.
Substitute Mikel Merino found a late equaliser, and then Gabriel Magalhaes scored off a corner at the death to deliver the points. Earlier this week, Arsenal resumed their Champions League campaign and put in another attacking performance by beating Olympiacos at the Emirates.
At the moment, the Gunners are reaching their best levels, and a win over West Ham United on Saturday will take them to the top of the standings, albeit temporarily. A victory will add to the pressure on Liverpool, who face Chelsea later in the day.
Meanwhile, West Ham United have enjoyed a positive start to life under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese tactician will have been pleased by the effort and performances of his players, as they battled to get a draw away at Everton.
Espirito Santo will be hopeful to see more improvements now that he has spent considerable time on the training pitch with his new team. Whether that will be enough to beat Arsenal or if they even get a point out of the Emirates remains the big question, as the Portuguese manager does not have the best of records when facing the Gunners away from home.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta does not have any fresh concerns following the two important games last Sunday and Wednesday. There were some concerns about Gabriel Magalhaes following his late substitution against Olympiacos, although the knock is not expected to rule him out of the West Ham game on Saturday.
The Arsenal boss made multiple changes in the midweek UEFA Champions League clash, as those who were on the bench are widely expected to start against West Ham United on Saturday. Those include Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, with the English duo likely to form the front three setup alongside Viktor Gyokeres.
Martin Odegaard is widely expected to start in the midfield trifecta alongside Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, while Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori will return to the backline.
Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Noni Madueke are the ones missing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, while Piero Hincapie is expected to return shortly from his groin issue. Arteta will once again have a solid enough bench to change games, although he will hope his starting lineup does its job and those off the bench add gloss to the scoreline.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
West Ham United
Nuno Espirito Santo is unlikely to change anything from his setup from last weekend, and Soungoutou Magassa will continue to be a part of West Ham United midfield against Arsenal, and as will Matues Fernandes, with the new boss instantly changing a problem area of the pitch.
The suspension of Tomas Soucek also helped in this transition, with the Czech midfielder set to serve the last of his three-match ban. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also a doubt as he has been nursing a stomach problem, so Kyle Walker-Peters will once again deputise at right-back.
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman will continue their partnership at the heart of the defence, with El Hadji Malick Diouf set to start at left-back. Lucas Paqueta will assume the attacking midfield role, with Crysencio Summerville and key man Jarrod Bowen stationed on the wings.
Finally, Nuno Espirito Santo might continue to play Nicklas Fullkrug in his leading role, with Callum Wilson an option to lead the line for West Ham against Arsenal if the Portuguese tactician wishes to experiment.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf; Magassa, Fernandes; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville; Fullkrug
Key Stats
- Arsenal are undefeated in 31 of their last 34 matches in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have conceded only three goals all season, and only one from open play across all competitions.
- West Ham United’s four points this season have all come away from home.
- West Ham have won on their last two visits to the Emirates in the Premier League.
- West Ham United have lost more Premier League London derbies than any other side (134), suffering eight defeats in their last 11 derby matches (W2 D1).
Player to Watch
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard has roared back to form in the last two games and thoroughly impressed in the brief, game-changing cameo at St. James’ Park to turn the match on its head. Mikel Arteta will want his captain at his very best, and when the Norwegian playmaker is on song, Arsenal tend to play at their scintillating best.
The Arsenal captain has shown over the brief period that he has what it takes to make this team tick, and Arteta will want to construct the style around the Norwegian international. The game against West Ham, often a thorn in Arsenal’s plans, will be a big test for Odegaard to make his mark, as he will be the player in focus.
Prediction
Arsenal 3-0 West Ham United
Teams that have struggled so far this season have found it the hard way when visiting the Emirates in the league. Espirito Santo does not have a particularly good record when playing Arsenal at this venue, and given his relatively short period with the Hammers so far, it’s difficult to see anything other than a defeat at the Emirates.
Arsenal have blown teams away at the Emirates, with the likes of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest the prime examples of that. The fans will be hoping the team has the right momentum ahead of this clash with West Ham, as this might be the perfect opportunity to banish the ghosts of the past two seasons against West Ham whenever they face them here. Hence, it’s difficult to see anything beyond a big Gunners win.
