Arsenal vs West Ham United

Emirates Stadium forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League showdown between Arsenal and West Ham United.

Arsenal’s bid to end a two-decade title drought in the Premier League is back on track after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa in midweek. Indeed, despite lagging eight points behind the Reds, Mikel Arteta’s men have a game in hand amid a promising three-game winning league streak, bookended by a 2-0 away win against Leicester. With Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Kai Havertz sidelined with injuries, Arsenal’s frontline looks crippled. However, the Gunners can’t seek excuses as they hope to extend a 15-game unbeaten league run at the Emirates (W11, D4), including two victories against fellow London rivals. West Ham’s visit inspires further confidence after Arsenal thrashed them 5-2 in November’s reverse fixture. Furthermore, they won 6-0 in their previous top-flight H2H in February 2024.

Meanwhile, West Ham’s disappointing Premier League campaign shows no signs of improvement as they start this round in 16th after a narrow 1-0 loss to Brentford last weekend. Since beating Fulham 3-2 on his touchline debut, new manager Graham Potter has only picked up one point from four league matches, with his side beaten ‘to nil’ twice in that run! Leaving their home turf doesn’t bode well, considering the Irons have won only one of their last six away league games (D2, L3), scoring precisely once on each occasion. Furthermore, they’re on a disastrous eight-game losing H2H streak on the road, highlighting the size of the task awaiting them.