Arsenal will continue nipping at the heels of Liverpool in an exciting title race when they host West Ham United on Saturday at Emirates Stadium.
Undeterred by their injury woes, the Gunners produced an emphatic 2-0 win against Leicester City last week while reducing the gap to seven points with league leaders Liverpool. Mikel Merino grabbed the headlines with a stellar double.
While their chips seemed to be down after the debacle against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup semi-finals, Arsenal kept their league form intact with a crucial win over the Foxes, preceded by a dominant 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City. Moreover, they have been undefeated in the Premier League since November.
The North Londoners have another great opportunity to extend their brilliant run against the struggling Hammers, who are languishing in 16th place in the table.
Mired in a turbulent season full of lows, West Ham have battling to regain the momentum, with their chances not looking up even with the arrival of new manager Graham Potter.
Potter’s terrible start to his managerial stint at the London Stadium extended with a disappointing defeat against Brentford last weekend. It will wilt their spirit heading into the clash against Arsenal.
Team News
Arsenal have been hit with a handful of injuries, especially in the attacking department, in the second half of the season. Kai Havertz recently joined the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli in the treatment room after sustaining a hamstring injury during a training session in Dubai.
It has forced Arteta to rely on a thin line-up, although it yielded a better result against Leicester. Meanwhile, Takehiro Tomiyasu will not feature again for the Gunners this season after undergoing knee surgery.
Predicted Arsenal line-up vs West Ham United
Goalkeeper
David Raya will look to make an impact again after keeping a clean sheet against Leicester City.
Defence
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have seemingly regained from their EFL Cup hungover against Newcastle United and will look to marshall the defence. Flanking the centre-back duo will be Jurrien Timber and Miles Lewis-Skelly.
Midfield
Arteta is expected to stick to his favoured trio of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard, who complement each other and help Arsenal dominate possession, control the tempo and create chances.
Attack
Mikel Merino is likely to get the nod in the starting XI following a terrific showing against Leicester City, with Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri completing the attacking trident.
