🕟 Kick Off: 15:00 GMT

📍 Location: Emirates Stadium, North London

📺 UK Broadcaster: N/A

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Craig Pawson

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Havertz is recovering from surgery on his hamstring.
• Saka remains in recovery following a hamstring injury.
• Jesus is in recovery following surgery on a torn ACL.
• Martinelli is absent with a hamstring issue.
• Tomiyasu is recovering from surgery on his knee and is expected to be out for the rest of the calendar year.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟥🟩🟩🟩

⚒️ West Ham Team News:

• Summerville, Fullkrug, and Coufal are absent with hamstring issues,
• Paqueta is recovering from an ankle injury.
• Antonio has a broken leg and will miss the game.

⚽ West Ham Form: 🟥🟥🟧🟥🟩

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• West Ham 2-5 Arsenal (30th Nov 2024, Premier League)
• West Ham 0-6 Arsenal (11th Feb 2024, Premier League)
• Arsenal 0-2 West Ham (28th Dec 2023, Premier League)
• West Ham 3-1 Arsenal (1st Nov 2023, EFL Cup)
• West Ham 2-2 Arsenal (16th Apr 2023, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• The last time Arsenal beat West Ham at the Emirates was in December 2022 where the match ended 3-1 with goals from Saka, Martinelli, and Nketiah.
• West Ham are yet to win a game under Graham Potter since he joined at the start of January.
• West Ham have the second most red cards this season at 3, only behind Arsenal at 4.

🎲 Odds (Betway):

• Arsenal – 1/4
• Draw – 19/4
• West Ham – 10/1

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

Arsenal have the opportunity to gain two points on league leaders Liverpool with a win here after Liverpool dropped points against Aston Villa midweek (thanks Unai). This is a chance we have to take – no ifs, no buts – if we want to have any chance at chasing the Scousers down.

The last time West Ham visited the Emirates was in December 2023 where they beat us 0-2 with a goal from ex-Gunner Mavropanos. Our next two results against the East Londoners came with us scoring 11 goals. Lets hope we can keep that scoring record up.

West Ham have struggled since ex-Brighton man Graham Potter took charge, with the Hammers returning 3 losses and 1 draw and only 2 goals scored.

One to watch this game is who starts out of Merino and Sterling. Merino rescued a dire performance against Leicester with a late brace after replacing Sterling as a substitute. Should Arteta make this change in the starting lineup, it may bury Sterling in a hole that would be very hard to climb out of. It’s a big call to make, and I don’t know if he would do it.