Arsenal could temporarily lead Manchester City by eight points if they host West Ham United in the Emirates in a derby in London.
Meanwhile, David Moyes’ men are 15 positions and 23 points behind their capital rivals and are at risk of falling below the dreaded dotted line.
It’s been fifteen years since Arsenal topped the Premier League table at Christmas and the fiery Gunners need no reminder of how the rest of the season went after the devastating injury to one of their key strikers.
Eduardo da Silva’s horribly broken leg has thwarted Arsenal’s quest for glory this year and Mikel Arteta is currently racking his brains on how to fill in Gabriel Jesus-sized shoes after the Brazilian’s knee surgery, but Emirates is the buzz that was not felt. for a while.
A 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers just before the World Cup break – their third successive Premier League win – saw Arsenal maintain a five-point lead over Manchester City that Leeds United have not had so far the fair will not be used on Tuesday. and cannot become a dangerous leader of The Gunners, no matter what happens in the next round.
Arteta’s team secured silver in the Dubai Super Cup during the winter break, beating Lyon and AC Milan in a four-team friendly, but their last exhibition game at the Emirates ended in a disappointing 2-0 loss to one of the youths.” Juventus.” command.
Home supporters who braved the cold weather in the Emirates were not rewarded last weekend, but Arsenal hosted West Ham in a nine-game home winning streak in the Premier League, scoring two goals each time, and the Gunners did not have been at home since 1987. day in your own territory.
While Arsenal couldn’t stop winning the 2022/23 Premier League season, West Ham’s record book has a red streak ahead of the World Cup halftime and the European Conference League contenders are dancing with the devil at the bottom of the rankings. 🇧🇷
On either side of Blackburn Rovers, who were knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties, the Hammers were defeated in the top flight in front of their fans at Crystal Palace and Leicester City and reached the World Cup halftime in 16th. place – just one point higher. departure zone.
Moyes’ underperforming players, who have lost three Premier League games in a row and won only one of their last six league games, could thus end up in the bottom three if the holiday results aren’t favorable, but away play brought some improvement. good luck in the winter friendly matches.
Indeed, West Ham beat Cambridge United 4-2 and Udinese 3-1 before drawing 1-1 against Fulham last Saturday. Games outside the Premier League. and scored just three away goals in the top flight all season.
Arsenal’s last six Premier League home fixtures against West Ham have all ended in victories for the Gunners, who also managed a 2-1 win at the London Stadium in May, and Arteta will no doubt be delighted to be able to join his the former victory of the Everton manager. Moyes again.
Arsenal number 9 Jesus was a minor player for Brazil in Qatar, but his situation worsened when he suffered a serious knee injury against Cameroon that sidelined him for about three months.
Before the January transfer window opens, the offensive burden will fall on Eddie Nketiah, but Arteta’s only other guaranteed absentee is Reiss Nelson, who injured his hamstring in a friendly loss to Juventus.
It remains to be seen if William Saliba will be given the green light to return after reaching the World Cup final with France, while Emil Smith Rowe is yet to return from groin surgery and the permanently injured Oleksandr Zinchenko also remains in doubt due to a hamstring injury.
Similarly, West Ham have been suffering from health issues of their own in the final third as Moyes admitted that calf and ankle problems meant Michael Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca were dubious for the London derby respectively, so Jarrod Bowen could be needed in the role. center.
Defenders Nayef Agerd and Aaron Creswell are also struggling to be in shape for the game, but Maxwell Kornet should have a better chance of recovering from a calf injury and Kurt Zouma is down.
Peripheral for France in the World Cup, former goalscorer Lukasz Fabianski will start in his old stronghold, while Lucas Paquetá and Declan Rice will be welcomed with open arms in the XI.
Teams Forms:
Arsenal Premier League form:
W W D W W W
Arsenal form all competitions:
W L W W W L
West Ham United Premier League form:
D L W L L L
West Ham United form all competitions:
W L L L W D
Previous Matches Results:
Arsenal
Arsenal 0-2 Juventus (17/12) – Friendly
Arsenal 2-1 AC Milan (13/12) – Dubai Super Cup
Arsenal 3-0 Lyon (08/12) – Dubai Super Cup
Wolves 0-2 Arsenal (12/11) – Premier League
Arsenal 1-3 Brighton (09/11) – EFL Cup
West Ham
Fulham 1-1 West Ham (17/12) – Friendly
Udinese 1-3 West Ham (10/12) – Friendly
Cambridge United 2-4 West Ham (06/12) – Friendly
West Ham 0-2 Leicester City (12/11) – Premier League
West Ham 2-2 (9-10p) Blackburn Rovers – EFL Cup
Arsenal vs West Ham: Key stats
- The last seven meetings between these sides have produced 28 goals
- West Ham haven’t taken points off Arsenal at the Emirates since August 2015 – a 2-0 win
Arsenal (4-3-3):
Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1):
Lucasz Fabianski; Thilo Kehrer, Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell; Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice; Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Said Benrahma; Gianluca Scamacca.