Arsenal and West Ham United are set to reignite their London rivalry at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon and this is the team that Mikel Arteta has selected.
The Gunners find themselves in a strong position, sitting second in the table with 53 points, eight behind league leaders Liverpool. Their recent form has been nothing short of impressive, with a 15-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League showcasing their title credentials. Arsenal’s last outing saw them secure a comfortable 2-0 victory away at Leicester City, further solidifying their position in the top four.
Arsenal’s home form this season has been particularly formidable. They remain the only unbeaten side at home in the league, turning the Emirates into a fortress. This impressive run extends back to April 2024, with the Gunners not tasting defeat on home soil in their last 15 Premier League matches.
The Gunners have had to adapt their playing style in recent weeks due to injuries to key attacking players. This has led to a more possession-based approach, with the team patiently probing for openings rather than relying on quick transitions. The full-backs have been pushed higher up the pitch to provide width, while the midfield has taken on a more creative role to compensate for the absence of regular wingers.
In stark contrast to their opponents, West Ham United find themselves in a precarious position. Currently sitting 16th in the table with 27 points, the Hammers are perilously close to the relegation battle. Their recent form has been poor, with just one win in their last seven Premier League outings.
The east London side’s last match ended in a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Brentford, extending their winless run to four games. Their away form has been particularly concerning, with no Premier League victory on the road since December 2024.
Recent history favours Arsenal in this fixture. The Gunners have won three of the last five encounters between the two sides, including a commanding 5-2 victory at the London Stadium in November. However, West Ham did manage to secure a 2-0 win at the Emirates last December, which could provide some encouragement for the visitors.
The midfield battle will be crucial in determining the outcome of this match. Arsenal’s ability to control possession and dictate the tempo will be vital, while West Ham will need to disrupt this rhythm if they hope to get a result.
Set-pieces could also play a significant role. Arsenal have been prolific from crosses this season, scoring 13 goals, more than any other Premier League team. West Ham will need to be vigilant in defending these situations.
Given Arsenal’s strong home record and West Ham’s struggles, particularly away from home, the Gunners will be firm favourites and it will be a huge surprise if they do not pick up all three points.
COYG🦍
Let’s go!!!
Arteta means business with this game.
Looking forward to watching Merino play upfront for a good number of minutes.
Merino and Calafiori becoming starters could mean Arteta wants more tall players in defending set-pieces
He might also be worried about the physicalities of Kudus and Wan-Bissaka on our left wing
I don’t think Merino has the stamina to do high-pressing for 90 minutes, but I hope I’m wrong
@Gai my worry is If Merino doesn’t click at CF today what option do we have? The midfielders must be ready to contribute goals.
Merino doesn’t have to score as long as he can do decent hold-up play to let our wingers score
He’s very good in tight spaces, so he’d likely thrive in the false-nine role
Let’s close that gap to 5 boys!
COYG!!!
The team will need to play to Merino’s strengths today. They lie mostly in his aerial prowess in and around the box. If they do we’d have the points in the bag
I came out real again….you don’t need to be a fortune teller with this team. Useless! With a clown coach! It’s the eighth miracle that we’re still in second place! It’s a pity there’s no one with A little responsibility there at Arsenal, get a broomstick.
COYG
Love you boy’s.
What a shambles having to rely on Merino up front, Arteta and his chums really cocked up in January, here’s hoping our new number 9 can deliver the goods again like last weekend, good luck to the boys today 👍
Merino may just save his blushes and make him look like a genius but that is unlikely.
I think Arteta has taken stock of what happened last week and this team looks good to me
A must win and hopefully city can beat Liverpool so they can feel a bit of pressure.
Can Merino continue where he left off. Fingers crossed🤞
It’s Odegaard who needs to step up massively with so many abses. He’s the captain, the engine but needs to contribute way more goals. 2 goals 3 assists in 17 games is very bad.
*Absences
Very slow start
So many misplaced passes already in the opening 10 mins
Another factors of having no attacking backup is we can’t go full blast with no replacement on the bench. We cannot tire ourselves out early
But so far we have been very poor
We are playing like a team who only targetting top 4 and that spot is confirmed
We are finding it so difficult to break other teams
Again and permanently, we start as if the score is 3-0 from the locker room. We will lose a half as usual again, and in the end we will run and not make it. What a shitty mentality!
That’s terrible
We can’t score and we conceded
I hope I am wrong
But game is over
What a silly mentality. Yes, it’s been very poor but that sort of defeatist attitude is just as bad.
Can’t believe we spent a summer chasing Calafiori. He’s not good enough. That’s awful.
According to Arsenal radio, Partey was at fault.
Partey usually is, SueP. He’s just too slow to react and out of position more times than I can care to remember.
More shite from Arteta’s Arsenal, bang average side with no clue, bring on Sterling at half-time, he’ll sort it out! 😉
Sterling 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Like they used to do with the Police band at Highbury… happy days
Never seen Rice this Poor
He has been absolutely dire.
This is what I came to say. Awful in possession and got back for the goal but didn’t do anything. No point running all that way if you aren’t going to pick up the only player in the box.
He saw Bowen and left him. Poor.
And Odergaard has been invisible.
Try playing Nathan Butler-Oyedeji
He is a CF
Big tall
Had a really good loan seasons
Anyway we are losing
What sort of football is that. Bloody awful, thats what. Back to the SLOW, DELIBERATE, BACKWARDS PASSING football. The defending has been poor, should have been punished more. We look like a team that needs a week away in Dubai!!!!!!
I think Calafiori should’ve gotten closer to Wan-Bissaka. Hopefully he’ll contribute to a goal for us in the second half
I believe we can score from set-pieces today
As usual we drop points whenever we have a chance of gaining ground to catch Liverpool. Playing Merino as striker can only get you this type of performance. Yes we had bad luck with injuries, but everyone knew we are short upfront the whole season and yet MA decided to do nothing when he had a chance to fix in Jan.
Arteta failed to fix in the Summer, but hey we have 4 LB’s and 4 DM’s, and no upgrade in striker for 5 years, at least there is that.
With City likely to put a halt on Liverpools charge tomorrow, a win today would give us a chance to close the gap even more. Unfortunately we’re incapable of stepping up when we need it most. Utter amateur crap performance so far then!
That was a really amateur hour goal, absolutely unacceptable at the back. Doubt if MLS would’ve let that through.
Let’s face it we were never going to win the league.We messed up the last season’s so why would it be any different this season.Westham win 2nil
Spot on
You are absolutely right
We are just not good enough
We are chokers
But why are so frustrated??
We already knew that title was long gone
So just chill and let the season end
Six minutes of the second half gone and I’m reaching for my smartphone which just about tells you how lame we’ve been this half as well.
Calafiori has zero composure. Please get him off.
Kudus has single handedly outplaying us
West Ham still pushing for more and we’re struggling still..
I think the ref has more chance of scoring than we do!
Max we can get is draw
Frankly speaking i don’t see how apart from a set piece or a nwaneri/trossard cross.
Good to see Arteta using Zinchenko in midfield. He’s a good player, just not a LB. And he couldn’t do any worse than Rice has today.
Califiori had a shocker but who exactly is having good game? Trossard? Merino, Odegaard?. And while I’m at it, gripe time, Haven’t we been too lenient with Timber, ? This guy costs us 40 million plus but what exactly does he bring to the team? Another centre half when what was needed was a better attacking option.
This is an absolute shambles, how the hell has it been allowed to get this bad? The football we play is so poor it’s laughable, this has to be Arteta’s last season in charge, enough is enough.
Whom you can replace with??
Sacking Arteta can be easy but with whom you will replace him
Sack a manager for coming in 2nd?
Time and again I’ve said Saka is caring this team on his tender shoulders and saving Mikel. Period!
That could be red card
No complaints at all
Looks bad for Shelley, doesn’t it?
My prediction has gone to pot. Grrr!
SueP, last week we struggled against the second last team for over 80 minutes, Hammers and the Toffees are looking better with new managers, I expected a 0-1 and it happened. PSV will play a 0-0 here and Nick a goal over there. The season is a write off like the previous 4 seasons
Game over and season most likely over too..
Season was way back over when Liverpool went 9 points clear
The goal was open. He might have scored.
That is exactly what the Arsenal radio commentary team said.
Yeah I know Sue, I’m listening. My stream went down on 43 minutes.😂
After the teams performance Jax, I bet you wish it had gone down at kick-off. 🤣😂😉👍
What a joke
Second red for MLS in what, 4 mstches? This is a pattern now.
How do you figure when the first red card was overturned due to it being a nonsense decision and this one was being caught in possession and being forced to bring down Kudus. It was only a red because Raya was 400 yards from his goal line, otherwise it isn’t a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Lewis-Skelly’s error not withstanding, this red card situation was created by Raya needlessly way out of his goal line. Had he been in the right position, the foul wouldn’t have been considered a goal-scoring opportunity.
Raya is the suffering the second season syndrome with Mikel, he’ll be gone in the summer
Game over
It’s time for Arteta to reflect on what he did wrongly this season and what he can improve next season, because Real/ Atletico Madrid, Liverpool/ PSG and Barcelona/ Bayern Muenchen will be waiting for us in UCL if we get past PSV
While Arteta is our manager, everything will be the same. Useless absolutely Useless.
Amazing we are this high up in the table we’re pure shite no style no pride total clear out needed starting with the manager odeagard would b my 1st sale
It always gets me uncomfortable how far Raya is out of goal, no need for it most times
What does Odegaard actually do? He doesn’t lead, he can’t pass, he can’t score, makes terrible decisions. Have Saka and Ben White just been making him look good this whole time?
Awful.
Odegaard is a system player that only performs when everything is full at 100%. He struggles once one part is missing or not at full capacity.
Yeah. Also,season saving free kick chance edge of box,perfect left foot position. Let’s sterling take it.omg
Well that trip to Dubai was successful. We lost our only non striker striker and everyone else is still on the beech. This club is a joke. And the manager is clueless.
We were offered Tel, Fergusson, Muoni. Rashford and Asensio were available. Arteta made the decision he didn’t want a loan striker.
It’s amazing when we have a chance to catch Liverpool we don’t put 100% effect in .It’s the hope that hurts.Let’s hope Liverpool win tomorrow,then we all know the season is over once and for all
Game set and match. A forward line of Merino, Trossard, Odegaard and Stirling. Not exactly champion material.
The season was already over when we lost all our attackers. Been saying, just get top 4 and move on to the next season. At least some folks can now stop talking about PSV like they’re a pub side. They have every opportunity to beat us. We’ve got no attack, and players like Odegaard who have not shown up most the season. How are we supposed to win some of these big games when we can barley put one past Leicester and cant put one past West Ham?
This is PL. Playing square peg can only win you a match here and there but eventually you will be found out. First MA need to stop playing CB and Midfielders as a Fullback. Even pep a master of inverted FB plays with only one but ours are both inverted.
Season over but who to blame
1. Arteta
2. The board
3. Shit players
I’m passed disappointed more embarrassed and ashamed to be an arsenal fan today
1. No fight
2. No passion
3. No courage
4. No direction
It was truly a shit performance.
The reason why Merino was bought by Arteta is now revealed.. To play him as forward while the burnt out players got injured.
Arteta has to go tonight we will never win the league with this man in charge. So so embarrassing today and I can guarantee no one will say anything different
Down to 10 men, game over and we NOW decide to try and score. Absolute joke!!!!
Another season down the drain. I will need to wait at least another year until I can celebrate winning the league with my grandkids, the same way I did with my children and my dad before. This heartbreak year on year is starting to get to me.
Raya showing Califiori how to defend. Highlight of the game.
I guess Dans EPL predictions should have said “Arsenal to lose, while Liverpool keeps winning” Just saying 🤨
When was the last time we scored a beautiful team goal? We’ve been playing like this all season, even in the games we’ve won. We’ve become a really hard watch. Scrappy goals and set pieces have papered over the cracks.
IrishGunner,
I thing it was back in the Wenger era. 😂😉👍
Arteta HAS to go for the future of this club. We are winning nothing under him. Once a Rookie always a Rookie.
A director has to come in and take charge. Address the holes in the squad and balance the squad.
Imagine 5 years, 750 million, complete control and decision making, and this is what we have.
Even a fully fit squad there’s no strikers, just square pegs.
5 years and Sterling is the backup for Saka.
Next year Arteta should be on notice, and DOF needs to set the agenda for Summer transfers, not Arteta.
He is on notice now for me. I hate watching boring ARTETABALL.
That performance had vibes of the beginning of the end for Arteta, totally flat from start to finish and beaten at home to a west ham who we absolutely smashed away a few months ago, there’s no way this bloke is ever winning the league or champions league for us and even the domestic cups he’s found a way to chuck them away every season, he’s turning out to be a serial loser as a top flight coach and I think it’s time for a change of direction and a fresh face with new ideas, I hope the owners make the right decision in the summer.
Arsenal can only win the premier league and champions league in justarsenal forum ,,,sometimes when I read some of the unrealistic opinions or views on how can top Liverpool and go on to win the league or champions league never cease to amaze me ,,,Arteta is failure,,maybe as from next season some of our best players will force themselves out of the club because every season we have nothing to show
You can tell whether this is going to be our game or not in the first 5 minutes, especially at home, and you knew it wasn’t, there was a total lack of enthusiasm about the team, don’t know why, you’d have thought given Liverpool dropped points they would’ve buoyed up. If they’d have played in the first 5 minutes like in the last 19 we would’ve stood a chance. To get a second red card for a foul on the half way line in the same season is just wrong. But why did VAR stick their noses in, when they didn’t make Oliver go to the screen?
Arsenal can only win the premier league and champions league in justarsenal forum ,,,sometimes when I read some of the unrealistic opinions or views on how can top Liverpool and go on to win the league or champions league never cease to amaze me ,,,Arteta is failure,,maybe as from next season some of our best players will force themselves out of the club because every season we have nothing to show ,,,shameful
I think it is somewhat harsh everyone blaming Arteta, yes he doesnt always make the right decisions, but he was firm in the fact that we needed people in January. The players also said this This is the fault of the owners, and when most of the players are in the treatment room, while the rest are dead on their feet motivation is at a premium.
Liverpool without Salah/Diaz/Jota all at once wouldn’t be doing so great either. Arteta and Edu are to blame for the poor recruiting over the summer though. And I do understand the clubs stance to not make more funds available and possibly derail summer plans. The season was slipping away from us even before January. We went into this season without a squad that can compete on multiple fronts. Really thats what it comes down to. And the injuries are a result of these poor decisions.
Arteta said he needed more players along with the players themselves in January. I cannot believe he was not telling the owners that in the summer, if he is saying it publically in January. This has more to do with the owners rather than Arteta, although Sterling was a poor choice in Summer, if Chelsea were willing to pay half his wages to get rid if him, it tells you something.
But Arteta also so said he didn’t want a loan striker. HE IS A FOOL!!!!!
Reply to GMV8
There were.no loan strikers, we could only loan from abroad, who are we going to get?
We might have got a decent striker on loan from MLS during their shut down. It would have been just for a few weeks as we did with Henry all those years ago.
Waste of space and time having Sterling and Neto.
We were offered Tel and Muani. Ascensio was also available.
Strikers or not performances like this will not get silverware
I am not sure if the players are finding the football predictable and boring but they seem to lack the energy and creativity of last season.Me personally creating triangles in the wings and recirculate the ball becomes an issue and WH today was spot on to have great balance defensively.
If Merino is your CF put him beteeen the backs and force to mark something.
At times it looked like we are playing one the periphery and had no one in the box.
Total lack of tactical adjustments by Arteta
I said before Oep has been found out and it is Artetats turn. Possession means nothing in modern football.