After Arsenal’s agonizing blip when we lost three very winnable games in a row, the Gunners have bounced back in imperious style by shocking Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before despatching Man United 3-1 at the Emirates, and we are now back in the driver’s seat in the race for the coveted Top Four spot and a place in next season’s Champions League.
Our opponents West Ham though, having looked to have as good a chance as anyone else of making the top four, have seemingly dropped out of contention and are now eight points behind us, and are now looking at trying to win their Champions League place by winning the Europa League.
On Thursday, they now have to play Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the semi final, and with the Germans having beaten Barcelona over two legs in the last round, they are not going to be a pushover by any stretch of the imagination. The fact that Frankfurt are unbeaten away from home in the Europa League is also worrying for the Hammers.
It is worth noting that the Arsenal fixture comes in the middle of the two semi-finals, and it is also worth noting that David Moyes made six changes to his team that lost to Chelsea this weekend to keep the best players fresh for Thursday, and there is no reason for the Gunners not to expect a similar scenario on Sunday when they visit the London Stadium.
On another positive note for the Gunners, West ham have only won one of their last five Premier League games while they concentrated on Europe, but the Hammers are much more consistent at home, winning three and drawing three of their last six in the League, but with West Ham’s attention focused elsewhere, I am feeling very confident of an in-form Arsenal getting another crucial win.