West Ham travel to Arsenal on Wednesday for a London derby that may have huge consequences in the fight for the top four of the Premier League. The Gunners saw off Southampton 3-0 at the weekend, whereas David Moyes’s side were held to a goalless stalemate by Burnley.
The Hammers’ advantage in the top four has been trimmed to only a point over Manchester United and two over Arsenal after a goalless draw against Burnley last time out. Tottenham are three points behind the leaders despite having two games in hand. As a result, the match at Emirates Stadium is a major chance for both teams to establish a claim for fourth place and send a message to their opponents.
The Hammers had lost their Europa League match to Dinamo Zagreb before the draw at Turf Moor, and they have only won one of their past five games in the Premier League, but they are still one point ahead of Man United in fourth place. West Ham have earned only one point from their previous three top-flight games on the road, despite their early-season away day specialties, and neither the club nor the manager loves traveling to the red side of North London.
The Hammers and Gunners have generated an xG of 27.12 and 26.94 respectively. West Ham have scored 28 goals so far in the season, while Arsenal have scored 21 goals. The Hammers have generated an xG of 1.56 per 90 minutes and have been highly threatening in the final third.
West Ham can be very effective on the break and can create several chances when using counterattacks. They have attempted the third most number of counterattacks in the league and have attempted 3.31 counterattacks per 90 minutes. With great pace in their front line, they can move from one end of the pitch to the other in no time, and can cause problems to Arsenal’s defense.
Martin Odegaard scored for the third Premier League game in a row to put the Gunners 2-0 to the good before halftime, and having been a rock at the back throughout the afternoon, Gabriel Magalhaes added his side’s third during a comfortable success.
The above visual shows us Arsenal’s shot map from their clash against Southampton on the weekend. Arsenal generated an xG of 2.23, and had a total of 23 shots on goal. They had five shots on target and also hit the post with one of their efforts.
The result slightly eased the pressure on Arteta’s shoulders as Arsenal returned to winning ways with that result. The match also saw them move back above Tottenham Hotspur into sixth, but they are only one point clear of Spurs having played two games more.
This fixture is the perfect opportunity for West Ham to strengthen their position in the top four of the Premier League. A win on Wednesday will give them a five-point lead above Arsenal and a four-point lead over Manchester United, whose match has been postponed due to an increase in Coronavirus cases.
Arsenal predicted starting lineup:
Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney, Xhaka, Partey, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Lacazette.
West Ham United predicted starting lineup:
Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Masuaku, Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma, Antonio.
