West Ham vs Arsenal – Match Preview
Vlad1988 / Shutterstock.com
Samir Nasri only recently made his debut for West Ham after returning from a lengthy drug ban and no sooner is the French international wearing his new colours, then he is also going up against a former employer.
That comes in the shape of Arsenal who will be looking to earn maximum points in what is always a feisty London derby. Not only are they looking for capital city bragging rights, but they will look to stay in the hunt in the race for the top four.
Both teams have secured their progress to the F.A. Cup 4th Round after comfortable wins last weekend. For the Hammers it was a case of getting the better of Birmingham at home, while the Gunners made light work of Blackpool on the road.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men will be looking to build on that cup win in a bid to move up the table and enter the race for what looks set to be the only remaining Europa League place available, something that will only be unlocked via a 7th place finish at the end of the season.
The East London currently find themselves 10th albeit just three points behind Leicester, who do find themselves occupying that much coveted position as the highest ranked club outside of the so called ‘Big Six’
And it is one of that elite club that West Ham will have to deal with on Saturday and although Arsenal do have designs on the top four, they also now need to be wary of a resurgent Manchester United that are currently in their rear view mirror.
Just three points separate Arsenal in fifth and Manchester United in sixth and with the form that the latter are in at present, then you cannot rule Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men out of making a late entry in the race for 4th place.
At the same time, Arsenal manager Unai Emery knows that he needs to just concentrate on what his own club needs to do and although the two clubs will meet in the F.A Cup at the end of the month, this weekend’s focus is solely on trying to get the better of West Ham.
This fixture means it is the second league London derby in a row for Arsenal and they will be hoping for a similar outcome to the one where they handsomely beat struggling Fulham at the Emirates by four goals to one.
It was a game that showed just how devastating the North London outfit can be in front of goal, as even though they scored four they could have still scored twice as many. At the same time though, Fulham did have chances to add to their own tally.
That defensive susceptibility will no doubt give West Ham cause for optimism in getting a win in front of their own fans, unfortunately for them though all signs point to a relatively routine victory for Arsenal at the London Stadium this weekend.
Home
Football 
Basketball
Hockey
American Football
Baseball
Rugby
Volleyball
Handball
Esoccer
