Let’s take a look at the possible Arsenal starting XI as they visit the London Stadium to take on West Ham in the Premier League. The Gunners bounced back from a surprising run of 3 defeats and made a huge stride forward towards securing a top-four finish in the Premier League with two very important wins against Chelsea and Manchester United. Now, Arsenal will face yet another Champions League aspirant in West Ham United this Sunday.
With just 5 games remaining in the season, Mikel Arteta and his team will have to give their all to salvage the best possible finish to the campaign. Once in the driving seat for a top-4 finish, Arsenal fell short against Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton. With tougher games ahead, many counted the Gunners out for the Champions League spots, but with wins over close competitors – Chelsea and Manchester United, they are right back on track.
West Ham, on other hand, enjoyed a strong start to the season, but involvement in the Europa League and injuries to key players hampered their dream run. Placed 7th in the table, the Hammers have just managed 1 win in the last 5 Premier League games. With a strong home record, David Moyes and his team might look confident going into the game.
Current Form And Head-to-Head Record:
With many accolades in recent months, including the Premier League’s Manager of the Month Award for Mikel Arteta, the confidence will certainly be high for the Gunners. Arsenal will also be confident of their record against West Ham (23 Wins in last 30 games).
The recent Europa League first-leg defeat at home might distract Moyes from the league fixture as their efforts might fall short of European glory. Targeting the Europa League semi-final 2nd-leg would be of utmost priority for the Hammers. Adding to that, the extra days of rest and current form will give the Gunners a huge advantage.
Arsenal Predicted Starting XI Against West Ham United
The Gunners have been pretty much consistent with their line-up. Unless they encountered any major injury or drop in form, Arteta has persisted with the same line-up most of the time this season. Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey’s injury is still a concern for the Spaniard, but he could still field his best side against the London rivals.
Goalkeeper:
Aaron Ramsdale (GK): The influential shot-stopper for Arsenal will have his place secured in between the bars. He has been a bit shaky in recent games, but still came up with some strong performances against big teams to keep Arsenal in those games.
Defence:
Takehiro Tomiyasu (RB): After a long spell of absence, Tomiyasu can expect to gain game-time against the Hammers on Sunday. After getting a few minutes under his belt as a substitute against Manchester United, he can now take his starting position again.
🥰 Welcome back, Tomi pic.twitter.com/BScSieKVbE
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 25, 2022
Gabriel Magalhaes (CB): Gabriel is starting to show his defensive prowess again in recent games. The Brazilian lost his form in the last few months but still managed to help his team’s defence with his strong aerial presence. We can expect the same against West Ham.
Ben White (CB): White was not pictured in practice sessions this week, but is cleared fit to play. There is no reason whatsoever to put him on the bench, especially considering the number of games left in the season.
Nuno Tavares (LB): Tavares found his place in the starting XI, thanks to the injured Kieran Tierney. He scored the opening goal against Manchester United but was still targeted by the Emirates fans for a poor defensive display. But Arteta has faith in the youngster and he can expect to start again.
Midfield:
Granit Xhaka (CM): Some transfer news started surfacing again about the Swiss international a few months ago. The former captain will be pleased with his goal against the Red Devils, his 1st of the season and he will be roaring to start again.
🥁 Introducing your April Player of the Month…
🇨🇭 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗫𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮 🇨🇭
Congratulations, Granit! 👏
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 30, 2022
Mohamed Elneny (CM): Mohamed Elneny has brought a different game approach to the Arsenal attack. His intention to move the ball forward more helped the team to create more chances. He has formed a nice partnership with Xhaka and will marshall the midfield again for the Gunners.
Martin Odegaard (AM): The Norway international has been the centre of most of Arsenal’s attack this season. His connection with Partey was more effective than with Elneny, but the intelligent attacker can adjust quickly to the change of personnel in the middle of the park. Also, Elneny’s forward passes help him to move closer to the opposition goal.
Bukayo Saka (RM): He was taken off early in the game against United, but was seen in training with the team this week. Currently on a scoring spree, the young Englishman would not miss the chance to add more to his season’s tally.
The past, present & future of Arsenal Football Club. pic.twitter.com/29lzA1TIqE
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) April 29, 2022
Gabriel Martinelli (LM): After a brief break from the starting role, Martinelli can expect to start again. Emile Smith Rowe was a bit tired in the game against United. Plus Martineilli’s speed and trickery will torture the opposition more.
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Attack:
Eddie Nketiah (ST): The new starting striker for the Gunners has been on a roll. He will lead the attack for Arsenal against West Ham on Sunday.
Predicted Score:
The two teams’ form and record clearly favour the Gunners. Playing for the league position might encourage the young Arsenal team to go all-in against West Ham United. We expect a 3-1 score-line in favour of Red and Whites.
Follow AD for the latest Matchday updates on Arsenal.