Arsenal v West Ham Team News and Prediction
Manger quotes, player quotes, team news and prediction ahead of Arsenal v West Ham United at the Emirates in the Premier League.
Manager quotes:
Arsene Wenger – “I think if we win our games we will finish in front (of Everton), For us it’s important now to focus on the Premier League and if we do that well I’m confident we will come back. We have a final in the FA Cup but we now have a period where we can concentrate on the Premier League.”
Sam Allardyce – “The success of the teams below us over the weekend and the results that were surprisingly pulled off mean that we still look down because we’re not mathematically safe
Player Quotes:
Mikel Arteta – “It is about confidence and this win builds a bit of enthusiasm. It gives us something to look forward to at the end of the season. But on Tuesday there is another massive game coming up. We will have to see what we have available because we lost a few players as well. Let’s see what we have got, prepare for the game the best way we can because West Ham will be tough opponents again. It (fourth) is still there for us. That would be a big step forward up from last season because we haven’t achieved to do it. There’s still a long way to go, there are four weeks until the end of the season. I believe we can do it, but we need to win all our remaining games because if we don’t then I don’t think we will do it.”
Mark Noble – “Our aim since the start of the season has been to at least match last year’s finish. We didn’t have the best of starts, we know that, but since Christmas we’ve really dug in and put the points on the board. There’s five games left that we need to get points from and come 10th again.”
Arsenal v West Ham Team News:
The Gunners will definitely be without Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Abou Diaby and Serge Gnabry while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nacho Monreal are both struggling to be fit.
Tomas Rosicky and Laurent Koscielny are both in line to return to the starting line up after missing the clash with Wigan with thigh and calf injuries however Lukas Podolski could miss out with a combination of a muscle injury in his leg and a dislocated figure.
West Ham meanwhile is sweating on the fitness of Kevin Nolan as he battles a hamstring injury while Marco Boriello and George McCartney both miss out. Irish International Joey O’Brien could return to the squad following his recovery from a dislocated shoulder.
Form and Prediction:
Arsenal are currently fifth in the table after a disappointing run of results. The Gunners have picked up just two points in their last four games with 12 goals conceded in the process. Despite being solid all season at the Emirates they have showed slips of fatigue in recent games and have drawn 3 of their last four homes.
The Hammers meanwhile may be 11th in the table but just seven points separates the club from third from bottom Fulham. Last time out Sam Allardyce’s men put up a spirited performance in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, however the final result was their 3rd defeat in their last 5 games.
Away from home they have picked up recent wins at Aston Villa and Sunderland while they also picked up a huge point at Stamford Bridge in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea. The result with the Blues aside they have shipped 15 goals in defeats to Liverpool, Manchester City, Everton and Manchester United.
If Arsenal harbour ambitions of fourth spot then this game is a must win. If they can move ahead of Everton then the pressure will heap on Roberto Martinez’s men ahead of their game with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, and they might have enough in the tank to do it.
