Arsenal host West Ham United this afternoon in a London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have the opportunity to reduce the gap between them and league leaders Liverpool to five points.
Mikel Arteta continues to be without the services of attackers Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. After Mikel Merino came off the bench to score two against Leicester last weekend, the manager may opt to deploy the Spaniard as a false nine.
Ben White has been cleared to make his first start of the calendar year. The former Brighton defender hasn’t made an appearance since November after undergoing knee surgery.
West Ham will be looking to put their four-game winless run to an end in the capital this afternoon. The East London outfit will be without Lucas Paqueta this afternoon. The Brazilian rolled his ankle after an accidental collision in training. Vladimir Coufal is also unavailable while Brighton loanee Evan Ferguson is poised to make his first start for the Hammers.
Arsenal vs West Ham – Match preview and team news
Form
Arsenal: WWWLW
It has been 15 matches since Arsenal were last defeated in the Premier League – a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in November. That rampant run has seen them emerge as the only serious challengers to Liverpool for the league title. After the Merseysiders drew in midweek, a win for the Gunners would put some pressure on Arne Slot’s team.
Arsenal are the only team in the top-flight to remain unbeaten at home, an encouraging statistic ahead of today’s match.
Arteta’s side are out of both domestic cup competitions, but the Champions League knockout stages awaits them. Yesterday, they discovered they will face PSV Eindhoven in the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition.
