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The Premier League returns for a second round of fixtures this weekend as an impressive Arsenal side takes on London rivals West Ham United in an intriguing derby at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have kicked off their campaign with an emphatic victory and will look to build on an excellent start to the season.
West Ham were not at their best in their opening game and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United last weekend. The Hammers need to improve under David Moyes and cannot afford to make sloppy mistakes against an efficient Arsenal side.
The Gunners have benefitted immensely from Mikel Arteta's blend of tactical ingenuity and pragmatism and can make a genuine push for the Premier League top four this season. Arsenal have an excellent attacking force and a wealth of options in the midfield and are the favourites to win this game.
Arsenal vs West Ham United Head-to-Head
Arsenal and West Ham are two of the oldest Premier League clubs from London and the two sides have played a total of 142 fixtures against each other. Arsenal predictably have the historical upper hand and have won 68 games as opposed to West Ham's 35 victories.
Arsenal managed a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the previous meeting between these two sides a few months ago. Alexandre Lacazette scored a late goal on the day and is likely to feature in the starting eleven this weekend.
Arsenal form guide in the Premier League: W
West Ham United form guide in the Premier League: L
Arsenal vs West Ham United Team News
Arsenal
Arsenal have one of the longest injury lists in the Premier League and will go into the new campaign without four key players. Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel Martinelli, Pablo Mari, and Calum Chambers are injured and have been ruled out of this game. David Luiz and Granit Xhaka are recovering from niggles and remain a doubt for this game.
Injured: Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel Martinelli, Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers
Doubtful: David Luiz, Granit Xhaka
Suspended: None
West Ham United
Manuel Lanzini has finally recovered from his injury and is likely to feature in the midfield against Arsenal. West Ham have a fully-fit squad and will have to be at their best to stand a chance against the Gunners.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Arsenal vs West Ham United Predicted XI
Arsenal Predicted XI (3-4-3): Bernd Leno; Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Magalhaes, Rob Holding; Bukayo Saka, Dani Ceballos, Mohamed Elneny, Hector Bellerin; Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
West Ham Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lukasz Fabianski; Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell; Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice; Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble, Felipe Anderson; Michail Antonio
Arsenal vs West Ham United Prediction
Arsenal have experienced an extraordinary resurgence under Mikel Arteta over the past few months and have a distinct upper hand going into this fixture. With Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson in their ranks, however, West Ham are not an easy team to defeat and can make life difficult for the Gunners.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are in excellent form and both Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes excelled on their Arsenal debuts last week. The Gunners are firing on all cylinders at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 West Ham United
