Prediction: Arsenal vs West Ham

In-form Arsenal will be looking to cement a top 4 berth by defeating local rivals West Ham and at the same time put extra pressure on second-placed Manchester City. Meanwhile, the Hammers are desperate to end a seven-match winless streak, but this is definitely not the right time to be facing the Gunners at the Emirates.

Arsene Wenger and his players have been getting a lot of stick for the utterly disappointing performance against Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 stage tie, but the Gunners, nonetheless, have plenty of reason for optimism at the moment. Arsene Wenger’s charges finally hit the ground running at the turn of the year and they have been quite impressive ever since losing to Southampton on New Year’s Day. Arsenal have since won 11 of 13 matches in all competitions, with the team quickly recovering from defeats to bitter rivals Spurs and Monaco. The FA Cup triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford not only get the Gunners closer to the title defence, but also proved they can now face top sides on the road with high hopes, with Arsenal having also beaten Manchester City at the Etihad. The four-match winning run in the league seriously improved team’s Champions League hopes, but the fact Liverpool and Tottenham are just three and four points behind respectively means the Gunners cannot afford to relax just yet. Arsene Wenger’s men are, therefore, expected to extend the excellent run against out-of-sorts West Ham, despite having Gabriel Paulista, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy and Serge Gnabry on the sidelines.

Following the latest run of results, we can safely say that West Ham’s bubble has burst, with the Hammers quickly slipping from European positions to mid table. And while they are in no danger of getting relegated, any bottom table finish would be a major disappointment after some outstanding performances in the first part of the season. The reality is that Big Sam’s side probably never had enough quality to mount a serious top 6 challenge, but they are definitely worthy of a place in the top half of the standings. Their response to the first major poor run of form has been the problem though as the lack of confidence appears to be seriously affecting their performances. A seven-match winless run might not be such a big issue if the Hammers were showing signs of improvement, but with their displays just as disappointing as the results, Sam Allardyce has little to hope for ahead of the clash with red-hot Arsenal. After the game at the Emirates, West Ham will face struggling Sunderland and Leicester, and that is where they need to try and put an end to the dismal run of results. Big Sam has some selection worries to contend with, given that Winston Reid is out with a hamstring problem and Carl Jenkinson is ineligible. Meanwhile, Enner Valencia and Alex Song both face fitness tests.

Conclusion

The two sides go into Saturday’s encounter in contrasting moods and while Arsenal are playing their best football of the season, West Ham cannot seem to rediscover the form that served them so well in the first part of the campaign. As a result, backing the Gunners to record a comfortable win is the logical thing to do.

Verdict: Arsenal/Arsenal

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: William Hill