Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi is the latest in the line of youngsters to be promoted to the first team by Arsene Wenger during his reign Getty

Arsenal travel to West Ham on Saturday (9 April) as the Gunners look to close the gap on Tottenham to a single point. The north London club are all but out of the title race but a loss here could lead to apprehension for Arsene Wenger's men, with the Hammers and Manchester United all closing in on a top four spot.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 12:45pm BST. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

West Ham are very aggrieved by Mark Clattenburg's decision to send Cheikhou Kouyate off against Crystal Palace, which saw them drop two crucial points in the race for the fourth spot. The midfielder's red card, shown for a studs up challenge on Dwight Gayle, has since been rescinded making him eligible for their game against the Gunners.

The London-based club are currently on 51 points, three points adrift of fourth placed Manchester City and have an FA Cup quarter-final replay coming up against Manchester United at Upton Park. Dimitri Payet will again be the key player for the Hammers, having scored a beautiful free kick from the edge of the penalty box to give them the lead against Palace. The reverse fixture between the two sides ended in a 2-0 win for West Ham, with Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech having a howler between the sticks.

Meanwhile, Arsenal believe that if they can take 21 points from their last seven games, they still have an outside chance of winning the title. They are currently 11 points adrift of leaders Leicester City and four behind Tottenham, albeit having played a game less.

The Gunners come into the game on the back of two consecutive wins against Everton and Watford, scoring six goals in the process and conceding none. The run of form is in stark contrast to the one before that, when they managed only one win from a possible seven in all competitions. Wenger will be hoping that they can continue their upsurge till the end of the season and get the team back on track.

What managers say

Slaven Bilic: "It's a big game, a London derby first of all. The season is approaching an end and it's very important for them and for us. We are both fighting, either for a place in Europe or, from their point of view, they are trying to be champions. They still have a chance on paper, but they admit they need to win all their games. There's a lot at stake. We also need points to stay in the race for the top four, five or six."

Arsene Wenger: "West Ham is a tough proposal, yes, away from home. They (have) had a very good campaign. When you look at the quality of the players they have, individually they have a good midfield, good strikers and they are solid at the back. I think the emergence of (Dimitri) Payet has given them a lot of creativity and efficiency. They have (Cheikhou) Kouyate, (Mark) Noble, Payet, (Manuel) Lanzini — they have a strong midfield and good strikers with (Diafra) Sakho."

Betting odds (betfair)

  • West Ham Win: 14/5
  • Draw: 11/4
  • Arsenal Win: 1/1

Team news

West Ham

Possible XI: Adrian; Tomkins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble; Antonio, Payet, Lanzini; Sakho

Arsenal

Possible XI: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Gabriel, Monreal; Coquelin, Elneny; Sanchez, Ozil, Iwobi; Welbeck

Arsenal FC