Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott scored Arsenal's second goal against Bournemouth. Getty Images

Arsenal travel to West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, 3 December as the Gunners look to keep pace with the teams at the top, especially with either or both of Chelsea and Manchester City to drop points today, when they face off against each other. The north London club relinquished a two-goal advantage in the corresponding fixture last season and came back with only a point, which all but ended their title challenge.

Where to Watch live

Kick-off is set for 5:30pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

West Ham have been going through a woeful run in the league, currently only a point clear of the relegation, after a brilliant run last season. Manager Slaven Bilic is under massive pressure to perform, with an axe over his head due to recent results . They come into the back of a double header with Manchester United, where they drew the league fixture 1-1 after taking the lead in the opening two minutes.

United had the upper hand in the EFL Cup tie where they beat the Hammers 4-1 at home and progressed into the next round. They have a host of injury worries coming into the fixture, with Michail Antonio and defender Aaron Cresswell both out of contention with groin injuries. Diafra Sakho is also out for six weeks but they will be boosted by the return of Andy Carroll, who scored a hattrick last season to draw the game 3-3 with the Gunners.

Arsenal come into the game on the back of their first loss in 20 games, when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. Arsene Wenger made ten changes from the side which started against Bournemouth in the league and conceded two goals in the first half, as the Gunners failed to open up the Saints.

They are currently fourth in the table, three points behind leaders Chelsea and two behind Liverpool and Manchester City. with a busy schedule coming up this month. Olivier Giroud is a doubt for the fixture with injury while Mohamed Elneny will also be tested after being substituted with a stomach bug in mid-week. Meanwhile, Santi Cazorla is out for the year after being operated for his Achilles problem.

What Managers Say

Slaven Bilic on club website: "{on Andy Carroll] He will be in the squad. He is ready. His injury happened at the beginning of the season so it's like three months. He's ready, although he's definitely not ready to play 90 minutes. He's ready to make an impact. He's a player that, like Sakho, he offers us something special. He is one of the main reasons we were so prolific last season and versatile and dangerous. He had a spell last season where he had injuries but he also had a spell of playing 90 minutes, as well as a spell making an impact from the bench."

Arsene Wenger told the club website: "[On West Ham's new stadium]Before, we knew exactly what was expected of us at West Ham. I preferred the first version of the West Ham stadium, when it was very tight. When they built a new stand the distances were a bit bigger and that probably made the first one the most intimidating stadium I knew. It's a bit like when we moved to the Emirates. You feel a bit like you're playing on neutral ground for a while. After that, the best way to prepare is just to focus on what we do and focus in a very strong way."

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • West Ham win: 4/6
  • Draw: 3
  • Arsenal win: 9/2

Team News

West Ham

Possible XI: Randolph; Kouyate, Reid, Ogbonna; Fernandes, Obiang, Noble, Masuaku; Lanzini, Payet; Fletcher

Arsenal

Possible XI: Cech; Gabriel, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Ramsey; Walcott, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Sanchez

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