Arsenal vs West Ham tips and predictions: Table-topping Gunners to edge out Irons
- Thomas Ridley
- 26 December 2023
Table-toppers Arsenal take on European challengers West Ham in what should be a thrilling festive fixture on Thursday night (20:15 GMT).
Declan Rice and his new teammates will have enjoyed their Christmas dinner as they sat top of the pile when the presents were opened and the crackers were pulled.
Now it's time to turn focus back to the football as Rice takes on his former teammates at West Ham who head to the Emirates Stadium for a London derby.
The Irons are flying high in the table and are currently sixth after brushing Manchester United aside at the weekend.
Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen have been in scintillating form for West Ham this season, with the pair scoring 23 goals between them in all competitions this season.
They will face a stern test getting through the Arsenal defence though, as centre-half pairing Gabriel and William Saliba have been key to Arsenal's rise to the summit, with the Gunners having the joint-best defensive record in the league this season, conceding just 16 goals in 18 matches.
David Moyes' men kept a clean sheet against Manchester United, but overall they have struggled defensively this season, particularly on the road where they have conceded 20 goals in nine away games. Only Sheffield United have conceded more on their travels.
Arsenal may not have hit the heights that they did last season, they are six points worse off than they were at the same point last season, but their home form has been excellent, with Mikel Arteta's men unbeaten at the Emirates this season.
They have not found the goalscoring touch that saw four of their players get into double figures last season, with topscorer Bukayo Saka scoring only five goals this season, but they have manged to find a way with the aformentioned defence being the key to their success.
Despite West Ham's good performances in recent weeks, Arsenal should find their goalscoring touch against a leaky Irons side and get an important win.
Team news:
Kai Havertz is suspended for this match after accumulating five yellow cards.
Jurrien Timber, Fabio Viera, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey are all ruled out with injury.
Michail Antonio is ruled out with a knee injury, while Maxwel Cornet and Neyef Aguerd are doubts after suffering from an illness.
Key stats:
- Arsenal have conceded just 16 goals this season, the joint-best defensive record in the league
- Bukayo Saka has 11 goal involvements for Arsenal this season
- West Ham have conceded 20 goals on their travels this season, only Sheffield United have conceded more
- Jarrod Bowen has scored 11 Premier League goals this season, only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have scored more
