Arsenal Vs West Ham

by RealGunner Fri Mar 13, 2015 4:34 pm

http://www.arsenal.com/assets/_files/scaled/696x392/mar_15/gun__1426253960_welbeck_train2.jpg

Wele

Arsenal Vs West Ham
Saturday 14th March: 15:00 BST
Emirates Stadium

Roller coaster

Last few weeks have been interesting. After being embarrassed by Monaco at home, Arsenal went to Old Trafford to claim their first victory over United since 2006 in their own turf. Feelings right now are mixed. We are on our way to Wembley for the semi final of the FA Cup while we are going to crash out in the CL next week(barring a miracle). And then there is the PL where we have nothing to aim for but as routine, our CL spot. We are 3rd atm with the competition quite strong and need to stay on our feet to avoid getting out of the top 4. History suggests we will pull it off and it does look likely. However you are never sure when it comes to the PL. No one expected United to go out of the top 4 last year but they did. Granted their circumstances were completely different, the competition of getting into top 4 is harder than ever.

Hence, we welcome West Ham at the emirates on Saturday for a match which we should win, but it will be anything but easy. West Ham have proved to be quite good this year. Big Sam, renounced for his tactical expertise and ambition(to manage real madrid) will make it very difficult for us. However we did beat them away earlier in the season and have quite a decent record at home against them. We should win as I said. But it won't be against us to somehow draw this.

Then there is the rotation dilemma. If we want to give our everything against Monaco, we will have to rest some of the key players in Ozil and Cazorla. But we can't exactly play a B team against West Ham either. We have a good squad. Can see the likes of Rosicky, Ramsey and Flamini starting. Which isn't bad at all. But it might hurt our chemistry slightly. We'll see what Arsene does.

Team News

For Arsenal, bad news is that Oxlade is out for 3-4 ~~months~~weeks. Flamini is back and Gabriel should be back on Sunday. Arteta in training atm.

For West Ham, they could be without striker Enner Valencia, who cut his toe by standing on a broken teacup, and Alex Song is doubtful with a knee injury. James Tomkins and Winston Reid are out and Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson is ineligible, but Morgan Amalfitano returns after a three-game ban.

Expected Arsenal Team

-----------------------------Ossssssssspinaa-----------------------------------
Chambers--------Koscielny--------------------Mertesacker-----------Gibbs
-----------------------Ramsey---------Flamini--------------------------------
Walcott--------------------------Rosicky----------------------------Cazorla
------------------------------Giroud-------------------------------------------

Expected West Ham Team

----------------------------------Adrian---------------------------------
Demel----------------Collins------------Kouyate--------------Cresswell
Downing----------Noble--------Nolan-----Song--------------Valencia
----------------------------Sakho-----------------------------------------

Match Facts(FourFourTwo)

Theo Walcott has scored five goals and set up three more in his last four Barclays Premier League games against West Ham.
West Ham have won none of the last 13 Barclays Premier League games against Arsenal (W0 D2 L11), losing the last eight in a row.
Olivier Giroud has scored four goals in his four Premier League appearances against West Ham.
The Hammers have scored the first goal in four of the last five Premier League meetings with Arsenal, but the Gunners have come back to win on each occasion.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League London derbies at the Emirates, but West Ham were the first team ever to beat Arsenal at their new stadium back in April 2007.
The Hammers have won just one of their last seven Premier League London derbies away from home.
Sam Allardyce has never coached a winning team away at Arsenal in the Premier League, losing seven and drawing three of his 10.
Arsenal have won seven consecutive home league games; they have not won eight in a row since November 2005 (13).
Olivier Giroud has scored eight goals in his last 10 Premier League starts.
West Ham (15) have scored the most headed goals in the Premier League, while only two teams (Burnley 17 & Stoke 11) have conceded more than Arsenal (10, same as QPR).

Final Say

Good morale boosting victory before the Monaco rout

by El Gunner Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:18 pm

they could be without striker Enner Valencia, who cut his toe by standing on a broken teacup

Rotate we must, I say. That squad you posted should be enough to get the job done, the only worry as you pointed out will be chemistry. But we will have to find a way to get the win I guess.

by Raptorgunner Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:28 am

Good work RG.

We cant take games for granted, go with best line up and forget about CL game for now.

by RealGunner Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:01 pm

Arsenal team to play West Ham: Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Walcott, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud

WHUFC starting XI: Adrian, O'Brien, Collins, Kouyate, Cresswell, Song, Noble, Nolan (c), Jarvis, Downing, Sakho