- West Ham host Arsenal on Sunday afternoon
- The Hammers can’t afford to lose being one game from safety
- The Gunners can extend their lead at the top of the table with a win
West Ham United host Arsenal on Sunday afternoon knowing they cannot afford to pick up no points from the class. The Hammers dropped into the bottom three after losing to Brentford, with Tottenham Hotspur overtaking them.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men went unbeaten in April but it has not stopped the impact that just one loss can give. West Ham must now pick themselves up and attempt to stop an Arsenal side that could have one hand on the Premier League title with a win this weekend.
The Gunners are fresh of booking their place in the Champions League final but have all eyes on the league as they gun for the title. Mikel Arteta’s men dismantled Fulham last weekend and want to do the same to the Hammers on Sunday.
Nuno will be looking at past results against their London rivals as he attempts to galvanise his Irons side, and get a result from a very difficult fixture.
Key Statistics
- West Ham are unbeaten in their last six home Premier League matches, winning three of those fixtures
- Arsenal know that three wins from their last three games will result in them winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years
- West Ham have won just one of their 14 home league games against Arsenal
- Arsenal have the Premier League’s best away defensive record, conceding just 26 goals on the road this season
- West Ham have lost all five home London derbies this season
- Arsenal have kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season, with 17
Prediction
Here, a handful of our writers give their predictions for the game…
Matt Bottomley
“West Ham’s loss to Brentford was crushing. There’s no other way to put it, but the Hammers return home and have to use the crowd as they have before. Arguably, the pressure is on Arsenal, and Nuno’s team have to stifle them in the same way they did to the Gunners title rivals, Manchester City.
“Arsenal are more than good value for their title fight and right now are on a serious high. The Gunners head to the London Stadium with their mojo back and it’s the worst things for the Hammers. It’s going to be all about making them blink and to do so, the Irons will have to be flawless.
“I think West Ham push Arsenal as far as they can, but failure take chances, matched with the Gunners quality sees them steal it and leave the Irons staring down the barrel.”
Prediction: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
Ralphael Adelugba
“On one hand, history is on West Ham’s side. The Hammers were in a similar position in the 2022-23 season, embroiled in a relegation fight, before they welcomed Arsenal in a mid-spring clash with heavy permutations. The then-David Moyes’ side would produce a pumping performance that was enough to galvanize them in the final stretch to separate them from the sinking pack and secure their first European trophy in 58 years.
“On the other hand, history suggests otherwise. Arsenal have had their number at the London Stadium in recent years, boast one of the division’s finest and in-form players in Declan Rice (who some may know) and face an uphill battle in 18th that only a select few have managed to escape from at this stage.
“Nuno’s side are honest and will approach the game with the intensity required, but one fears that momentum has simply swung and it will be on show on Sunday.”
Prediction: West Ham 1-3 Arsenal
