Arsenal vs West Ham United

Emirates Stadium forms the backdrop for an exciting Premier League London derby between Arsenal and West Ham United.

Despite delivering a mixed bag of performance across their last three Premier League outings (W1, D1, L1), Arsenal come into proceedings in a buoyant mood after drawing 1-1 at Liverpool in a top-table six-pointer in the previous round. Having played a game less, the ‘Gunners’ trail the ‘Reds’ by two points after spending Christmas Day as Premier League pacesetters for the second season in a row. Mikel Arteta’s became one of only five sides to have failed to win the trophy after topping the table on December 25th in the past 15 years and will be looking to rectify that mistake this term. The impending Emirates return bodes well, with Arsenal yet to lose a top-flight home match this season (W7, D2), netting an impressive 22 goals.

Visiting West Ham toppled Manchester United 2-0 at home last time out, yet their effort to upset the apple cart in this all-London clash looks far-fetched. Not only have the ‘Hammers’ lost back-to-back domestic away games by a combined score of 10-1, but they won just once on their 16 visits to the Emirates since 2007. On the bright side, David Moyes’ men have racked up eight wins across their last 11 competitive fixtures, which should set them up nicely for this contest. After reducing the gap on the top four to only six points, West Ham won’t shy away from the challenge in North London despite taking the field as one of only four EPL sides yet to keep a clean sheet on the road this season.