Game Week 26 Predictions: Arsenal to beat West Ham

Arsenal hosts West Ham in a crucial London derby. Can the Gunners close the gap in the title race, or will the Hammers pull a shock at the Emirates

Will Mikel Merino steal the headlines again this weekend after coming off the bench to score a brace last weekend? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

 Arsenal vs. West Ham

Emirates Stadium

4:00 pm

Arsenal’s title hopes received a huge boost in midweek as Liverpool failed to beat Aston Villa. The game ended 2-2, and, despite the Kops increasing their lead at the top to eight points, they have invited Arsenal to heap pressure on them in the race.

Arsenal knows that a win over West Ham at the Emirates this weekend cuts Liverpool’s lead to five points, and the log leaders are away to Manchester City on Sunday. Are the stars aligning for the Gunners this season? The answer to that is in whatever Arsenal decides to do at the Emirates on Saturday.

Graham Potter leads the Hammers to the Emirates, where he enjoyed fine results with Brighton in the past but not with Chelsea, and after seeing his side lose last weekend to an unfortunate Kevin Shade goal, he will be desperate to get a result this weekend.

West Ham is beginning to give the vibe of a yo-yo club, winning today and losing tomorrow; it was unanimously agreed that the right thing to do was to ease Julien Lopetegui out; however, Graham Potter must get a grip and string results together.

Beyond the title race, Arsenal’s season has also been blighted by injuries, but they won’t have any tenable excuse when the Hammers come to town on Saturday. The Gunners have been on the right side of London derbies for two seasons now; they must bring that to the carpet again.

Against Leicester last weekend, Arsenal turned to an unlikely hero, Mikel Merino, who came off the bench to score twice in the final ten minutes of the game while playing up front; Mikel Arteta has said he doesn’t know who will play in the number 9 position on Saturday; we could see another surprise in that regard.

West Ham will be without Thomas Paquetá, and that will be a big miss, but Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus will be on hand to help with width. The duo are the leading lights in the Hammers team; they can hurt Arsenal on the break.

Ethan Nwaneri will be that man to watch for Arsenal again. The 17-year-old has impressed greatly this season, and he’s already drawing comparisons with the greats of the game. Can West Ham stop him from wreaking havoc from the right again?

Arsenal lost at home to West Ham last season; it was a game that went completely against the bookies’ expectations; however, it is up to Arsenal to ensure they don’t allow that to happen again. This should excite the neutrals.

Verdict: Straight win Arsenal.