Arsenal entertain West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening where both sides will be desperate for a much needed win to get their respective seasons back on track.
Recent Form
The Gunners have not won in the league since they beat relegation threatened Hull City 2-0 on the 11th of February, their only league win in their last five games. Their shaky and unpredictable defending was clear for all to see in the recent unconvincing home draw against Manchester City.
West Ham are currently 14th and have picked up just one point in their last five games. Slaven Bilic’s men are on an unenviable run of four consecutive defeats. If that becomes five against Arsenal, Bilic’s job will be even more under threat, despite the West Ham board publicly giving him the dreaded vote of confidence.
Team News
There is a good chance that Arsenal midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey could be back in the squad to feature against West Ham. Captain Per Mertesacker is also available to play but Petr Cech is not ready yet. The most notable absentee will be defender Laurent Koscielny who went off at half-time against Manchester City with an Achilles tendon injury. It is currently unknown how long he will be out of action for.
The Hammers are without Aaron Cresswell who will miss the next couple of games. Michail Antonio is available to face Arsenal and Diafra Sakho is also “very very close” according to Bilic.
Prediction
Struggling teams have a habit of raising their game against Arsenal and I suspect this will happen again tomorrow. West Ham have to put an end to a four game losing streak and Arsenal cannot afford to lose and slip even further away from the top four. My prediction is Arsenal 2-2 West Ham.
