Thomas Vermaelen: 'Defending against Andy Carroll will be a big challenge'

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has admitted that defending against West Ham United striker Andy Carroll on Saturday will not be easy.

Carroll could return to the Hammers' starting lineup for their Premier League clash at Upton Park, and the Belgian centre-back is aware of the quality of the England international striker.

"I played against Andy Carroll when he played for Liverpool," Vermaelen told Arsenal's official website.

"He suits their way of playing at the moment. At West Ham they play some long balls and with Carroll up front, he's a tall guy. He's good with his head so he will be a big challenge.

"But we always want to play our own game as Arsenal. First we have to match them in the fight. If there's a long ball, we want to fight for that ball and bring the ball down as quickly as possible and play our own game."

Carroll joined West Ham on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool in the summer.