Preview:Arsenal vs West Ham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Top spot in the Premier League table could be Arsenal's for a couple of hours on Saturday - if the Gunners can get the job done against West Ham United at the Emirates in a London derby.

Mikel Arteta's men moved to within two points of flailing leaders Liverpool last weekend, while the Irons began the Nuno Espirito Santo era with a creditable point.

Match preview

With good reason, trips to St James' Park fill the Arsenal faithful with dread nowadays, and after Viktor Gyokeres's overturned penalty and Nick Woltemade's opener last Sunday, it would seemingly be just another one of those days at Newcastle United for the North London giants.

The Magpies were approximately 15 minutes away from a fourth straight home win over Arsenal, but when the going gets tough, Nicolas Jover gets going, as Arsenal flexed their set-piece muscles to complete an exhilarating 2-1 comeback triumph thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes's 96th-minute header.

A hugely significant victory for multiple reasons - from banishing the Newcastle curse to capitalising on Liverpool's loss to Crystal Palace - Arsenal's success at St James' means that they will rise to the summit of the league table with victory on Saturday, before the holders meet Chelsea in the 5.30pm kickoff.

While Arne Slot's men falter, Arsenal are starting to flourish again, as Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League victory over Olympiacos - as hard work as it may have been - represented their third straight triumph and fifth from their last six games in all tournaments.

Losing just four of their last 42 home games in the Premier League also stands the title chasers in good stead, but 50% of those defeats have come against one particular London club, and Gooners will need no reminding of how West Ham's last two visits transpired.

Paying homage to their Hammers predecessors - who were the first visiting side to ever prevail at the Emirates back in 2007 - the current Irons crop have remarkably won their last two games away to Arsenal without conceding a single goal.

Only one team has ever beaten the Gunners away from home in three straight Premier League games or more - Manchester City did so six times on the spin from 2018 to 2023 - but the travelling crowd may not be all that optimistic about their side's chances of joining that exclusive club.

Five defeats from six in all competitions proved to be sack-worthy form for Graham Potter, whose replacement Nuno Espirito Santo began life in the dugout with a respectable 1-1 draw away to Everton, as clinical captain Jarrod Bowen cancelled out a Michael Keane header.

A fourth point of the season was not enough to lift the Hammers out of the relegation zone, but the visiting support can take some solace from the fact that all four of their points in 2025-26 have been won on the road, where only six sides have out-performed them so far.

However, the Hammers also hold the unwanted record of losing more Premier League London derbies than any other team - an unparalleled 134 - and eight of their last 11 head-to-heads against fellow capital clubs have ended in defeat.

Arsenal Premier League form:

Arsenal form (all competitions):

West Ham United Premier League form:

West Ham United form (all competitions):

Team News

Arsenal's midweek triumph over Olympiacos came at a slight cost, as Newcastle match-winner Gabriel was withdrawn with a slight knock towards the end, but Arteta is optimistic that the Brazilian will be given the all-clear to feature on Saturday.

Gabriel's availability is of particular importance given that Piero Hincapie (groin) is expected to remain out until after the international break, while Noni Madueke (knee), Kai Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (ACL) will not return until later in the year.

Scorer of the hosts' second off the bench on Wednesday, Bukayo Saka is now primed to make his 200th Premier League appearance - the only previous Gunner to score on their 200th PL game was none other than Thierry Henry in 2005.

As for the visitors, Tomas Soucek serves the third and final game of his suspension for his sending-off in the loss to Tottenham Hotspur, while George Earthy is facing four to six weeks out with a hamstring problem.

In brighter news, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is on the cusp of coming back from a stomach issue and is training with the team ahead of the derby.

Santo should otherwise be working with an identical squad from the stalemate with Everton this weekend, where skipper Bowen hopes to prolong his hoodoo over the men in red and white.

The former Hull City man netted the only strike in West Ham's 1-0 success at the Emirates last season - his fifth career goal against Arsenal in all competitions.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf; Magassa; Bowen, Fernandes, Paqueta, Summerville; Fullkrug

We say: Arsenal 2-0 West Ham United

Arsenal made harder work of their victory over Olympiacos than they should have done, but thanks to the majestic Martin Odegaard, creating was not the problem for the Gunners in midweek.

If Arteta's men can generate the same volume of chances this weekend, they will surely tuck at least two away, as Santo's wait for a first West Ham win goes on.

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