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Arsenal vs West Ham preview: How to watch on TV, live stream, team news & prediction
Hold the front page! Hold the back page! Mikel Arteta’s showtime Gunners are back in Premier League action!
That’s right, folks. The wait is over.
The Premier League leaders haven’t enthralled us with their majesty since mid-November thanks to an unprecedented winter World Cup, but a warm-weather training camp in Dubai provided supporters with a snippet of Arteta-ball as Arsenal claimed victory in the Dubai Super Cup.
The Gunners exceeded all expectations during the first half of the season as they entered the break with a five point lead at the top of the table. They’ve dropped points in just two league games thus far, but a challenging road lies ahead for this exciting young outfit.
West Ham visit the Emirates on Boxing Day after a disappointing start to 2022/23. Last season’s Europa League semi-finalists currently sit 16th in the table after losing their final three games before the break. The pressure will mount on manager David Moyes should the Hammers fall flat upon their return, and a major test awaits on Monday night.
Arsenal vs West Ham preview: How to watch on TV, live stream, team news & prediction
Here’s our preview of Arsenal’s Boxing Day clash against West Ham.
How to watch Arsenal vs West Ham on TV
When is kick-off? Monday 26 December
What time is kick-off? 20:00 (BST)
Where is it played? Emirates Stadium
TV channel/live stream? Amazon Prime (UK), Peacock (US), fuboTV (Canada)
Referee? Michael Oliver
Arsenal Team News
🇧🇷 Jesus
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 22, 2022
🏴 Nelson
🏴 Smith Rowe
🗣 The boss issued a fitness update ahead of West Ham 👇
William Saliba was the last of the Gunners’ World Cup stars to return to north London and is unlikely to start against the Hammers. Thus, with Takehiro Tomiyasu an injury doubt, we could see Rob Holding make his first league start of the season.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka both lined up against Luton Town in a behind-closed-doors friendly, so both should be ready to go on Boxing Day. The Gunners’ wing tandem will flank Eddie Nketiah, who’s poised to lead the line in Gabriel Jesus’ absence.
Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson are both sidelined, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is an injury doubt.
West Ham Team News
The visitors could be without strikers Gianluca Scamacca (ankle) and Michail Antonio (calf) for the trip to the Emirates. The Italian picked up a knock in West Ham’s final preparatory game against Fulham last week, while Antonio missed the friendly altogether.
Moyes hinted that Jarrod Bowen could play through the middle if the aforementioned duo fail late fitness tests.
Declan Rice, Lucas Paquetá, Alphonse Areola, Thilo Kehrer and Nayef Aguerd have all returned from the World Cup, but the latter has been struggling with a virus and injury. The centre-back is unlikely to start on Monday.
Arsenal vs West Ham Predicted Lineups
Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
West Ham: Fabianski; Kehrer, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Fornals, Paqueta, Benrahma; Bowen.
Arsenal’s Recent Form
Arsenal 0-2 Juventus (17/12) – Friendly
Arsenal 2-1 AC Milan (13/12) – Dubai Super Cup
Arsenal 3-0 Lyon (08/12) – Dubai Super Cup
Wolves 0-2 Arsenal (12/11) – Premier League
Arsenal 1-3 Brighton (09/11) – EFL Cup
West Ham’s Recent Form
Fulham 1-1 West Ham (17/12) – Friendly
Udinese 1-3 West Ham (10/12) – Friendly
Cambridge United 2-4 West Ham (06/12) – Friendly
West Ham 0-2 Leicester City (12/11) – Premier League
West Ham 2-2 (9-10p) Blackburn Rovers – EFL Cup
Prediction
Momentum is paramount, but Arsenal saw theirs fade over the break after they returned from Dubai. The Gunners fell flat at home to Juventus last weekend and they were held in a behind-closed-doors friendly with second-tier Luton Town in the week.
These fixtures may appear inconsequential, but the winning momentum that perpetuated over in the Middle East has now gone ahead of West Ham’s visit.
The Hammers, despite their poor start, are a compact unit that’ll be tough to break down. They boast a distinct threat in transition and are in desperate need of points.
This is a tricky game for the Gunners, who’ll be without Gabriel Jesus in a Premier League fixture for the first time since May. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them drop points here.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 West Ham