Arsenal and West Ham will go head-to-head in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon as both teams look to earn a much-needed win in this London derby.
Mikel Arteta’s side claimed a vital 2-0 win over Leicester City last weekend thanks to two late goals from Mikel Merino, while Graham Potter’s Hammers fell to a third defeat in four games at home to Brentford in a disappointing result.
Both teams have injury concerns coming into this one, leaving the manager with decisions to make and this is how GIVEMESPORT expect the sides to line up.
Arsenal Team News
No senior striker available
The Gunners will once again have to battle with the fact they have limited options in attack, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both out for the rest of the season with serious injuries.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has also now been ruled out for the season with a knee injury, while Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka remain unavailable. Ben White made his long-awaited return to the match-day squad last weekend and could be pushing for a first start.
|
Arsenal Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Gabriel Martinelli |
Hamstring |
15/03/2025 |
|
Takehiro Tomiyasu |
Knee |
Unknown |
|
Bukayo Saka |
Hamstring |
Unknown |
|
Kai Havertz |
Hamstring |
04/08/2025 |
|
Gabriel Jesus |
Knee |
22/11/2025 |
Arteta Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta shared an update on the status of his squad.
“No real news to be fair. The ones that are long-term they remain unavailable.
“He’s [Ben White] ready to play, whether it’s to start it’s a decision we will make tomorrow.
“We are [looking at young strikers from the academy]. There are some players training regularly with us now. We might have to use them and they look ready.”
Arsenal Predicted XI
Merino to start
- Arsenal Predicted XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Merino, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling.
- Arsenal Predicted Substitutes: Neto (GK), Zinchenko (DEF), Tierney (DEF), Kiwior (DEF), White (DEF), Calafiori (DEF), Partey (MID), Jorginho (MID), Butler-Oyejedi (FWD).
After two goals off the bench, Merino is likely to get the nod from the start which should see Declan Rice moved into a deeper role against his former side. Miles Lewis-Skelly should keep his place at left-back after yet another top performance, meaning £42m signing Riccardo Calafiori will once again find himself on the bench alongside £310,000-per-week duo Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey.
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West Ham Team News
Paqueta ruled out
The Hammers have been rocked by news that Brazil star Lucas Paqueta has been ruled out for the next four weeks with an ankle problem suffered in training, further limiting the manager’s options in attack.
Crysencio Summerville has also suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury and is unavailable, while Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio are long-term absentees. Vladimir Coufal is also unavailable with a hamstring problem, but Evan Ferguson is pushing for his first start since joining on loan in January.
|
West Ham Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Vladimir Coufal |
Hamstring |
27/02/2025 |
|
Lucas Paqueta |
Ankle |
10/03/2025 |
|
Crysensio Summerville |
Hamstring |
01/04/2025 |
|
Michail Antonio |
Legs |
01/06/2025 |
|
Niclas Fullkrug |
Thigh |
Unknown |
Potter Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Potter shared an update on the status of his squad.
“It was a training incident for Lucas Paquetá, just an innocuous one. He went over on his ankle and had a little bit of a collision with Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“He’s rolled his ankle and will be missing for the game on Saturday, and probably Leicester as well. We’ll see how it is, but it’s swollen up a bit. We’ll take it day by day, but I imagine it’ll be a week or two he’ll be away.
“Apart from that, team news is pretty much as we were. Vladi [Coufal] still had a little bit of a feeling [in his hamstring] so the game will come too soon for him at the weekend. He has an outside chance for Leicester.
“[Crysencio] Summerville is still making progress but still for a timeline, you’re looking the other side of the international break for him.”
West Ham Predicted XI
Ferguson to start up front
- West Ham Predicted XI: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Mavropanos, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Ferguson, Kudus.
- West Ham Predicted Substitutes: Foderingham (GK), Fabianski (GK), Cresswell (DEF), Todibo (DEF), Scarles (DEF), Soler (MID), Irving (MID), Rodriguez (MID), Guilherme (FWD).
With Paqueta and Summerville unavailable, Ferguson should make his first start for the Hammers up front alongside Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. There’s also a chance James Ward-Prowse can make his first start since returning from a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, with £80,000-per-week loanee Carlos Soler dropping out.
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