Nayef Aguerd has missed the last two games for West Ham United, due to an undisclosed illness. He is a strong doubt for the London derby on Thursday night at Arsenal. If he isn’t fully recovered in time for this the final match of the Boxing Day round of fixtures, then perhaps Konstantinos Mavropanos will get the start, and with it a chance to play his former side.
Other than in central defense, predicting the Irons first team is pretty straight-forward.
Boxing Day Fixtures FYIs
West Ham United at Arsenal FC
Kick: Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, 8:15 PM Local Time, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal West Ham
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Standing: Arsenal 1st, 40 pts West Ham 6th, 30 pts
Form Guide: Arsenal DWLWW West Ham WWLWD
Google Result Probability: Draw 17% Arsenal 72% West Ham 11%
You can reasonably assume everything else that manager David Moyes figures to do with his lineup here. As the Hammers are taking on the Premier League leaders, at their ground, they are substantial underdogs.
Arsenal are typically priced to win at about 1/3. A draw can be had for 4/1 while West Ham are backed to the tune of 8/1.
West Ham United Starting 11 Prediction at Arsenal
Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri; Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse; Mohamed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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