Having now crashed out of the Europa League, Arsenal must now set their sights on finishing fourth (or potentially fifth, given the UEFA ruling) in the Premier League table this season. That’s the ultimate goal now, and the next step on this quest is a London derby against West Ham United on Saturday.
For the Hammers, it’s not about thriving, but just surviving this campaign, and with that in mind, let’s look at the team news for both sides.
The Gunners have four confirmed injury absentees for this one: Calum Chambers (knee), Sead Kolasinac (shoulder), Kieran Tierney (shoulder) and Lucas Torreira (fractured ankle).
In regards to the last name mentioned above, the midfielder suffered the injury in the FA Cup win over Portsmouth, and left the stadium in a protective boot and crutches. There is no definitive time table for his return, but given the severity of such an injury, plus how late it is in the season, one might expect he’s done for this term.
Turning to the Hammers, they have a quartet of players who will miss out due to injury as well: Ryan Fredericks (shoulder), Tomas Soucek (groin), Andriy Yarmolenko (thigh) and Jack Wilshere (groin). Regarding that last name we just listed- what a shame it is that the midfielder won’t get to face the team that he spent an overwhelmingly majority of his career with.
Arsenal FC vs West Ham United FC FYIs
Starting XI Predictions for both sides: West Ham Arsenal
March 7, 3pm, Emirates Stadium
TV/Streaming: N/A
Form Guide: Arsenal WWDDD West Ham United WLLDL
Result Probability: Arsenal FC win 61%, Draw 23%, West Ham United win 16%
Prediction: Arsenal FC 2, West Ham United 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.
