With 12 wins achieved and 37 points accumulated, Arsenal, excuse me, The Arsenal, are also enjoying their best record ever at this specific point in the season. Look it up- they’re even better, at this point of the season (about 1/3 in) than The Invincibles.
The Gunners are looking to keep the good times rolling against West Ham United, on Boxing Day, as the Premier League is back in action for the first time in over a month.
Boxing Day Fixtures Arsenal vs West Ham FYIs
Competition: Premier League regular season
Kickoff: Mon Dec 26, 8pm GMT, The Emirates, London, UK
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal West Ham
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
There is no reason for manager Mikel Arteta not to start his first choice back four here of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Only Saliba played at the World Cup (for France) and that was just for 27 minutes in total.
The big change to the line-up here is up top, with Eddie Nketiah now having to lead the line, as Gabriel Jesus is on the shelf for the next three months, at least. The rest of the line-up projection is pretty straight-forward.
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction vs West Ham United
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah
Prediction: Arsenal 3, West Ham 1
Given who is in form and who is not in form, this seems like a safe pick.
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.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.