Arsenal vs West Ham predictions: Gunners can go back on top
- Arsenal have lost just one of their last ten matches
- West Ham have scored in 16 of their 18 league fixtures
- Recommended bet: Arsenal to win and both teams to score
The Gunners signed off before Christmas with a respectable 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield and are still just about in the driving seat in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool went top of the table with a 2-0 win over Burnley on Boxing Day but Arsenal are only two points off the pace with a game in hand and can leapfrog them with victory over the Hammers in Thursday's big London derby.
It could be a testing contest for Mikel Arteta's men, though, given West Ham have won three of their last four league games, a run which includes victories over Tottenham and Manchester United.
Team news
Fabio Vieira, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber remain sidelined for Arsenal, while Kai Havertz is suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards.
West Ham will be without Michail Antonio, Nayef Aguerd and Maxwel Cornet.
The stats
Arsenal are unbeaten at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this season, having won seven and drawn two of their nine home league games.
Both teams have scored in 13 of West Ham's 18 Premier League fixtures this season.
Four of Arsenal's last six matches in all competitions have seen both teams score, including their most recent game with Liverpool, which finished 1-1.
These two sides have scored a combined 67 goals in the Premier League this season.
Prediction
Although they could have won the game, Arsenal should be pleased with their 1-1 draw with Liverpool last Saturday and they still look like the team to beat overall in the Premier League this season.
Liverpool are keeping pace, but Aston Villa have gone off the boil, Tottenham are too inconsistent and Manchester City have had a testing December domestically.
The Gunners have won 12 of their 18 league fixtures this season and, at the halfway point in their campaign, they look better-placed to go the distance than when they led at this stage last season.
Declan Rice has added some steely resilience to the midfield and he will be eager to make his mark when Arsenal take on his old club.
The Hammers are enjoying a decent season, having climbed up to seventh in the league standings, although the 5-1 hammering by Liverpool in the EFL Cup quarter-finals suggests there is still plenty of work to be done by David Moyes.
They were also beaten 5-0 away to Fulham earlier this month and recently the London Stadium is where they have been picking up more points.
A trip to the Emirates is never easy and Arsenal are unbeaten on their own patch in the league this term, so back Arteta's men to secure three points, although the visitors should be good enough to play their part.
The Hammers have scored in all bar two of their 18 league assignments this term and their league fixtures are averaging 3.39 goals per game, so expect a high-scoring affair that Arsenal can edge.
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