Hoping for a repeat of their last trip to the London Stadium, Arsenal head across the capital to take on local rivals West Ham United in Saturday's 5.30pm Premier League kickoff.
Mikel Arteta's men subjected Sporting Lisbon to a 5-1 mauling in the Champions League on Tuesday night, one day after the Irons unexpectedly triumphed 2-0 at Newcastle United.
Match preview
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured on November 23, 2024© Imago
Well and truly resurrected since international football intervened, Arsenal were projected to endure a taxing evening at the Estadio Jose Alvalade against Primeira Liga powerhouses Sporting, in spite of Ruben Amorim jumping ship to Manchester United.
However, barring a 15-minute period at the start of the second half, Arsenal enjoyed arguably their most comfortable evening of the entire season yet, as Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard all contributed to the Portuguese pummelling.
The demolition of Sporting - which has lifted Arsenal into the coveted top eight spots in the Champions League table - came in the aftermath of an equally convincing 3-0 Premier League success over Nottingham Forest, one that ended a four-game winless streak in the division and kept Arteta's crop just inside the top four of the standings.
The nine-point gap to Liverpool remains insurmountable for the time being, although the Gunners are now just one behind an ailing Manchester City - who must travel to Anfield on Sunday - and the time is nigh to earn their first league win on the road since the middle of September.
The visitors' affinity for capital clashes is also well-documented, as they have only suffered defeat in two of their 26 Premier League London derbies since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, and they have found the back of the net in 25 of those showdowns.
West Ham United's Tomas Soucek celebrates after scoring on November 25, 2024© Imago
However, the one game in that sequence that Arsenal failed to score in came against none other than upcoming hosts West Ham, themselves revelling in a strong away day which could be the catalyst for a much-needed upturn in fortunes, if Julen Lopetegui is to remain in post.
The Irons' journey to St James' Park on Monday was expected to end poorly for Lopetegui and co, but strikes either side of the half-time break from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka clipped the Magpies' wings and handed West Ham their first road success since late August.
Following a week where there was another top-flight managerial casualty in the form of Steve Cooper, Lopetegui has earned another stay of execution at 14th-placed West Ham, who now boast a healthy six-point lead over Ipswich Town in the highest of the relegation places.
Rebuilding the walls of the London Stadium fortress, West Ham have taken seven points from their last nine on offer in Premier League home games - sinking Ipswich Town and Manchester United before sharing the points with Everton - and only one of their last four matches against Arsenal has ended in defeat.
However, that loss came in the most recent London Stadium showdown between the two capital counterparts, when Arsenal ran riot in a 6-0 slaughter of the Hammers in February 2024, avenging a 2-0 Emirates loss and 3-1 EFL Cup exit that same season.
West Ham United Premier League form:
Arsenal Premier League form:
Arsenal form (all competitions):
Team News
Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes pictured on October 27, 2024© Imago
One minor blot on Arsenal's Portugal notebook was the withdrawal of goalscorer Gabriel towards the end of the win over Sporting; the exact nature of his problem is still unclear, but it would not be a surprise to see him spared ahead of the midweek meeting with Manchester United.
Arteta has two solutions for the possible absence of Gabriel; he could either make a straight swap with Jakub Kiwior, as he did on Tuesday, or move Riccardo Calafiori into a centre-back role and introduce Oleksandr Zinchenko out wide.
The Arsenal boss should not shy away from a few unenforced changes too - as he did in a surprise selection against Forest - as Trossard and Mikel Merino could bring some fresh legs into the XI.
As Kieran Tierney finally returned from a hamstring problem to make the bench in the Champions League, only knee victims Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are out for the Gunners.
West Ham's most noteworthy piece of team news arguably comes from the dugout, as head coach Lopetegui was cautioned for the third time this term at St James' Park and serves a touchline ban for the visit of Arsenal.
Lopetegui joins Mohammed Kudus - serving the last game of his five-match ban - on the naughty step, but Edson Alvarez is back from a two-game suspension of his own following confusion over whether he would be able to take on Newcastle.
In terms of injuries, Niclas Fullkrug's calf problem is not expected to let up in time for the weekend, and Jean-Clair Todibo suffered a knock in the win at Newcastle, so ex-Arsenal man Dinos Mavropanos could come in to face his former team.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Soler, Summerville; Antonio
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
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We say: West Ham United 1-3 Arsenal
Gooners will fondly remember the early period of 2024, where Arteta's men were ripping defences open for fun, and Arsenal appear to have rediscovered that attacking mojo if their last two displays are anything to go by.
Consequently, even a West Ham side that stunted Newcastle should not keep the Gunners at bay for long this weekend, although there should be no repeat of last season's six-goal slamming if that is any consolation for the Irons faithful.
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