After two impressive victories against Chelsea FC and Manchester United, Arsenal have Champions League qualification on the horizon.
Arteta's team travel to East London to play West Ham at the London Stadium. The Irons will feel aggrieved after a 2-1 loss to Frankfurt FC earlier in the week in the Europa League semi final and with this fixture only four days before the intriguing second leg, The Gunners may be at an advantage.
After Arsenal's win and West Ham's 1-0 loss to Chelsea, 8 points currently separate the sides, so if The Hammers fail to secure points, their hopes of finishing fourth are all but over.
How to watch? What time is kick-off?
The kick-off is scheduled for 4:30 pm on Sunday 1st May 2022. The match will be televised on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event. Sky Sports subscribers will be able to use the SkyGo app to live stream the match online.
Team News?
After Bukayo Saka went down injured against Man United, Arsenal fans had their hearts in their mouth, but they'll be relieved to hear Arteta say that "He recovered well" and "He will be fine" for this game.
Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney are unavailable but Takehiro Tomiyasu is in contention after he was subbed on against the Red Devils.
There is adversity at the back for West Ham as Craig Dawson is out with a suspension, and Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna are both out for this game with injuries as well. However, Kurt Zouma returned ahead of schedule and is in contention for this fixture.
Even though West Ham fans may want a youth player to be given a chance, David Moyes dismissed this and said that they "Need to be careful" when playing a youngster in "Games like Arsenal" as he implied reliability may be an issue.
Match facts: Gunners must sustain positive record
Arsenal have a good record against West Ham winning 4 from the last 5 games. The Irons have only one win in almost seven years in all competitions against The Gunners.
Away fixtures have been inconsistent in recent years for Arteta's team but history reveals that Arsenal have won away at West Ham more often in the Premier League than against any other side other than Aston Villa (both 13 victories) according to Orbinho via Stats Perform.
However, The Irons are currently the 4th most effective side from set-pieces and Arsenal recently conceded their first goal from a corner; This may cause frailties at the back.
David Moyes' team has taken a dip in form with only one win in the last six games in all competitions; Has tiredness taken its toll?
Predicted Line Ups
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Xhaka, Elneny, Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah
West Ham: Fabianski; Coufal, Johnson, Zouma, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Benrahma; Fornals
Fatigue Factor: Will rotation be at the Hammers' detriment?
The Hammers have this fixture in-between their crucial Europa League semi final vs Frankfurt so Moyes will most likely rotate, as he did against Chelsea.
Despite this, The Irons will be no easy feat for Arsenal. Arteta knows this after being 3-0 down after 32 minutes last season in this fixture last season, producing a six-goal thriller.
Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli scored the last time these two teams faced each other and Arteta's young core will need another top performance to secure victory. This is a huge opportunity to take the upper-hand against an injury-ravaged West Ham side.
Three points will secure a top-six finish for Arsenal but in the grand scheme of things, they would be pivotal in the race for Champions League qualification. "Momentum is the most fragile flower" are the words of Jurgen Klopp, and momentum must not be lost after the stellar week Arteta's young side have had.
