Arsenal travel to East London today where they will face a West ham side not only hoping to do the double over the Gunners this season, but also fighting for a place in next seasons Champions League.
As for Arsenal there is still a faint hope that they can win the league, following wins in their last two matches against Everton and Watford, with the Gunners knowing a loss at Upton Park this lunchtime will surely signal the end of what at one point looked to be a very promising season.
This will be a big game for Arsenal goal keeper Petr Cech following a month on the side-lines after he picked up a calf injury while sprinting back from an ill-advised last minute corner against Swansea City.
The 33-year-old former Chelsea shot stopper will need to be in fine form if he hope to beat a Dmitri Payet led team that have scored eight goals in their last four games.
Meanwhile Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has not given up on the title saying at his press conference prior to today’s match: “As long as mathematically it’s possible, there’s a strong possibility [of catching Leicester].
“We know we need nearly the perfect run – I could have cut the ‘nearly’ out.
“We do not only look in front of us, we look behind us as well, because we are chased by a group of teams who can make it very difficult for us.”
Team News
There really is no reason for Wenger to dabble with the team other than to bring back Petr Cech, although he may be tempted to use Aaron Ramsey at some stage following the Welshman’s return to first-team training. Mathieu Flamini has also been passed fit for today’s match, but we do not see Wenger playing him this afternoon.
As for long-term injured Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the pair appears to be 2-3 weeks away from being available for selection.
Conclusion
Despite West Ham’s current run of form and the hope of a top four finish, Arsenal are now a team with no pressure on them which makes them a dangerous beast as they can now just relax and play the stylish attacking game we all love so much with no fear of being singled out should the result not go the Gunners way. We expect plenty of goals in what should prove to be a very entertaining game of football that Arsenal will win 1-3.
Have a look at our team selection below and see if you think we got it right.
