Arteta axes Sterling, new striker trialled – Arsenal predicted XI v West Ham
West Ham United’s next Premier League match pits them against an Arsenal side still firmly in the race for the Premier League title.
As Graham Potter‘s Hammers languish in a lowly 16th place, Arsenal sit second, eight points behind runaway leaders Liverpool and in need of a victory if they’re to have any hope of reeling in the Reds.
Arsenal’s title challenge has already seen them come away from East London with three points earlier this season, thumping West Ham 5-2 in November in what was the Irons’ biggest defeat of the season at that stage.
That’s since been surpassed by a 5-0 home loss to Liverpool – which proved to be Julen Lopetegui’s penultimate match in charge – but Potter has a chance to reverse West Ham’s poor form at the Emirates Stadium.
Sterling to be axed ahead of Arsenal v West Ham
Although Arsenal are on a roll at the moment with three straight Premier League victories and two clean sheets – coming either side of thumping Manchester City 5-1 – Mikel Arteta could still make changes at Emirates Stadium.
Attacker Raheem Sterling, who previously played under current Irons boss Potter during their brief time together at Chelsea, seems the most likely candidate to be dropped, as he’s failed to impress in North London.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
| Arsenal | 25 | 15 | 8 | 2 | +29 | 53 |
| West Ham | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | –18 | 27 |
With Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli all sidelined, Sterling has made rare starts for the Gunners during his loan spell from Chelsea, but his lack of impact could see him benched once again.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, meanwhile, has been very impressive following his progression through the club’s youth ranks, but he could also drop to the bench as Arteta looks to manage the left-back’s minutes.
Arteta experiments with brand new striker for Arsenal v West Ham
Though Arsenal have a highly depleted forward line at the moment, their two goals which swung last weekend’s 2-0 win over Leicester City came via a highly unlikely source – midfielder Mikel Merino.
With the Gunners level at 0-0 heading into the latter stages at the King Power Stadium, Spanish international Merino was thrown on as a makeshift striker, and went on to score both decisive goals.
Merino could therefore be placed up front from the off to take on the Hammers on Saturday, giving West Ham‘s defence an all-new proposition to deal with as Riccardo Calafiori also starts at left-back.
The Irons have been forced to field makeshift strikers of their own for large parts of this season amid long-term injuries to Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug, but it’s Arsenal who may have cracked the code of just how to deploy a natural midfielder (or any non-striker) in the centre-forward role.