Early Arsenal team news v West Ham United as Mikel Arteta confirms triple blow
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsenal will be without three first-team players for their Premier League clash against West Ham on Boxing Day.
West Ham travel to the Emirates Stadium on Monday evening as they look to cause an upset against the Premier League leaders.
David Moyes is under huge pressure to turn things around for the Hammers after a dire start to the season, and he’ll take confidence from the injury news emerging from the Gunners.
Speaking ahead of the match, Arteta confirmed that he’ll be without three forwards against the Irons, with Gabriel Jesus, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe all unavailable.
“With Reiss, unfortunately he picked an injury against Juventus and he’s going to be out for a while I think,” said Arteta, as quoted by football.london.
“Emile is close. He had a setback but he’s there and he’s in a good place. We’ve done a lot of things with Emile,” he added.
Regarding Jesus, Arteta was hesitant to give a return date but confirmed that the Brazilian striker is set to be out for a while – “It’s going to take some time for sure. He’s gone through surgery and that tells you the extent of the injury.”
Gunners firing blanks
Arteta will be without three forward players for Monday night’s clash, with Jesus a particularly big miss for Arsenal.
The 25-year-old joined the Gunners in the summer and was a mainstay in the team, but a major injury suffered while on duty with Brazil in the World Cup means they will be without their main striker.
It should fill the West Ham defence with confidence. The Hammers are likely to be without Kurt Zouma themselves after he underwent surgery over the break, and the match may come too soon for Nayef Aguerd after his efforts with Morocco in the World Cup.
So expect a makeshift Hammers defence to come up against a makeshift Arsenal attack. It’ll certainly make for intriguing viewing, and there’s no reason why West Ham can’t capitalise on a weak Gunners squad and cause an upset.
Nelson will also be a major blow for Arteta after his impressive form before the break. However, he still has both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to pick out wide.
It’s bound to be a blockbuster London derby, and West Ham know a win is needed to ensure they end the year outside of the relegation zone.