Key events
Team news
West Ham starting XI: Łukasz Fabiański; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Emerson Palmieri; Carlos Soler, Tomáš Souček; Jarrod Bowen (C), Lucas Paquetá, Crysencio Summerville; Michail Antonio.
Arsenal starting XI: David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Riccardo Calafiori; Jorginho, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard (C); Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz.
Team news will be out shortly. Mohammed Kudus is absent for West Ham while he serves the fifth of his five-match ban. Niclas Füllkrug is also sidelined with an Achilles injury.
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain unavailable for Arsenal, with Gabriel Magalhães an uncertainty.
Preamble
Hello, good evening and welcome to coverage of West Ham’s Premier League clash with Arsenal. Julen Lopetegui earned himself a lifeline on Monday when his team cruised to a shock 2-0 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park. It was the club’s first victory in just under a month, giving them some breathing space between the likes of Leicester and Everton.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have returned to fine form following the international break. Mikel Arteta and his players endured a rough patch between the end of October and the start of November, but Martin Ødegaard’s return to full fitness has provided a huge boost. The North London side earned a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend followed by a 5-1 victory against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, so they should be oozing confidence going into this London derby.
We’re certainly in for a treat! Kick-off is at 5:30pm GMT – join me!