North London meets East London as Arsenal host West Ham at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League.
Arsenal responded well to their devastating elimination in the Europa League at the hands of Olympiakos by putting in a professional performance in a 2-0 win against Portsmouth at Fratton Park to progress in the FA Cup.
The Gunners come into this game on a seven match unbeaten run in the league, including back-to-back home wins against Newcastle and Everton.
This tie is crucial for Arsenal, as a win would put them level on points with their bitter rivals Tottenham. An added incentive is that this would also leave the Gunners two points off fifth place.
West Ham, somehow with the talent of their squad, they are in a relegation scrap.
But, impressive showings against Manchester City and Liverpool, plus a solid 3-1 win against Southampton last week, shows that this Hammers side does have the quality to stay up.
West Ham’s last away win at Arsenal was in August 2015, so the Hammers will look to use this new found momentum to stun the hosts.
Here are the key battles that we think will determine the outcome of the game.
Mikel Arteta vs David Moyes
Arteta showed that he does have the hallmarks of being a top manager as he has responded well after his side’s heartbreak in the Europa League. This will be another challenge as he faces a fighting West Ham side who are eager to get a result at the Emirates.
The appointment of Moyes did raise a few eyebrows and he really needs a result here. It’s integral for West Ham to build on their string of good performances. Therefore, the onus is put on Moyes to keep his players motivated and maintain confidence. West Ham’s new-found momentum is based on their new approach of playing direct, attacking football, so Moyes’ motivation will be key.
Granit Xhaka vs Mark Noble
The two ‘hard-men’ of their respective sides meet in the middle of the park. This will be an intriguing match-up, as both sets of players will be integral to how their sides play.
Nicolas Pepe vs Jarrod Bowen
West Ham’s new signing from Hull City got off the mark as his lovely finish against Southampton helped his side claim all three points. Now he has opened his account, Bowen needs to replicate his strong goal scoring form in the Championship as West Ham desperately need goals to find space between themselves and the bottom end of the table.
One of Arsenal’s new signings, Pepe, arrived from Lille in the summer and whilst having the odd tremendous game, the Ivorian has failed to deliver consistent performances. But, the ability he has is clear to see and playing against a West Ham team that have conceded 49 goals in 28 games provides an excellent opportunity for Pepe to get on the scoresheet.
Alexandre Lacazette vs Sébastien Haller
Two Frenchmen could lead the line for both teams in this fixture with both players on the hunt for goals. Haller got a desperately-needed goal against Southampton last week to end his eight-match goal drought in the league. Lacazette, on the other hand, has only scored twice in his last 16 appearances. Both strikers seem to be out of form and will be looking to start firing again.