Arsenal play host to West Ham United on Saturday afternoon, and Paul Merson has made some big calls ahead of the match.
The Premier League clash at The Emirates this weekend is a must-win for Arsenal, and I think it’s a must-not-lose for West Ham.
Paul Merson is thinking the same, judging by his comments today, but he made a couple of predictions that will undoubtedly surprise you.
Graham Potter took over as the new manager at the London Stadium last month, and despite making improvements in the way we play, he hasn’t got the results he would have wanted so far.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta continues to make huge strides in charge of Arsenal.
All that’s left for them now is to win some big trophies with the Spaniard at the helm.
The one bit of good news for the Hammers is that Arsenal’s nemesis Craig Pawson has been named as the referee for the game.
It’s worth remembering as well that Arsenal are currently in the midst of a real injury crisis, with all of their best attacking players out injured, apart from the excellent Ethan Nwaneri of course.
West Ham have problems of our own though, with Lucas Paqueta having suffered an ankle injury this week and Vladimir Coufal going down with a hamstring problem, taking our injury list to five.
So do we really have a chance of going to Arsenal and taking something from the game?
Paul Merson’s shocking Arsenal claim ahead of West Ham clash
The well-renowned pundit has made a career out of his bold predictions and opinions.
And heading into the clash at The Emirates this weekend, Merson made yet another eye-catching call.
When discussing Arsenal’s current injury problems, Merson told Sportskeeda how he expects Arteta to line up against the Hammers:
“Despite his goal in the last game, I think Merino will be left on the bench here. I expect Arteta to use the same front three he used against Leicester.“
That’s an absolutely shocking take if you ask me. Or who knows, he might just be a genius, and when Arteta does stick with the same front three he’ll be laughing at all of us when the team-sheets are released.
I’m sorry, but did he watch just how bad Raheem Sterling was for Arsenal during their win against Leicester City last weekend?
The 30-year-old was truly horrendous, and the game massively swung in the Gunners’ favour when Mikel Merino replaced him with 20 minutes to play.
I might be wrong here, but I just don’t see a scenario whereby Arteta sets up against us with Sterling in the XI.
Paul Merson’s Arsenal vs West Ham prediction
The game is obviously a vitally important one for us, and Potter needs a result.
The football has improved since his arrival, but the cold hard truth is that he has guided us to just four points from the five Premier League games he’s overseen so far.
However, in spite of the Hammers’ desperate need for all three points, it has to be said that Arsenal need them even more.
A win would see them close the gap on league leaders Liverpool at the top of the table to just five points.
However, Paul Merson think’s Arsenal could be in for a tough afternoon against West Ham.
“This will be a hard game for Arsenal. West Ham were decent against Chelsea – I like how they played even though they lost. They will come out and frustrate Arsenal in this game, plus the hammers have firepower who can pick you off.“
Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 West Ham
I would be shocked if we limited the Gunners to just one goal, in spite of their makeshift forward line.
Who knows though, maybe West Ham will turn up in north London and ruin Arsenal’s title charge for the third successive season!
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