West Ham United are up against it on Sunday against Arsenal and one of British football’s leading pundits Chris Sutton does not see them repeating history.
While West Ham have previously dented Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes, Sunday’s game feels very different indeed.
To boo or not to boo, that is the question… 😂
The Gunners have seemingly played their way out of the wobble they appeared to be in only a few weeks ago, while West Ham are sliding towards relegation.
The Irons desperately need a victory but Sutton – who does not often back them – does not believe it will happen.
Sutton thinks West Ham will lose to Arsenal after denting previous title bids
Writing for BBC Sport while predicting a 3-1 defeat to Mikel Arteta’s side, Sutton said: “Arsenal look like a totally different proposition on the attacking front now Bukayo Saka is back in the team.
“It is going to be hard for West Ham to keep them out, and it doesn’t help the Hammers that they desperately need a victory here after losing last weekend while all the teams around them won.
“A draw wouldn’t be a disaster for West Ham if you took this game in isolation but, depending on what Tottenham do against Leeds on Monday night, even if they pick up a point they could end up further adrift.
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“Arsenal have had big wins at London Stadium in each of the past two seasons. I don’t see them sticking five or six in again this time, but I also don’t see them slipping up.”
Though West Ham have frequently proven Sutton wrong over the last few months, it is difficult to disagree.
The mood here in east London is low following Saturday’s defeat to Brentford and the nerves among the Arsenal camp are now starting to subside.
Though the London Stadium has proven a difficult place to go for top teams in recent weeks, any success West Ham had before Brentford feels like a long time ago now.
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Clearly, Nuno is refusing to give up on West Ham’s survival chances. They’ve stopped Arsenal in their tracks before, and it is hardly beyond the realms of possibility that they do so again.
Nuno’s particular brand of football arguably lends itself to being an underdog, even if some of the more extreme defensive tactics he has often deployed will be most unwelcome on Sunday.
It’s a huge game in deciding what happens at both ends of the Premier League table. Arsenal may be the story of more global interest, but West Ham are capable of spoiling the party.
They should therefore embrace everyone, including Sutton, writing them off.
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