Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
One of two London derbies in this round takes place at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are comfortably sitting in second place, while West Ham United find themselves hovering above the relegation battle. They are not in immediate danger, but another slip-up would only worsen their situation.
Arsenal
In the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli featured for Arsenal. Just 10 days later, neither were available against Leicester City due to injuries—Havertz is out for the season, while Martinelli will miss at least this match against West Ham United. As a result, Arsenal have no recognised centre-forwards available, and only two natural wingers—Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard. Goals were hard to come by against Leicester City, with the breakthrough only coming in the 81st minute. Mikel Merino stepped up with a brace, while the team once again relied heavily on free kicks and corners.
West Ham United
West Ham United are also dealing with a major injury crisis in attack. Niclas Füllkrug is sidelined again, Michail Antonio has suffered a broken leg and is out for the season, while Crysencio Summerville, like Füllkrug, has a hamstring injury. That leaves just Jarrod Bowen, Danny Ings, and 20-year-old Evan Ferguson, who arrived on loan from Brighton at the end of the winter transfer window. It's a bleak situation, and it has shown in recent results—West Ham have scored just twice in their last four winless matches, with three of those games seeing under 2.5 goals.
Arsenal vs West Ham United Prediction
With Arsenal's attacking depth stretched and West Ham struggling for goals, this does not look like a high-scoring encounter. Arsenal have already seen under 2.5 goals land in three of their last five matches across all competitions, and this looks set to follow the same pattern.
