Arsenal vs. West Ham: Starting XIs and Team News for Premier League Fixture

After discussion raged throughout the summer about whether Arsenal could challenge for the Premier League title, we’ll get a first glimpse of just how capable this team is of winning the ultimate prize when they take on West Ham United in their season opener.

The Hammers have had a busy pre-season themselves, with Europa League qualifiers and plenty of new faces keeping players on their toes. They’ll fancy their chances of springing a shock and the teams have been announced for what is always a fiercely contested fixture.

Here’s the XI named by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, per the Arsenal Twitter feed:

New Hammers boss Slaven Bilic has picked the following lineup for his first Premier League game in charge, per the West Ham Twitter feed:

For Arsenal, the Hammers look to be perfect opposition to get the wheels in motion. According to 11v11.com, the Gunners have won their last nine Premier League games in a row against their London rivals, with West Ham’s most recent victory at the Emirates coming in 2007 thanks to a Bobby Zamora goal.