Arsenal vs. West Ham: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Arsenal begin their assault on the Premier League with a clash against West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium.
It stands to be a fascinating encounter. Both teams have plenty to prove—the Gunners will be desperate to demonstrate their title credentials, while the Hammers will hope for a positive start to life under new manager Slaven Bilic.
Speaking to the BBC, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was very clear about the scale of his side’s ambition:
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"We won the FA Cup last year and we finished third in the Premier League so our target is very high.
Our ambition is to win the Premier League but we have to sustain that by performance and fighting spirit in every single game.
"
Arsenal’s hopes of challenging last season were undone by a poor start, so Wenger will be desperate to get off to a strong beginning in their opening league fixture. In 2014/15, they won just two of their opening eight games. A similar run this time around would prove disastrous. The Gunners cannot afford to hand a strong-looking Chelsea a significant lead.
Talking to the same website, Bilic has also spoken of his expectations for the forthcoming campaign:
"We have a big season ahead of us which starts on Sunday. We are going to be good in the Premier League. I am very confident about that.
"
In the post-Allardyce era, the onus is on West Ham to be entertaining rather than merely efficient. It will be intriguing to see whether Bilic can inject some flair into the Hammers so early on his reign.
It will be difficult for the Hammers to upset Arsenal: The Gunners have won each of their last 10 meetings between the two teams. If Bilic can lead his team to a positive result in this fixture, he will have announced himself in considerable style.
Date: Sunday August 9
Time: 1.30 p.m. BST, 8.30 a.m. ET
Location: Emirates Stadium, London
Television coverage: Sky Sports 1 / Sky Sports 1 HD (UK); NBCSN (U.S.)
Streaming: Sky Go (UK)
Team News
Arsenal are still without Alexis Sanchez, last year’s top goalscorer. Although he has now returned to training after his exertions at the Copa America, Wenger is yet to deem him ready for competitive action.
As well as Alexis, Arsenal will be without the England international pair of Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere.
The likelihood is that Wenger will go for an XI very similar to the one that lifted the Community Shield—meaning a Premier League debut for Petr Cech.
Wenger’s big choice revolves around who to play as his centre-forward: Olivier Giroud or Theo Walcott. Giroud’s height could be useful at defensive set-pieces, and he has nabbed five goals in as many games against West Ham. However, Walcott started the Community Shield and is likely to continue in that role.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla; Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Theo Walcott
West Ham will be without striking pair Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll, as they are still recuperating from injuries sustained during the summer. That lack of attacking options could mean a surprising reprieve for Mauro Zarate.
They will also have to cope without full-back Carl Jenkinson, who is ineligible to face his parent club. Another familiar face Arsenal fans might have expected to see is Alex Song, who spent last season on loan in east London.
However, he has not yet come to terms with West Ham over extending that deal into this season, so he will not be present at the Emirates Stadium.
Predicted West Ham XI (4-4-2): Adrian; Joey O’Brien, Angelo Ogbonna, Winston Reid, Aaron Cresswell; Mark Noble, Reece Oxford, Cheikhou Kouyate, Dimitri Payet; Mauro Zarate, Diafra Sakho
Players to Watch
Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
This is a huge season for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Last year, he began the campaign in the team before injury slowed his progress and robbed him of his place. With a full preseason behind him, he will now be determined to kick on and begin to fulfil his enormous potential.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has all you’d want in an attacking midfielder. He works hard, he can dribble, he’s creative and he possesses a powerful shot. Now he must begin to make those attributes pay dividends in the form of goals and assists.
The absence of Alexis is a benefit to ‘The Ox,’ as it affords him the opportunity to re-establish himself in the first XI. A strong start to the season could see him remain there for the rest of the campaign.
West Ham: Adrian
Spanish goalkeeper Adrian always seems to reserve his best form for matches against Arsenal. The agile Spaniard is sure to come under fire at the Emirates Stadium, and the manner in which he copes will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the game.
On a day when there is certain to be considerable focus on the man in goal for Arsenal, Petr Cech, Adrian stands a good chance of being the game’s surprise star.
Key Battle: Santi Cazorla vs. Mark Noble
The most important battle of the match could well come in the centre of the park.
The winner of this duel will determine which of the two teams seizes control of the midfield. If Cazorla is triumphant, Arsenal could well overwhelm West Ham. However, if Noble can get a foot-hold in the game, then the outcome may be far closer. Both deep-lying playmakers will be hoping they can seize the initiative for their respective teams.
With both sides keen to play good football, victory in this battle is likely to be won by technical skill rather than physicality.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
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