Arsenal visit West Ham United this weekend as they look to close the gap at the top. This will be Arsenal’s first visit to the London Stadium and more importantly, they will be having a chance to move up if they manage to win against the Hammers.
Here are the 3 key battles Arsenal will have to win if they want to come away from the London stadium with the three points.
Alexis Sanchez vs Angelo Ogbonna
Alexis Sanchez will be arriving at the London Stadium high on confidence after his brace against Bournemouth last week. The Chilean has undoubtedly been Arsenal’s best player on the pitch and his sync with Mesut Ozil that has grown over the last two years is reaping fruits now.
Wenger stated last week that Sanchez is a good performer even when he is ‘dead’ and he has rightly performed that way. He will be a huge concern for West Ham’s back line on Saturday, who have often been found giving spaces to opponents.
Ogbonna has been a regular for Bilic this season appearing 10 times and looks to have the manager’s confidence. Among the back three that West Ham plays, Ogbonna has been a positive sign. He has won 12 tackles this season with a success rate of 63%. He has also made 30 interceptions, 49 clearances and eight blocks.
Dimitri Payet vs Gabriel Paulista
Now, although Payet isn’t having the best seasons so far, the French international has every chance to impose his genius against the Gunners as their right-back position is heavily crippled.
Wenger is most likely to deploy Gabriel Paulista in that position as the Brazilian adapted well in that position against Bournemouth. But just fast adaptability isn’t enough when one is covering Payet.
Although Payet seems to have lost his scoring shoes this season, he has provided 6 assists so far to a toothless West Ham attack. He had a brilliant start against Arsenal on his debut League game last season and will hope to repeat that performances, as will the team who won on the day.
Gabriel hasn’t been the most regular of players for Arsenal and Wenger has only turned to his services in the recent wake of injuries. He will have to be solid defensively as attacking isn’t really his forte.
Theo Walcott vs Winston Reid
Walcott is having a reviving run this season and has already bagged 6 goals and 2 assists in 12 appearances. His last goal came after a pause of few matches against Bournemouth and he has clearly shown how dangerous he could be from open play. His defensive contributions have made him more effective this season and allow him to burst into open spaces in a flash.
Winston Reid has returned to the squad after an injury and had to sit out a match immediately owing to a red card against Tottenham. Bilic, although, will trust his experienced skipper to neutralise Walcott.
