West Ham vs Arsenal
Premier League 2018-19
Venue: London Stadium
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2019
Kick-off: 12:30pm GMT
The first Premier League match of gameweek 22 brings us a London derby in the east of the city as West Ham host Arsenal.
Unai Emery's bright start at Arsenal has stuttered in recent weeks, with the Gunners' unbeaten run coming to an end and just two wins in their last five Premier League games leaving the club three points off fourth place.
As for West Ham, Manuel Pellegrini's side enjoyed an impressive December before coming unstuck, with four points from their last four matches putting the Hammers 10th.
Both managers need a win to kickstart their years, with expectations high for the London rivals.
West Ham team news and predicted line-up
Marko Arnautovic should be fit to play after a back problem, while Javier Hernandez has an outside chance of being included in the squad.
However, Pellegrini will be missing Andriy Yarmolenko (Achilles), Winston Reid (knee), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Manuel Lanzini (knee), Fabian Balbuena (knee), Ryan Fredericks (ankle) and Carlos Sanchez (knee).
There is also a chance Samir Nasri could make an appearance off the bench against his former club.
West Ham XI (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Rice; Snodgrass, Arnautovic, Anderson; Carroll
Arsenal team news and predicted line-up
Emery has received a big fitness boost with six players back in first-team training.
Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Nacho Monreal, Mesut Ozil and Konstantinos Maprvopanos are all back and pushing for a return, though Henrikh Mkhitaryan (broken metatarsal), Rob Holding (knee) and Danny Welbeck (ankle) remain sidelined.
Arsenal XI (3-4-3): Leno; Mustafi, Sokratis, Koscielny; Bellerin, Torreira, Guendouzi, Monreal; Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Score prediction: West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
West Ham have been entertainingly unpredictable this season as they sit 10th in the table, and Pellegrini will want a performance to lay down a marker for the coming year.
The result will depend largely on whether the Hammers can punish an Arsenal defence which has shown weaknesses in the air in recent weeks - Andy Carroll could prove a valuable second-half weapon, especially after how Danny Ings Southampton punished Emery's side in the air last month.
Since being thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool in December, Arsenal have won their first two games of 2019 and scored seven goals in the process.
If the Gunners can make a good start in east London, they could well take this one - but if Felipe Anderson and Arnautovic are in form, it will be a tight game.
West Ham vs Arsenal tickets
Click here to check the availability of London Stadium tickets.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- West Ham to win: 11/10
- Draw: 13/5
- Arsenal to win: 5/2
First goalscorer odds
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 3/1
- Marko Arnautovic: 11/2
- Alexandre Lacazette: 9/2
- Javier Hernandez: 13/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via NOW TV with a day pass on offer for £7.99.
Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
You can also follow the match with the Standard Sport team LIVE at London Stadium.
Head to Head history (h2h)
The rivals have met 45 times in the Premier League: West Ham have won just seven of those, with Arsenal dominating with 29 wins and the teams sharing nine draws.
Arsenal have not lost in 11 away games at West Ham, going back to 2006. The Gunners beat West Ham 3-1 earlier this season at the Emirates.
