Arsenal's pursuit of Liverpool will continue already today, when the retinue Mikel Arteta's will welcome neighbouring West Ham to their home stadium in a little London derby. With Liverpool coming into the game after Arsenal, the Gunners can, if they win, move up to the top of the English Premier League at least for a while. And who knows, maybe they will stay there even after the Liverpool match, which is not an easy task in the seventh round of the top English competition. Arne Slote's team will be at Stamford Bridge. But I don't want to get ahead of myself, Arsenal must first of all cope with their city rival. Before the derby, let's take a look together at everything there is to know before the game.
Form
Just looking at the table, anyone can see that the form of the two teams is diametrically opposed. Arsenal are currently in 2nd place in the Premier League, while their London neighbour is at the bottom of the table in 19th place. Although the table position tells us a lot about form, it doesn't reveal everything, so we'll take a look at the results and performances of both teams.
Arsenal
Today, we'll take a look at Arsenal's form again, a bit more than we did in Wednesday's blog. I'll start by taking stock of our Premier League performances. The Gunners have managed to stay at the top of the table despite a very tough draw. Specifically, after six rounds played, they have a record of 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. In other words, so far they have scored 13 points. In terms of league table position, they are at an impressive 12:3 in 2nd placetwo points behind leaders Liverpool. Taking into account the opponents Arsenal have had to face at the start of the season (teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City or Newcastle), the balance of Mikel Arteta's squad is very decent.
In addition to Premier League Arsenal also entered the famous Champions League. The Spanish manager's charges have two rounds left in the millionaire competition 6 points and a 4:0 record. In the first game Arsenal won at Athletic Bilbao 2:0, and he did the same this week at the Emirates Stadium with Olympiakos of Greece. According to the predictions of the well-known Opta analysts Arsenal are currently the biggest favourites to win the Champions League overall with around 18% probability. Personally, I'm not a big fan of these stats and estimates, but I have to admit that as a Guuners fan, these numbers are nice to look at.
And that's still not all. Mikel Arteta's charges have started their journey and in the domestic EFL Cup, in which they took on third-tier Port Vale, who were eliminated after a "popular" 2-0 win.
Bottom line, Arsenal's current form is very decent at the moment.
West Ham
Let me start here by saying that West Ham have become the latest team after Nottingham to sack their manager this season. I think that speaks for itself. After five rounds played, the Hammers management decided to end the cooperation with Graham Potter, who was replaced by Nuno Epírito Santo on the bench of the London team.
It would be strange if the club sacked a manager who was picking up win after win. That was certainly not the case at West Ham under the English manager. After five rounds, the Hammers had a record of one win and four losses and an unflattering 5:13 record.. In the meantime, the EFL Cup eliminationin which West Ham fell to Wolverhampton 2-3. Potter's home league defeat to Crystal Palace in the fifth round proved fatal. Going into the sixth round match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium (Everton's new stadium), the Hammers were led by new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who made his debut on the West Ham bench a point for a 1:1 draw.
Overall, West Ham are doing well so far. with the form really miserablewhich is confirmed by its position in the table.
Team and expected line-up
Since this is the last game before the national break, so I expect Mikel Arteta to select the strongest possible line-upthat he will have at his disposal. The fact that he spared some of his mainstays in Wednesday's Champions League game is a good indication. The starting line-up against Olympiakos was missing players such as Jurriën Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka. My personal prediction is that we will see all of these stars in the starting lineup against the Hammers. But let's start in order.
David Raya
I'm going to have to repeat myself again, but David Raya match after match confirms its quality. Wednesday's Champions League match against Olympiakos was no different. Whether we talk about his fantastic kicking technique, which he uses to set up attacks, or his goalkeeping skills, his qualities are undeniable. In my opinion, the Spanish goalkeeper is one of the best five, maybe even three, in the world at the moment. That's also why David Raya will be among the three poles in the West Ham derby.
Jurriën Timber
Ben White is starting to get into some fights lately, but he's still not in full physical condition. Given that the English defender started from the first minute against Olympiakos in the week, it is highly likely that we will see on the right flank of his Dutch rival's defence. Jurriën Timber is currently the number one choice for Mikel Arteta at right-back and will therefore not be missing from the starting line-up against West Ham.
William Saliba
The starting line-up for the West Ham derby should not be missing William Salibawho made every Arsenal fan happy this week by bringing the club signed a new long-term contract. The French defender is one of the cornerstones of Arsenal's defence and with a small question mark hovering over the start of his Brazilian partner, his start from the first minute is even more likely.
Gabriel
Gabriel is probably the only player I'm not convinced he'll make the starting eleven this time.. The reason is not his form or quality, but his health. He was substituted in Wednesday's game against Olympiakos due to health problems and although Mikel Arteta confirmed that the substitution was precautionary, it is hard to judge whether he will want to risk a serious injury to the Brazilian defender against a much weaker opponent. In the event that Gabriel is unable to start, Cristhian Mosquera would replace him in the starting line-up. However I'm going to trust that the burly Brazilian is fine and will start from the first minute.
Riccardo Calafiori
Although the young English defender Myles Lewis-Skelly put in a solid performance in Wednesday's Champions League game, it'll go back to the base Riccardo Calafiori. Mikel Arteta has no reason not to use the Italian defender in the derby with West Ham. His performances this season have been both quality and consistent.
Martín Zubimendi
Martín Zubimendi has been rewarded for his September performances in the Premier League nominated not only for player of the monthbut he also earned a quick volley into the Nottingham net earned a nomination for Goal of the Month. That should tell you everything you need to know about his contribution to the Arsenal game. At first glance on the pitch, the unassuming footballer is extremely important to the Canaries' game. That's why, in my opinion, he won't be missing on the pitch even in a small London derby.
Declan Rice
Declan Ricewho joined Arsenal in the summer transfer window before the 2023/2024 season from West Ham, must not be missed in the London derby. I have already praised several Arsenal players for their performances so far today and another who deserves a special mention is Declan Rice. In particular, his performance at St James’ Park was a perfect demonstration of why the England international is one of the most important links in the Spanish strategist's line-up. Declan Rice's virtually inexhaustible physical pool makes him extremely valuable defensively and offensively.
Martin Ødegaard
Martin Ødegaard is back. And I don't just mean from a health point of view, but also from a performance point of view. The Norwegian playmaker returned to the starting line-up after repeated shoulder injuries in the Champions League and the pitch was full of him. He deservedly went on to win the player of the match award and reminded us all what he is capable of on the pitch. The Arsenal captain will be directing his team's play in tonight's derby as well.
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka is slowly but surely returning to full fitness after the muscle injury he suffered at the beginning of the season, which is starting to show on the field. In Wednesday's Champions League game, he only came on for the final few minutes, but yet he was able to make a shooting breakthrough. The fact that Mikel Arteta did not field the England international against Olympiakos from the first minute is, in my opinion, a clear signal that Saka will start from the first minute today.
Eberechi Eze
Just like his English partner Bukayo Saka, so nor Eberechi Eze hasn't played in a Champions League game since the start of the weekand that's why I think it will be the other way around today. Every week we talk about the fact that the competition on the left wing is probably the biggest on the team right now. Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard all have ambitions to play. In terms of shooting form, Gabriel Martinelli is the best, scoring three times in the last five games. Leandro Trossard has one less accurate shot from the same number of games. Eberechi Eze is paradoxically in the worst form in terms of numbers (one goal scored), but personally, I consider him the best and most influential player of this trio. Not to owe you complete information, but I must mention that all three of them had one assist each (in the last five competitive games. The choice of a left winger is a pleasant concern for Mikel Arteta.
Viktor Gyökeres
Unlike many of his teammates. Viktor Gyökeres played the full 90 minutes in the Champions Leaguebut in his case, it doesn't change the fact should start from the beginning today. Although the Swedish forward did not score, he gave a very nice performance. Despite the fact that he has been waiting for a goal for five competitive matches, he is more and more valid for his team. The proof is his lion's share of Arsenal's first goal against Olympiakos, for which he is even credited with an assist in the official statistics. I am firmly convinced of his qualities and that he will score goals again. I believe that we will see his next accurate shot today!
Substitutes
The substitutes' bench is has emerged as a huge weapon for Arsenal so far this season. A weapon that Mikel Arteta has never had before. And looking at the roster available to the Spanish manager, it's no wonder. Despite injuries to several important players, there is tremendous quality on the Arsenal bench in every game, no matter who sits among the substitutes.
Assuming that the starting eleven against West Ham will be the aforementioned line-up, the substitutes shouldn't include Kepa Arrigabalaga, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. Unless he drops out of the nomination for health or other reasons, the youngster will most likely not be among the substitutes this time Max Dowman.
The following players are still on the long-term injured list Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke. In addition to this trio, Arsenal will also miss Saturday's game Piero Hincapiéwhich was confirmed by manager Mikel Arteta himself in his pre-match conference. However, the Ecuadorian footballer should be available immediately after the national break.
About the opponent
I believe that West Ham as a whole I don't have to introduce any of you. In the beginning of the blog we discussed the current form of the team and the fact that the manager position was changed at the beginning of the season. It is the sacking of Graham Potter and the appointment of Nuno Espírit Santa that is one of the main reasons why it is not quite possible to define West Ham's game.
Change of manager
The Portuguese manager, who is experiencing a turbulent start to the season, has only played one single game on the bench of the London team, from which we cannot draw any big conclusions. Before we move on, let me add some context to the situation surrounding West Ham's new manager. Nuno Espírito Santo started the season on Nottingham bench, with whom he sensationally qualified for the European Cups last season. However, as it happens in football, disagreements between the manager and the club's management in the vast majority of cases do not end well for the manager. And it was no different in the case of the experienced Portuguese, whom the management has called off after just three rounds of the new season. However, he did not wait long for his next engagement, because in the sixth round he was already sitting on the bench of the Hammers. I don't know about you, but that's what I call a couple of wild weeks at work.
Team
Now we can move on to the traditional to the players. I'll start with the Czech track. Tomas Soucek, who has been in the Hammers' camp since 2020, will unfortunately not play against Arsenal due to a card penalty. Another name associated with Czech football is El Hadji Malick Diouf. The Senegalese footballer transferred to West Ham from Slavia Prague, just like his Czech teammate. Now I'm moving to the most interesting players in the Kladivar squad. The first is the young Portuguese midfielder Matheus Fernandeswho joined West Ham from Southampton before the current season. I can't leave out the likely the team's two biggest stars, Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen. The English footballer, who is also the captain of the team, is undoubtedly the biggest driving force of the Kladivars.
Arsenal footprint
Even today we will not miss a few lines, which will be dedicated to players who have played for Arsenal in the past. The first is a Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who has been in North London for the 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons. Lukasz Fabianskiwho has played much more for Arsenal than his current Greek teammate. The Polish goalkeeper signed for Arsenal in 2007 and stayed at the club until 2014.
Match
There is no need to discuss the favourite of the match at length. The home team should, by all expectations, go for three points. On Arsenal's side are the quality and breadth of the squad, the home environment, good form and mental state, and the poor form of the opposition. The game itself should be clearly Arsenal's game.. If Mikel Arteta's charges don't underestimate anything and play at full speed, they should dominate the game. From the first minute to the last. Everything is clear on paper, now it's up to the players to put the theory into practice. It's probably not worth discussing the match any more this time.
Finally, I'll just add my traditional tip on the exact result. I believe that Arsenal will fulfil the role of favourites and dominate the London derby. I predict Arsenal to win 3:0.
Next match
After the end of the current league round will be followed by a representative breakand so we will have to wait two weeks for the next Gunners game. Arsenal's next game will be in the Premier League again, coincidentally in another London derby. This time, Mikel Arteta's side will be waiting a trip to Cragen Cottage to take on Fulham at 18:30 (CET) on Saturday 18 October 2025.
See you next time, I'll look forward to it!
Special greeting
As a final punctuation to today's blog, let me add one quick greeting to my friend, Štěpán Hájek, who will be commentating today's derby on CANAL+ Sport. So everyone must be at the signs at 16:00 so you don't miss anything!
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Editor, administrator and editor of the True Gunner Diary website, but above all a devoted Arsenal fan. I started with sports articles at the Tipsport bookmaker, where I have published more than 100 blogs. If you want to know more about me, check out the section of the same name here on the site.