On Sunday evening, a small London derby is scheduled, which this time will carry more weight than usual. With three rounds left in the competition, Arsenal is fighting for the league title, while West Ham is dealing with entirely opposite, survival, concerns. Both teams therefore have a lot at stake, and we can therefore expect to see a match with 100% commitment from both sides. While Arsenal has the fight for first place in their own hands, West Ham must rely on one of their rivals, particularly Tottenham, to slip up at least once more. The Hammers at home will certainly be under more pressure, but that may not mean anything at all. The most important things will be decided on the pitch. Let's take a look together at everything essential that needs to be known before the derby.
Basic information
| 📅 Date and time | 🏟️ Stadium | ⚽️ Match | 🏆 Competition |
| 10. 5. 2026, 17:30 (CET) | London Stadium | West Ham v Arsenal | Premier League (Matchweek 36) |
Form
Arsenal have managed several important matches in a row, so they should go into the London derby against West Ham in good spirits. Nuno Espírito Santo's team has also picked up a relatively large number of valuable points recently, yet they remain in the relegation zone for now. Although I wouldn't want to overlook the current form of both teams, I don't think it will play a crucial role this time.
Arsenal
| 📈 Current form: 🟢 🟢 🟡 🟢 🔴 |
| ⚽️ Results: Arsenal 1:0 Atlético (CL), Arsenal 3:0 Fulham (PL), Atlético 1:1 Arsenal (CL), Arsenal 1:0 Newcastle (PL), Manchester City 2:1 Arsenal (PL) |
| 🏆 Premier League position: 1st (76 points) |
West Ham
| 📈 Current form: 🔴 🟢 🟡 🟢 🔴 |
| ⚽️ Results: Brentford 3:0 West Ham (PL), West Ham 2:1 Everton (PL), Crystal Palace 0:0 West Ham (PL), West Ham 4:0 Wolverhampton (PL), West Ham 2:3 (on pens) Leeds (FA Cup) |
| 🏆 Premier League position: 18th (36 points) |
Team and expected line-up
Honestly, I don't even remember when the charges last had Mikel Arteta's program, in which they had weekly breaks between individual matches. Now exactly such a program awaits them (until the end of the season), and so theoretically, even given the situation Arsenal finds itself in, the Spanish manager could always field the strongest possible lineup. So, will we see the same starting lineup in Arsenal's last four competitive matches this season? I don't think so. On the contrary, I am inclined to believe that the lineup will change during the matches and that we will see plenty of substitutions.
Predicted West Ham vs Arsenal lineup
Defence
As I wrote a few lines above, some changes are very likely to occur in the lineup. However, nothing will change between the sticks and in the centre of defence. David Raya, William Saliba and Gabriel are among the key players of the Gunners' defence, so they will start from the first minute against West Ham as well. In my opinion, Ben White will again be given a chance at right-back, while on the other side we will see a change. I think that Riccardo Calafiori Piero Hincapié will replace him in the starting lineup.
Midfield
Although Declan Rice's lineup, Myles Lewis-Skelly Eberechi Eze has performed very well in the last two games, so I'm leaning towards Martín Zubimendi returning to the starting lineup. On the other hand, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze will keep their places. Martin Ødegaard He's back after another injury, but I think he'll only come on during the match at the London Stadium.
Attack
As usual, the attack offers the most options. When I consider all aspects, I think that the trio of Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyökeres will be fielded against the Hammers. I'll explain why straight away. Bukayo Saka He's still not one hundred percent fit, so I expect him to start on the bench after such a demanding schedule. On the other side of the pitch, he's started the last two matches from the first minute. Leandro Trossard, although he put in solid performances in both cases, in my opinion Gabriel Martinelli will still start on Sunday as part of the rotation. There aren't that many variations up front. Kai Havertz he only joined the team after an injury and before the second leg against Atlético, so it seems unlikely to me that he would start from the first minute. Gabriel Jesus is again practically only coming on as a substitute in the Premier League.
Absences
Only should not participate in the match against the Hammers Mikel Merino and Jurriën Timber. The absence of both players for Sunday's match has been confirmed by Mikel Arteta himself, so it's clear that neither player will be seen in the matchday squad this weekend. The good news is that all other players should be available. We'll see who eventually makes the twenty-man squad and who, on the other hand, won't be part of the team this time.
Opponent
| 🏟️ Stadium: London Stadium, London (capacity 62,500) |
| 👔 Manager: Nuno Espírito Santo |
| 🧤Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola, Mads Hermansen |
| 🛡️ Defenders: El Hadji Malick Diouf, Axel Disasi, Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Ezra Mayers, Oliver Scarles, Jean-Clair Todibo, Kyle Walker-Peters, Aaron Wan-Bissaka |
| 🎯 Midfielders: Mateus Fernandes, Mohamadou Kante, Soungoutou Magassa, Freddie Potts, Tomáš Souček |
| ⚽️ Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos, Pablo, Crysencio Summerville, Adama Traore, Callum Wilson |
| 🚑 Injuries: |
| ⚠️ Suspensions: |
Match
Regardless of where both teams are in the league table, the quality speaks unequivocally in favour of Arsenal. And it will be this quality, combined with the squad depth, which in my opinion will play the most crucial role on Sunday at the London Stadium. The North London footballers should dominate the game, which logically should also be reflected in the final result. I've mentioned it once today, but I must reiterate it. The team that will be under more pressure and the team that must play is West Ham. This, in a way, brings us back to Arsenal's quality. Given that the Hammers will have to push forward, there will be situations in the match where the Gunners will be attacking an open and disorganised West Ham defence.
And that’s exactly what should play into the hands of Arsenal’s attacking players, who for the most part have to play against deeply set opposition blocks. This time, it could be different, and in a way, easier. Whether my prediction comes true, we’ll only find out tomorrow, but I firmly believe it will.
Tip for an accurate result
Finally, I'll move on to my prediction for the final result. I believe Arsenal will manage the emotionally charged derby away at West Ham and will take all three points from the London Stadium. I predict a 2:0 victory for Arsenal.
Next match
Arsenal's next match in the Premier League will be, uncharacteristically, on Monday 18th May 2026, kicking off at 21:00 (CET) at the Emirates Stadium against a Burnley side all but certainly relegated. This fixture will also mark the North London club's final home game of the season, bidding farewell to their home supporters for the 2025/2026 campaign.
See you next time, I'll look forward to it!
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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.