Premier League preview: Arsenal host troubled West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal and West Ham United, two teams in opposite ends of the Premier League table, are set to face off in a London derby on Saturday, 30 October.
Their predicaments are different. Arsenal are buzzing after overcoming Manchester City 3–0 on 24 October and handing Newcastle United a 4–0 defeat in the Carling Cup three days later, while West Ham have collected only one win in the league this season.
West Ham's Carling Cup victory over Stoke City on Wednesday, 27 October will have given manager Avram Grant some breathing space, but the pressure on him is still immense as his team have only six points with nine league games played.
"There are no easy games. We have had away games where we did very well, then we came to a home game which we could have won and we didn’t," Grant said ahead of Saturday's fixture. "In the Premier League anything can happen. Maybe Arsenal away is the toughest
game of the season, but we will try to do our best anyway."
Upson could return for West Ham
West Ham are in dire need of defensive stability if their performances are to improve, and the return of captain Matthew Upson, who has said he is hopeful of appearing on Saturday, could provide a push in the right direction.
Midfielder Kieron Dyer has been used sparingly by Grant since returning from a lengthy absence, but should be part of West Ham's starting team as he was rested against Newcastle United on 23 October.
Striker Frederic Piquionne came off with an injury against Newcastle, and Benni McCarthy, who replaced the Frenchman in the game, is likely to start for West Ham.
Wenger has said there will be few changes to his squad compared to the one that faced City last weekend. Long-term absentee Aaron Ramsey is back in training after his horrific leg-break, but may not feature for the team until 2011.
With Robin van Persie still out, Marouane Chamakh is likely to start as lone striker for the home team, while Nicklas Bendtner will be eager to make an impact from the bench.
Arshavin and Nasri return for Arsenal
Creative duo Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri will also return for Arsenal, meaning Theo Walcott could be another of Wednesday's star performers to warm the bench. Youngster Jack Wilshere is still suspended.
Full-back Kieran Gibbs will be out for several weeks with a knee ligament injury after being substituted 18 minutes into the first half at Newcastle.
Lukasz Fabianski, who was rested against Newcastle, will return to his league duties as Wenger's current first-choice keeper. Manuel Almunia has yet to recover from the elbow injury he sustained against West Bromwich Albion in September.
Vermaelen, whose Achilles injury will keep him out for the foreseeable future, will be replaced by Sebastien Squillaci and either Laurent Koscielny or Johan Djourou in the centre of Arsenal's defence.
Despite failing to score in five of their last six league encounters with Arsenal, West Ham are one of six teams who have handed Wenger's team a league defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
But having won four of their last five matches, Arsenal will fancy their chances in front of the home crowd.
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