Arsenal will seek to revive their chances of finishing in the top-four when they host West Ham United at the Emirates stadium on Wednesday night.
Slaven Bilic’s side had matched their London counterparts for the most part of the reverse fixture before Alexis Sanchez let loose with a brilliant hat-trick to cap off a 5-1 win for the Gunners.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger confirmed earlier in the week that both Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be fit to face the Hammers, but the former could find himself on the bench after an average display versus West Bromwich Albion in his last outing.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Lineup:
Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina is understood to be a major doubt for the West Ham clash after having sustained a back problem in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. With Petr Cech also on the sidelines, third-choice shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez could earn his first league start in more than two years.
The full-backs are likely to remain unchanged with Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal set to get the nod for the right-back and left-back positions respectively.
Laurent Koscielny was surprisingly subbed at half-time against Manchester City due to an Achilles problem. He could be replaced with Gabriel, who was more commanding alongside Shkodran Mustafi in the second period.
Moving to the midfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain is an automatic choice if fit, and he could take the place of Francis Coquelin in the centre of the park. Expect Granit Xhaka to perform the tough tackling duties alongside ‘The Ox’.
The Gunners’ attack front did not have the best of days against the Citizens over the weekend. Expect a couple of changes with Alex Iwobi and Olivier Giroud likely to come into the mix.
Theo Walcott was rather disappointing despite his goal in the first period, and he could be replaced with Iwobi on the right wing. Both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez did not have the best of games against City but expect them to occupy their normal positions.
Danny Welbeck put in a real shift up front for the Gunners, but he still looks short of his best form. Giroud could earn a rare start in the centre-forward role following an impressive brace for France during the international break.
