West Ham vs Arsenal preview: Battle for Champions League heats up at Upton Park

It’s a big game for…

Petr Cech: Arsenal haven’t won a game in which they have conceded a goal since Valentine’s day when they beat league leaders Leicester City at the Emirates. This weekend the Gunners travel to Upton Park to take on a West Ham side who have scored eight goals in their last four games and are still pushing for a top four finish and Champions League qualification.

Petr Cech hasn’t played in over a month after picking up a calf injury whilst sprinting back from an ill-advised foray forward for a last minute corner against Swansea. Since that defeat to the Swans, Arsenal have been dumped out of the FA Cup and the Champions League and now sit 11 points adrift of Leicester in the title race, albeit with a game in hand. With Dmitri Payet and co lining up against them on Saturday, Petr Cech will be kept busy and will need to hit the ground running if Arsenal are to avoid dropping points in what would almost certainly be a terminal blow to their title challenge and their season.

Best stat…

2: Arene Wenger has lost just twice in 16 visits to the Boleyn Ground.

Remember when…

West Ham stunned the Emirates Stadium on the opening day of the season, an exceptional Dmitri Payet performance guiding the Hammers to a well-deserved 2-0 win.

Player to watch…

Manuel Lanzini: West Ham’s Argentinian midfielder has been in excellent form this season and was given his reward last month as the Hammers announced they had agreed a deal to make his loan move a permanent one at the end of the season.

Lanzini has struck up an excellent understanding with the mercurial Dmitri Payet in the West Ham midfield and the pair have contributed some key goals throughout the campaign, the pair have accounted for five of West Ham’s last six goals.

West Ham will be looking to do the Premier League double over Arsenal for the first time since the 2006/07 season and with Lanzini and Payet in the form they are in at present, there is every chance they will do just that.

Past three-meetings…

Arsenal 0 West Ham 2 (Kouyate, Zarate), Premier League, August 2015.

Arsenal 3 (Giroud, Ramsey, Flamini) West Ham 0, Premier League, March 2015.

West Ham 1 (Kouyate) Arsenal 2 (Cazorla, Welbeck), Premier League, December 2014.

Form guide…

West Ham: WWWDDD

Arsenal: DWLLWW

Vital information…

KICK-OFF TIME: 12:45

TV: Live coverage on BT Sport 1