Arsenal vs West Ham: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Arsenal will move to within five points of Premier League leaders Liverpool if they beat West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds have left the door open for the Gunners to make this a proper title race, with two draws from their previous three outings ensuring Arne Slot's side are yet to pull away.

Arsenal have dealt with plenty of adversity this season and are currently functioning with very few options in attack. Mikel Arteta turned to midfielder-cum-centre-forward Mikel Merino to secure all three points at Leicester last weekend.

The victory saw the Gunners extend their unbeaten run in this competition to 15 games.

West Ham, on the contrary, are struggling towards the bottom of the table. Graham Potter is yet to oversee a notable resurgence following the departure of Julen Loptegui last month. The Hammers are winless in four league outings and currently reside in 16th.

They could do with a few points over the coming weeks to alleviate fears of slipping into the relegation scrap.

Here is 90min's guide to Saturday's Premier League clash.

Arsenal vs West Ham head-to-head record (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Arsenal vs West Ham on TV - UK and US

Arsenal team news

Takehiro Tomiyasu has undergone season-ending knee surgery / Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/GettyImages

There hasn't been any change on the injury front since last week's win at Leicester, although we learnt that Takehiro Tomiyasu underwent season-ending knee surgery. The Japanese international has played just six minutes this term as a result of the issue.

Ben White was back in the matchday squad at King Power but didn't feature off the bench. He'll be hoping for his first minutes since November on Saturday.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are due back next month, while Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are out for the long haul.

Arteta may also decide to utilise makeshift centre-forward Mikel Merino from the outset against West Ham given his success off the bench last Saturday.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs West Ham

Arsenal predicted lineup vs West Ham (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard.

West Ham team news

Lucas Paqueta suffered an ankle injury in training / Julian Finney/GettyImages

The visitors were dealt a blow in the week as Lucas Paqueta sustained an ankle injury which Potter has confirmed will keep him out of Saturday's game.

Paqueta joins Crysencio Summerville and Vladimir Coufal on the sidelines.

Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio also remain out, so we could see a first West Ham start for January singing Evan Ferguson. The Irish international performed brightly off the bench last weekend.

West Ham predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Soler, Kudus; Ferguson.

Arsenal vs West Ham score prediction

Who knows how long Arsenal can survive with the Merino gimmick up top, but the Spaniard's height and ability to operate in the opposition's box could come in handy this weekend.

The Gunners will be able to control this contest and limit the visitors' threat, which will mainly come down the right via Bowen given Mohammed Kudus' recent struggles. Potter's side could trouble the hosts from set pieces, but their avenues for securing a positive result in north London look slim.

Arsenal should find a way again.