The Hammer host the Gunners tonight in London’s east end. Hammers and guns make it sound like a battle but unfortunately the game is being dubbed the ‘worst team in London’ cup and rightly so!
Arsenal have won 1 game in their last 8 & West Ham have won 1 game in their last 9 Premier League games.
Sky Sports have foolishly chosen the game for their Monday Night Football in the hope it would be a classic London derby, we’ll just have to wait and see.
TEAM NEWS
Fabianski and Lanzini are still out with their injuries.
Wilshere could be back in contention and is expected to be named on the bench.
Antonio will go under a late fitness test but by god I hope he comes through it, he’s the only threat we seem to have for the opposition in our team currently.
PREDICTED LINE UP
It is without shadow of a doubt things needs to be mixed up again following our performance against Wolves on Wednesday.
It’s a sorry state of affairs when we have spent a fair chunk of money on players and we desperately rely on our £7 million player from Nottm Forest to be our saviour.
I would love to see Antonio and Haller playing off each other up front. There has to be goals in those pair. Everyone can see our style of play doesn’t suit Haller so let’s give him a chance playing off / with someone else up there.
Anyone who has read my blogs will know I haven’t been a fan of Fornals but his performances in the last couple of games have been really good. Maybe it did just take him a bit of time to adjust to the English game.
Snodgrass didn’t have the greatest of games against Wolves in my opinion, but I’d keep him in the starting 11. Yarmolenko looked disinterested when he came on.
At the back it’s a difficult one. Does Diop come back in? Does Balbuena drop back down to the bench again? I think I’d bring Diop back in. Ogbonna would need to retain his place as he’s been our stand out player for me, this season.
So, I’m going for the following tonight:
No Anderson in my team for tonight, but it might give him a bit of a wakeup call being dropped. The man hasn’t scored in god knows when, I even seen a competition online giving away a premier league shirt if he scores tonight, massively reducing their chances of having to pay out!
Despite all my negativity, I’m actually making my way across the Irish Sea tonight. It’s my first trip of the season and I can’t wait! Glutton for punishment perhaps? Some sort of sadomasochist?
It’s going to be my thirtieth game so a bit of a milestone. I look forward to it just as much as the first game back in 2000. A game where we struggled with a dodgy keeper in Sasa Ilic, he conceded 4 goals and we lost 4-0 against Everton.
We still have a dodgy keeper (thankfully he’s been replaced) and despite all the promises and dreams I don’t think we are any further forward.
Tonight, I just want the boys to go out and play their hearts out, get back that steal and resilience we used to be well known for. If we do that, I’ll leave the ground a happy man, knowing its been worth the money.
If we don’t and we lose, its probably best to avoid the ranting Irishman on his way back through the barren waste ground to Stratford station.
Please West Ham, don’t make me be that man!
COYI!
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