Arsenal have played just three games at West Ham’s London Stadium, yet each encounter has been an entertaining affair for the neutral and a fixture of stress for fans of either side.
This Sunday will mark a huge contest between the London-based clubs, with West Ham looking to rebound from their late loss against Chelsea whilst Arsenal will be desperate to make it three wins out of three from their hardest stretch of the season.
Indeed, the Gunners have won just once at West Ham’s new ground, that coming in 2019 under then-interim manager Freddie Ljungberg, with the 3-1 result being Arsenal’s first victory in nine fixtures, and the XI that started for the north London side is quite spectacular to behold.
GK: Bernd Leno
Arguably Arsenal’s best player in the 2019/20 season, Bernd Leno’s reputation in north London has taken a nosedive this campaign with the German dropping down to the bench in place for Aaron Ramsdale.
However, the former Bayer Leverkusen’s performance for Arsenal since arriving in 2018 should not go unnoticed, with Leno one of the finest shot-stoppers to represent the Gunners in the Premier League era and coming up big with some huge displays in some key fixtures.
RB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
The first of seven players in this XI that are not currently at Arsenal, Ainsley Maitland-Niles had the potential to become a star fullback for the Gunners, with the Hale End graduate even winning an England call-up for his performances in the position.
As we know, though, the 24-year-old is insistent on playing in central midfield, and Maitland-Niles’ infamous public appeal to leave Arsenal last summer saw Mikel Arteta slammed, with the versatile player currently at AS Roma for the season on loan.
CB: Calum Chambers
Another defender who left Arsenal earlier this year, Calum Chamber’s defensive versatility made the former Southampton star a useful player for the Gunners, with the 27-year-old impressing last campaign at right-back.
Now at Aston Villa, Chambers’ departure in the January transfer window caught many off-guard and has left Arsenal short in defence, but with the centre-back impressing under Steven Gerrard, it is a move that has proven beneficial for the former Gunners star.
CB: Sokratis
Sokratis started alongside Chambers in the 3-1 win against West Ham, and it’s easy to forget that the Greek international even played for Arsenal after the defender was released by the club in January 2021.
A player who wasn’t even registered for the 2020/21 season, Sokratis’ time at Arsenal was mixed, and now back in his homeland of Greece with Olympiacos, the former Borussia Dortmund star is enjoying the final years of his career with one of his nation’s biggest sides.
LB: Kieran Tierney/Sead Kolasinac
Kieran Tierney started the fixture for Arsenal against West Ham, though the Scotland international was quickly hauled off with an injury that would keep the defender out for weeks, meaning Sead Kolasinac played the majority of the match.
A player who split the hairs of Arsenal supporters, the Bosnia international left north London this January for Olympique Marseille on a free transfer, and just like Chambers, Kolasinac’s departure has currently left the Gunners short in defence, with Tierney once again out injured.
CM: Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka started in central midfield for Arsenal just four weeks after the Swiss star was stripped of the captaincy following his infamous episode against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
An event that the 29-year-old has articulated recently in a brilliant piece for the Players’ Tribune, Xhaka currently finds himself as one of Arsenal’s best and most important players, with the former Bundesliga maestro currently enjoying his best season yet with the club.
CM: Lucas Torreira
Another player who is currently away on loan, Lucas Torreira showed immense promise in his first season at Arsenal after solidifying himself as an exciting defensive midfielder and a talent who could anchor the Gunners for years to come.
However, this season saw all of that unravel for the Uruguayan, and after suffering personal tragedy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Torreira’s time at Arsenal looks all but over, with the midfielder set to join ACF Fiorentina for good in the summer transfer window.
RM: Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal’s record-breaking signing and at the time under immense pressure to perform, Nicolas Pepe gave one of his best displays for the Gunners with a stunning goal and fine assist against West Ham to secure a 3-1 win.
Whilst Pepe looks set to be offloaded by Arsenal this summer, the winger’s display against West Ham that night was one of his most impressive for the north London side, and fans will be hopeful of a similar level of productivity should the Ivorian feature on Sunday.
CAM: Mesut Ozil
One of Mesut Ozil’s last ever starts for Arsenal, the German international would play his final season for the Gunners in the 2019/20 campaign, with Arteta freezing out the playmaker the following year and eventually paying off the midfielder to leave.
Still a divided figure at Arsenal, Ozil’s last season with the club was hardly one to write home about, and his successor, Martin Odegaard, will be hoping to perform big this weekend when he takes on West Ham at the London Stadium.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal fans had seen Gabriel Martinelli shine in both the League Cup and UEFA Europa League earlier in the season before facing West Ham, though this fixture was what took the Brazilian onto a whole new level.
A fine goal in the second half kicked off the Gunners’ comeback against the Hammers, and Martinelli this season has further established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting talents, with Arsenal fans predicting big things for the 20-year-old winger.
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal’s saviour in the 2019/20 season, it still feels crazy thinking how badly things ended with Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang with the north London side, with the striker lauded at the end of the campaign for signing a new deal with the club.
The man who won the FA Cup for the Gunners at the end of the campaign, the 2018 £60m signing from Dortmund mutually agreed to leave Arsenal in January for FC Barcelona, and whilst Arteta’s side are lacking goals, there’s no denying that Aubameyang leaving was right for all parties involved.
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