Our Carabao Cup campaign continues with a fourth-round tie against West Ham United at London Stadium on Wednesday night.
We go into the game looking to keep up our positive run which has seen us lose just once in our opening 15 games this term, while David Moyes’ side will be hoping to show a response to Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Everton which was their third successive defeat.
We’re unbeaten in our last eight games against West Ham home and away, having won six and drawn two of those fixtures, as we hope to continue that run and book our spot in the draw for the fifth round, which will take place following the full-time whistle.
Hammers' mixed fortunes
With four wins, two draws and four defeats from their opening 10 Premier League games, it’s been an indifferent start to the season for West Ham.
August saw them claim wins against Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion following a draw at Bournemouth, before September presented wins against Luton Town and Sheffield United as well as defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool.
However October wasn't so kind, as the east Londoners suffered losses at the hands of Aston Villa and Everton and drew 2-2 at home to Newcastle United, leaving them with one win from their last six league encounters.
The Hammers have also been competing in the Europa League, beating Backa Topola and Freiburg before losing to Olympiakos last week out in Greece, while progress to this point in the Carabao Cup came courtesy of a 1-0 success at Lincoln City in round three.
What the managers say
Arteta: “Doing what we are doing being consistent and playing better than the opponent, tomorrow against West Ham is going to be a really tough game. It always is away from home against them and we want to continue with the momentum and form that we’re in. That’s it.
“I live it exactly the same as the Premier League. I have the same feeling in my tummy, the same uncertainty, the same way to prepare. I’m going to be there close to the game and I just want to win the game, for sure.” - read everything from Mikel’s pre-match press conference
Moyes: “Let's remember that Arsenal, over many years, have had great teams. I was fortunate - or perhaps unfortunate - enough to come up against them. They're always a tough task to face.
"I hope we'll see Declan [Rice] back. This is the man who lifted the first European trophy in 50 years at West Ham. He should be welcomed back with open arms."
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke: There should be very few tactical surprises from the east Londoners in this clash. They will be well-organised and resilient at the back, with their talented forward players capable of producing game-changing moments.
Moyes will set up in a compact 4-2-3-1 that is designed to be robust enough to frustrate us, before they break quickly on counter-attacks. They have scored three times from fast breaks in 10 league matches, so this aspect of their game must be respected, with speedy winger Jarrod Bowen the most obvious danger man from those breakaways.
Arteta will be confident we can create a host of quality opportunities though. Bottom side Sheffield United are the only team to have faced fewer shots than West Ham (121) from open play, who have leaked 1.7 goals per game in the league, and registered just two clean sheets from 14 matches in all competitions - against Lincoln and the struggling Blades. We will probably dominate possession, as West Ham have averaged just a 41 per cent share of the ball this season.
Set pieces are always a cause for concern when you face a Moyes team, and the arrival of summer signing James Ward-Prowse has increased their potential from those situations. No individual has created more chances from dead balls than him (16) and as a consequence, the team’s XG from set plays is the second-highest in the division.
Team news
Mikel Arteta will make a late call on the fitness of Martin Odegaard, who was rested for the weekend’s win against Sheffield United after struggling in recent weeks with a hip issue.
Gabriel Jesus is unavailable with a muscle injury picked up in last week’s win against Sevilla, and Thomas Partey is also out because of a muscular complaint, but Declan Rice could make a first return to the club where he made his name.
Moyes said in his pre-match press conference: "We've got a couple of injuries behind the scenes that we're having to deal with from the weekend. I wouldn't say too much at the moment but we've got a couple of knocks, and one or two might miss tomorrow."
Edson Alvarez and Lucas Paqueta will both be suspended for the weekend's match against Brentford after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season, but can play in the Carabao Cup.
Facts and stats
Since a 5-5 draw with Liverpool in October 2019, we have kept five consecutive away clean sheets in the League Cup (W3 D2). No team has ever kept six away clean sheets in a row in the competition's history.
In all competitions, we have lost just two of our last 32 matches against West Ham (W24 D6).
The Hammers have only lost one of their last 10 home League Cup matches (W6 D3).
Moyes has lost all four of his League Cup games against us (one with Preston North End, two with Everton, one with West Ham).
Match officials
Simon Hooper is the man in the middle for Wednesday’s game. He has been appointed for seven games across the Premier League and the Championship so far this season, where he has handed out 31 yellow cards and shown two reds.
He officiated our 1-0 win at Everton in September, which was the last of four occasions he has refereed us which has yielded three wins and a draw. The Hammers meanwhile lost the two games he oversaw last season, away at Wolves and Leicester City.
- Referee: Simon Hooper
- Assistants: Darren Cann and Sam Lewis
- Fourth Official: Sam Barrott
Previously at West Ham
Since West Ham moved to the former Olympic Stadium in 2016, we have won three and drawn three of our seven visits there, with last season bringing a 2-2 draw in April. Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard put us 2-0 up inside 10 minutes, but a Said Benrahma penalty and a Bowen strike saw the Hammers fight back to earn a point.
Our last win came in May 2022 when Rob Holding and Gabriel found the net in a 2-1 success, while a superb fightback from three goals down saw us grab a point two years ago when a pair of own goals as well as Alexandre Lacazette’s leveller helped us to a 3-3 draw
In January 2019, a solitary Rice strike inflicted the only defeat we’ve suffered at the home of the Hammers in 15 meetings, stretching back to 2006.
Take a look back at five memorable matches away at the Hammers from the past four decades, including impressive displays from Alan Smith, Alexis Sanchez and Gabriel Martinelli.
How to watch
An hour before kick-off, tune into Breakdown Live on Arsenal.com and the official app, as Nick Bright and Adrian Clarke provide in-depth analysis of the game and look back at our record in the competition.
There will also be highlights of a pair of cracking academy matches over the weekend, and Adrian will discuss the tactical talking points you may have missed from our 5-0 win over Sheffield United.
Then from 7.30pm UK time, live commentary from the London Stadium comes from Dan Roebuck and Stephen Wright as we aim to book our spot in the fifth round.
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