The celebration police came for Arsenal this week. Wayne Rooney sat in the Amazon Prime studio and told the nation that the Champions League semi-final celebrations were “a bit much.” Ian Wright nearly fell off his chair. Arteta laughed it off, name-dropping Guardiola, Pochettino and Moyes as mates who’d all been in touch to congratulate him. The voicemail is full. The complaints department is not taking calls.
The other bit of needle doing the rounds: one football writer reckons Saka would already be a Ballon d’Or winner under Luis Enrique. Arteta’s “cowardice” and “extremism” are apparently holding the lad back. For me, Saka took a long time to recover after his missed penalty against Italy in the Euros, and it’s nice to see he is back. Funny how these voices go quiet when Arsenal are simultaneously chasing the title and a Champions League final. Funny, that.
West Ham have no such luxury problems. The Hammers dropped back into the relegation zone after a 3-0 thumping at Brentford. Tottenham won at the weekend. One point now separates the two sides. Nuno’s men cannot afford to lose today.
The stakes couldn’t be more loaded. Arsenal need three wins from three to clinch their first league title in 22 years. City dropped points in a 3-3 draw at Everton. The Gunners now sit five points clear at the top. Win today, and the champagne is essentially on ice. And they’d do it by beating a side, scrapping to avoid the Championship. If you’re a West Ham fan, that one stings.
West Ham vs Arsenal – Injuries, predicted lineups
Arsenal arrive in form and brimming with confidence. Saka scored the decisive goal in the Champions League semi-final in midweek. Gyökeres has nine goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances. The bookies have been slashing the price on an Arsenal win all week — and rightly so.
Injuries at West Ham: Paquetá, Antonio and Fabianski are out because of different injuries, while at Arsenal, only Merino and Timber are out, everyone else is fit and firing.
West Ham’s former Arsenal defender Mavropanos said it well: “We’re just as hungry — just for different reasons.” Admirable. But hunger alone doesn’t stop Gyökeres and Saka. Arsenal won 6-0 and 5-2 on their last two visits to the London Stadium.
Arsenal's last two Premier League trips to West Ham 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IY4xCNkjiy
— Prime Video Sport UK (@primevideosport) May 9, 2026
Set pieces will probably hurt West Ham on Sunday as Arsenal leads the league with 27 goals from dead-ball situations. West Ham have conceded the second-most from set pieces in the division.
West Ham predicted lineup: Hermansen – Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf – Bowen, Soucek, Fernandes, Summerville – Pablo, Castellanos
Arsenal predicted lineup: Raya – Hincapie, Gabriel, Saliba, White – Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard – Eze, Gyökeres, Saka
Remaining fixtures
West Ham: Newcastle (away), Leeds (home)
Arsenal: Burnley (home), Crystal Palace (home)
Lose today, and West Ham travel to Newcastle in the relegation zone. A side chasing European football, away from home, with the pressure of survival on your back. It won’t get easier. Arsenal’s remaining two fixtures are as winnable as it gets. First Burnley, then a Crystal Palace side who’ve already mentally packed for Ibiza.
So what to bet on?
Arsenal should win on Sunday as their confidence is sky-high, the squad is near-full strength, and they’ve already treated this fixture as a training ground for demolitions. West Ham will scrap. The crowd will roar, but that won’t be enough.
Tip: Arsenal win, likely 1-3 or 0-2.
