Wednesday, December 25, 2013


West Ham United vs Arsenal FC
2013/2014 English Premier League, Round 18

West Ham returned to their struggling ways last time out, being swept aside 3-1 by Man United. A brief moment of joy came for the Hammers when they made the semi-finals of the League Cup-and that's all well and good-but they must begin to pick up points or risk the proposition of another year outside the top-flight. Unfortunately for Sam Allardyce and Co., they face a visit from 2nd place and London rivals Arsenal. The Hammers have really struggled for goals this term amidst a slew of injuries, so a trip from one of the top-rated defences doesn't look to be the remedy to their problems. Carroll, Downing, Reid, and Vaz Te are out. 
Arsenal played to an uneventful 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Monday. Perhaps with the extreme weather to blame, Arsenal's attack left much to be desired and Arsene Wenger may look to shake things up by benching Olivier Giroud in this one. However, the Gunners sit tied with Liverpool in points atop the league table and should be able to create ample opportunities on Boxing Day-a day that Arsenal has gone unbeaten on since 1999. In addition, they haven't lost to West Ham in their last 11 fixtures in all competitions-winning 9 of those in the process. Wenger may opt to rest a few players with a trickier away fixture to come on Sunday (at Newcastle), but that shouldn't stop them from grabbing all 3 points from their London counterparts.

Date: Thursday, 26 December 2013, 3:00 PM - 16:00 CET
Stadium: At Boleyn Ground, London, United Kingdom
Referee: Phil Dowd

watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]



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