Overview
Arsenal will have an away match that is predicted to be not easy at West Ham's stadium, in the context that both the championship race and the relegation battle are entering a decisive stage.
Mikel Arteta's team currently has a 5-point gap with Manchester City and is facing the opportunity to take another long step towards the Premier League title. Meanwhile, West Ham needs points to avoid the risk of falling further into the relegation battle after Tottenham just took the lead thanks to a victory over Aston Villa.
Arsenal entered the London derby with an extremely excited spirit. In less than a week, the "Gunners" benefited from a 3-3 draw between Man City and Everton before defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 to win a ticket to the Champions League final for the first time since 2006.
The performance of the Emirates team is currently at a very high level. Arsenal has equaled the club record with 41 wins in all competitions in a season - a record previously set in the 1970-1971 season.
The 3-0 victory over Fulham last weekend continued to show Arsenal's terrifying attacking power. The "Gunners" created up to 2.5 expected goals (xG) in just the first half - their highest number in the first 45 minutes of this season's Premier League.
Viktor Gyokeres is the leader of the attack with explosive form. The Swedish striker has scored 9 goals in the last 12 Premier League matches, more than any other player since the end of January. Notably, his chance conversion rate has increased sharply from 15% to 47%.
Besides, Bukayo Saka also quickly regained his influence after injury. The English star just scored a goal to take Arsenal to the Champions League final and is always especially dangerous against West Ham, an opponent he has contributed to 9 goals in the last 8 encounters.
One of Arsenal's biggest strengths this season continues to be in set pieces. Arteta's team has scored 27 goals from dead balls in the Premier League, including 17 goals from corner kicks - all of which are the best statistics in the league.
That will be a big concern for West Ham, who have conceded 15 goals from corner kicks and a total of 23 goals from set pieces this season. Only Bournemouth has a worse defensive record.
However, West Ham still has a basis for hope thanks to their fairly stable home form. Nuno Espirito Santo's team is unbeaten in 6 consecutive matches at London Stadium in the Premier League, winning three and drawing three.
Jarrod Bowen continues to be the biggest hope of the home team. The English striker has had 7 assists in the last 6 home matches and is the main inspiration in West Ham's attacking style.
However, the challenge for The Hammers is extremely big when they have to face the most solid defense in England currently. Arsenal has kept a clean sheet in 30 matches in all competitions this season - the club's best record since the 1993-1994 season.
Head-to-head record
Head-to-head history is leaning towards Arsenal before the away match at London Stadium. West Ham has lost to the "Gunners" 38 times in the Premier League - only losing more to Liverpool with 39 matches. Meanwhile, Arsenal only has a record of winning more against Everton with 40 wins.
In the first leg in October, Arsenal defeated West Ham 2-0 and are aiming for the 13th time to complete a double victory against The Hammers in a Premier League season. In the history of the league, only Manchester United has done this more, with 16 times against Aston Villa and 14 times against Everton.
Score prediction: West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
The match between West Ham and Arsenal takes place at 10:30 PM on May 10th (Vietnam time).
