Predicted Arsenal lineup vs West Ham

Arsenal will travel across the capital to take on West Ham on Wednesday evening, hoping to advance to the fifth round of the Carabao Cup.

After edging past Brentford 1-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup, Mikel Arteta’s side have won five and drawn one in six games across all competitions. They are flying at the moment and smashed Sheffield United 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, with Eddie Nketiah hogging the limelight with a sublime hat-trick.

The Gunners will want to go far in the Carabao Cup but first must beat West Ham, who are on a four-game winless run and come into this fixture off the back of a timid 1-0 defeat to Everton.

Arsenal Team News

Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey remain out for Arsenal, but there is a chance of Martin Odegaard being involved after the Norwegian playmaker remained an unused substitute in the Gunners’ big victory over Sheffield United on Saturday with a slight hip problem.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs West Ham (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper

Mikel Arteta could recall Aaron Ramsdale into the starting XI having favoured David Raya in goal for Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League games. If given a chance, Ramsdale will be doing everything possible to keep a clean sheet against West Ham.

Defence

Despite the calibre of the opponent, rotation will almost definitely be on the cards for the Gunners, who could field Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu in central defence, while Ben White and Jakub Kiwior operate from the full-back positions. Arsenal’s defensive unit, along with their goalkeeper, must work very hard to stop West Ham from scoring.

William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko should provide cover for defensive positions from the bench.

Midfield

Jorginho will sit at the base of the midfield, break up the opposition’s play and create opportunities from deep. Declan Rice and Emile Smith Rowe will provide support on either side of Jorginho, whose passing range and vision in the middle of the park could be key in releasing the likes of Leandro Trossard and Fabio Vieira down the flanks.

Rice returns to West Ham for the first time after his big-money summer move to Arsenal, and the English star will be raring to put in an impressive show at his old stomping ground. Martin Odegaard could be in for some minutes from the bench if he manages to shake off his slight hip issue.

Attack

Fresh from scoring an impressive hat-trick, Eddie Nketiah must be hoping to get on the scoresheet against West Ham. However, with big games coming up and Gabriel Jesus injured, Arteta may opt to rest Nketiah and hand Kai Havertz a chance to impress up top.

Trossard and Vieira will look to bring energy and creativity from the left and right flanks, respectively. If the visitors need fresh attacking impetus against the Hammers, Arteta could call upon Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli from the bench in midweek.