Arteta Sticks with Unchanged XI for Key Clash Against West Ham
Mikel Arteta doubles down. Same team, same trust, same stakes.
For a penultimate away day of the league season at the London Stadium, the Arsenal manager resists any temptation to rotate, naming an unchanged XI for the third game running. He leans on rhythm, not rest, with a title race and European momentum still crackling in the background.
Arteta backs his big-game core
Bukayo Saka, fresh from delivering the decisive goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, goes again on the right. No easing off, no breather. He remains one of the central pillars of this side, expected to carry threat in a fixture that has tripped Arsenal up in the past.
Myles Lewis-Skelly keeps his place in midfield after catching the eye in the wins over Fulham and Atletico. The teenager’s inclusion is no token gesture now; he has played his way into this run-in. Alongside him, Declan Rice walks back into familiar territory, starting once more against his former club after scoring in the reverse fixture earlier this season. The narrative writes itself, but Rice’s job is simpler: control the game, silence the crowd, drive Arsenal on.
Behind them, the defensive unit remains untouched. Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori form the back four in front of David Raya, who has his own personal target in view. One more clean sheet would move him clear in the race for the Premier League Golden Glove. The margin for error is thin; the reward is tangible.
Up front, Viktor Gyokeres leads the line again, chasing goal number 22 of a prolific campaign. His movement and physical presence will be central to unsettling a West Ham back line packed with size and aggression.
Arsenal XI and options
Arsenal line up: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Trossard, Saka; Gyokeres.
Arteta’s bench underlines the depth at his disposal if the evening tightens or opens up. Kepa Arrizabalaga provides cover in goal, with defensive alternatives in Mosquera, Hincapie and versatile youngster Dowman. Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Martin Zubimendi offer a wealth of technical quality and different attacking shapes should Arsenal need to chase the game or simply twist the knife.
West Ham’s response
West Ham answer with a robust, athletic side of their own. Mads Hermansen starts in goal, shielded by a back line of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo and Axel Disasi. It is a defence built for duels, blocks and last-ditch interventions.
In midfield, the Hammers lean on power and legs. Diouf, Tomas Soucek and Fernandes will be tasked with disrupting Arsenal’s patterns and breaking quickly when possession turns over.
Out wide, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville bring pace and direct running, feeding off the work of Taty Castellanos up front, who carries the responsibility of troubling Saliba and Gabriel.
West Ham XI: Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Disasi; Diouf, Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Summerville; Castellanos.
On the bench, Alphonse Areola, Kyle Walker-Peters, Scarles, Kilman, Potts and Magassa provide defensive and structural options, while N’Golo Kante, Pablo and Wilson offer different midfield and attacking looks if the game swings.
Arteta has shown his hand. No rotation, no half-measures. With the season narrowing to its decisive weeks, he is betting that continuity, chemistry and a settled core will carry Arsenal through the noise of the London Stadium and deeper into the run-in.
