Arsenal welcome West Ham United to the Emirates Stadium in Sunday’s early Premier League kick-off.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recently announced his decision to step down in the summer which could see his players raise their level of performance as a send-off against their London rivals.
Team news:
In Thursday’s press conference, Wenger confirmed Aaron Ramsey and David Ospina are fit and would be in contention to feature after making speedy recoveries.
Jack Wilshere’s fitness remains a doubt after suffering an ankle injury, however, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not expected to play until Thursday’s Europa League clash against La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.
The former Manchester United player has been nursing a medial knee ligament problem.
Predicted lineup (4-3-3-):
Petr Cech has been Arsenal’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League, so expect to see the 35-year-old Czech international get the nod ahead of Ospina this weekend. The Colombian has been mostly featuring in domestic cup games and European outings.
We should see Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal start at right-back and left-back respectively, with Laurent Koscielny playing alongside Shkodran Mustafi at the heart of the defence.
With Wenger reporting that Ramsey should be fit, the Welshman could start with Granit Xhaka – who has been a constant this season – and Elneny in a three-man combo.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette could start against West Ham, with the former operating in a wider role on the left and Lacazette leading the line through the middle. The former Lyon striker has bagged four goals in five appearances since returning from injury.
Mesut Ozil could start of the right, with a license to cut inside on his preferred left foot.