Arsenal v West Ham preview

Hammers aiming to keep up good form against league leaders

By Lewis Rutledge   Last updated: 31st December 2007

Arsene Wenger

Wenger: Ready to alter approach

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com predicts: Arsenal 2 West Ham 1

SKY BET odds: Arsenal 1/3, Draw 10/3, West Ham 13/2

One to Watch: Emmanuel Adebayor

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West Ham will be looking to claim their second big scalp of the festive season when they tackle Arsenal on New Year's Day.

The Hammers upset Premier League champions Manchester United on Saturday to consolidate their position in the top half of the table.

They are also the only side to have beaten Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League, winning 1-0 last April on their way to a miraculous escape from the bottom three.

The Gunners will be keen to set the record straight and go into the game in confident mood after a 4-1 victory over Everton that lifted them back to the top of the league.

Flexible

The clash at Goodison Park was notable for the way Arsenal altered their approach and played in a more direct fashion, and Arsene Wenger has admitted he is prepared to be flexible.

Whether that means Arsenal play in the same manner against West Ham remains to be seen, but Wenger may be loath to leave out Eduardo da Silva following his match-winning turn.

Nicklas Bendtner is suspended so Emmanuel Adebayor is likely to come back in, while there could also be changes in midfield.

Tomas Rosicky will hope to start after scoring as a substitute in the final minute at Everton.

Injury concerns for Curbishley

Alan Curbishley has a number of injury worries after midfielders Nolberto Solano (hamstring) and Scott Parker (knee) both had to be taken off against Manchester United.

Former Arsenal player Freddie Ljungberg is also struggling with a hamstring problem and may not be able to feature.

The Hammers are already without a whole team of injured players, including Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Bobby Zamora.

Julien Faubert, Matthew Etherington and Lee Bowyer are all back in training but Curbishley has hinted they will not return until the weekend at the earliest.