Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka celebrates a goal from a match on August 26, 2023.
Arsenal are aiming to take a massive step toward clinching their first Premier League crown since 2003-04 when they travel to a West Ham United side fighting desperately to avoid the drop on Sunday.
Following Manchester City’s 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday, the league-leading Gunners (23-5-7, 76 points) now hold their destiny in the title race. Winning their remaining three league matches would ensure City cannot overtake them.
Arsenal will be strong favorites in those final three fixtures: away to West Ham, home to Burnley on May 18, and then at Crystal Palace on May 24.
Manager Mikel Arteta must balance the need for focus with the excitement of reaching the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in 20 years. That came after a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, sealing a 2-1 aggregate semifinal victory. The Gunners will face Paris St. Germain on May 30, just six days after the league season ends.
“I was in a really high emotional state after the game, obviously, because we know what it means to everybody, to the club,” Arteta said. “Straight after the game, you have to believe me, straight after that, my concentration, my focus, my energy was, ‘OK, West Ham, what do we have to do on the mental side, physically, tactically, technically, to prepare in the best possible way to go there and win the game?’ That’s it.”
The best news for Arteta is that his squad is arguably as healthy as it has been all season. Tuesday’s match-winner Bukayo Saka has returned from a hamstring injury, while Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are also available after recent injury concerns.
Meanwhile, the Hammers (9-17-9, 36 points) enter Sunday one point below the relegation zone after a 3-0 defeat at Brentford last Saturday, compounded by Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 victory at Aston Villa the following day.
That setback followed a run where West Ham took seven of nine points to leapfrog Spurs. That included back-to-back home wins: a 4-0 thrashing of Wolves with braces from Konstantinos Mavropanos and Valentin Castellanos, and a dramatic 2-1 win over Everton via Callum Wilson’s late winner.
Another home victory could put the pressure back on Tottenham, who host Leeds United on Monday night.
“We realize it is up for us to deliver, but it is a big game,” Hammers manager Nuno Espirito Santo said. “We want to think about Everton, think about Wolves, think about the first half against Brentford, about the positive things we can do. This has to be our mindset.
“Anything that happened before doesn’t change it. We can only affect what’s ahead of us.”
