Mikel Arteta has named his Arsenal starting XI for this afternoon’s Premier League clash against West Ham at the London Stadium.
Arsenal return to domestic action after booking their place in the Champions League final with a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, securing a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Arteta’s side now turn their attention back to the Premier League title race, with the Gunners looking to keep pressure on Manchester City in the final weeks of the season.
The Arsenal boss has kept faith with Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield after the youngster impressed in recent starts against Fulham and Atletico Madrid. He starts again alongside Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze, with Martin Odegaard named among the substitutes.
Bukayo Saka also starts after scoring in back-to-back games against Fulham and Atletico, while Viktor Gyokeres leads the line. Leandro Trossard completes the front three.
At the back, David Raya starts in goal behind Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori. White continues at right-back, with Jurrien Timber still unavailable.
Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Arsenal had no fresh injury concerns after the Atletico win, but Timber and Mikel Merino were both ruled out of the West Ham game.
Asked whether either player had a chance of returning this weekend, Arteta said there was “no chance”, while also admitting Timber’s injury had taken longer than expected.
Kai Havertz and Odegaard are both named on the bench, giving Arsenal strong attacking and midfield options if Arteta needs to change the game. Max Dowman is also among the substitutes.
Arsenal XI vs West Ham: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Eze; Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Arsenal subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Hincapie, Odegaard, Martinelli, Madueke, Havertz, Zubimendi, Dowman.
West Ham go into the game fighting against relegation, while Arsenal know there is little room for error if they are to maintain their title push. With the Champions League final now secured, Arteta’s side can put their full focus on the Premier League until the end of the domestic season.