Arsenal vs West Ham United Preview

Arsenal will look to keep their place at the top of the Premier League table this Tuesday when they welcome top-four hopefuls Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners will look to begin the new year the way they ended 2022 and keep their impressive run of form going.

Mikel Arteta’s side come into this tie on the back of a 4-2 win over Brighton. That result, along with Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Everton means that the Gunners hold a seven-point lead at the top of the PL table.

That win was also their fifth consecutive win in the league and also extended their unbeaten run in the PL to ten games (W9, D1). During that run, they kept five clean sheets, while a 100% win rate at home means that they are the only team to have won each of their opening seven home games this season.

The target will now be for them to keep the momentum going and to secure a first-ever eight consecutive league wins at home. After recording the most league points in the previous calendar year in the Premier League, they will look to make sure that their first game of the new year takes them closer to achieving their aim of winning their first league title in 19 years.

Newcastle United were also one of the best-performing team in 2022 as they ended the year with 72 points from 36 games. Only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City had more points than the Magpies that year, and it has reflected in their league placement this year.

Ahead of this game, Eddie Howe’s men sit in the third position and could even overtake Manchester City in second place if they win. They have the quality to do so, given their form heading into this game.

The visitors disappointing 0-0 draw with Leeds United last time out means that they are unbeaten in their last 14 competitive games (W10, D4). Furthermore, they have kept five consecutive clean sheets ahead of this game, while their record of eleven goals conceded is the fewest in the Premier League this season.

They have also won their last three away games and will be confident of recording a good result here, given that they have already taken points from three of last season’s four highest-placed clubs (W2, D1, L1)

However, their head-to-head record in this fixture doesn’t inspire much confidence. Newcastle have lost their last eleven visits to the Emirates Stadium while Howe has lost his last six away visits to the Emirates Stadium as a manager.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table