West Ham aims to disrupt Arsenal’s push for Premier League consistency

This Saturday (30), another chapter of the London derby between West Ham and Arsenal will take place at the London Stadium for Matchday 13 in the Premier League. While Arsenal seeks to regain consistency and stay in the title race, West Ham is looking to build momentum after a season of ups and downs.

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Arsenal seeks consistency and a climb up the table

Coming into the game, Arsenal is considered one of the favorites for the Premier League title, yet inconsistency has them sitting 4th with 22 points, nine behind leaders Liverpool. Still, two straight victories have the team in high spirits, according to manager Mikel Arteta:

“Obviously, winning increases energy and confidence. We’ve had two great wins, and now it’s about consistency, regaining the momentum we’ve built, and pushing even further against a really good opponent tomorrow while trying to replicate that performance to win the game.”

The Gunners feel good, as they convincingly defeated Sporting CP 5-1 in midweek, to make it three successive games without tasting defeat in all competitions. The test that Arteta must meet is in keeping the level and making such high-intensity performances continue:

It doesn't matter what you did yesterday; what matters is the coming days-the next performance. This team showed incredible character against Inter, and we lost. We showed incredible character against Chelsea, we were the better team, and we couldn't win."

West Ham seeks balance in their season

While West Ham is positioned 14th in the table, gathering a mere seven points from 18 possible at home so far, this 2-0 win over Newcastle away from home gave hope that maybe the things would start to get better for this team. As head coach Julen Lopetegui said:

"A win at St. James' Park might not be a historic moment, but this resounding result could be the turning point in a season of indifferent performances so far."

The Hammers also face the challenge of being without their coach on the sidelines due to a suspension. However, Lopetegui remains focused on preparing his players:

The most important thing is the players and getting them ready to compete against one of the best teams in the world. We're not thinking about where we are now; we're thinking about where we can be in the next four months."

Match history and stats

This will be the 152nd competitive meeting between West Ham and Arsenal, and the 57th in the Premier League era. Historically, the Gunners have the upper hand with 73 wins compared to West Ham's 37, along with 41 draws. Still, the Irons have picked up crucial points recently, winning two of the last three encounters between the teams.

Yet Arsenal have fared well at the London Stadium, where they have won four of their last nine visits. The outlier in that sequence was a 6-0 defeat in February. In general, the Gunners have been in good form on their travels.