LONDON (December 25, 2022) —— Leaders Arsenal will look to return to their excellent form before the FIFA World Cup when they host West Ham United at Emirates Stadium in London, as the English Premier League schedule resumes on Boxing Day.
Kick-off here at Arsenal on Boxing Day is at 3:00 pm ET for those in the United States and 8:00 pm GMT. The game will be broadcast live in the UK by Amazon Prime and on Peacock in USA. Fans should check out their regional schedule to see which channel is broadcasting the game in their area which is available across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners.
Where are the injured players for Arsenal and West Ham United?
Arsenal will enter Matchweek 17 with a five point lead at the top of Premier League standings and will to go eight points clear of Manchester City before the defending champions play again on Wednesday versus Leeds United.
The Gunners will be without Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus who recently had knee surgery after suffering an injury at the FIFA World Cup, while Reiss Nelson, unfortunately, suffered an injury recently and will not be available for this one.
“Reiss, unfortunately, picked up an injury in the game against Juventus and he is going to be out for a while I think,” Arteta said on the club’s official webstite at www.arsenal.com. “I’m talking about weeks. Let’s see how he reacts to the next few days but he felt something straight away and with sprinters, that’s not a good sign.”
Attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe is close to a return but will not be up for selection on Monday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is also hoping to have both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu available for this game, following minor injuries.
Meanwhile, for West Ham, attackers Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio could miss out because of respective ankle and calf problems.
“Gianluca has an ankle injury and Mick (Michail) had a calf strain,” Hammers boss David Moyes confirmed on the club’s official webste here. “They’re improving – we’re hoping that they both have a chance, but I’ve got to say they’re doubtful.
In the meantime, Moroccan center-back Nayef Aguerd will also be assessed before the game to see if he’s recovered enough to play. Aguerd suffered both illness and injury during the World Cup.
“Nayef had a virus and an injury as well, which didn’t help him and were part of the reasons he didn’t play [against France],” Moyes added. “He’s not back in yet, but he’ll be back in tomorrow and we’ll see how he is.”
ARSENAL VS WEST HAM MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Arsenal have lost just two of their last 28 English Premier League games against West Ham. The Gunners have won 21 and tied five.
- West Ham United, meanwhile, have lost 11 of their last 12 league away matches against Arsenal, the exception being a 2-0 victory on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 season.
