Ødegaard's Return Sparks Arsenal Tactical Shake-Up: Eze Set for New Role Against West Ham
Arsenal narrowed the gap on table-toppers Liverpool following last weekend's results and have the opportunity to claim first place before the October international break if they can defeat West Ham United on Saturday.
Late drama worked in Arsenal's favor as they watched Liverpool suffer defeat at Crystal Palace before securing their own dramatic victory at Newcastle United the following day, reducing the deficit to the defending champions to merely two points.
Should they overcome the Hammers while Liverpool fail to collect points at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal will lead the standings entering the international window. Mikel Arteta's team requires little additional incentive before West Ham's arrival, though their recent home defeats of 2-0 and 1-0 to the relegation-threatened visitors in the past two campaigns certainly provides extra motivation.
Arteta rotated six players during midweek as the Gunners defeated Olympiacos in the Champions League and is expected to make further adjustments to his starting eleven this weekend.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. West Ham (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya—Although Arsenal controlled the match on Wednesday night, Raya was still required to produce multiple outstanding stops in the win over Olympiacos. His form has been exceptional throughout this campaign.
RB: Jurriën Timber—Ben White featured midweek but Timber is set to return against West Ham. The Dutch defender ranks among the globe's most reliable full-backs, providing excellent equilibrium between defensive duties and attacking contributions.
CB: William Saliba—Arsenal haven't depended on Saliba quite as heavily this season thanks to Cristhian Mosquera's remarkable adaptation with the Gunners, yet the French defender, who recently penned a new extended deal, remains the club's premier center-back.
CB: Gabriel—The Brazilian was withdrawn with an injury concern against Olympiacos but Arteta allayed fears regarding the center-back's condition post-match. He is expected to be fit for selection.
LB: Riccardo Calafiori—Calafiori faces the challenging assignment of containing Jarrod Bowen, with the West Ham attacker netting the decisive goal in this matchup last season. The England star has found the net three times this Premier League campaign despite his team's difficulties.
CM: Martin Ødegaard—The Arsenal skipper returned to his creative excellence on Wednesday, orchestrating play from midfield. Arteta praised the Norwegian as "phenomenal" following an outstanding performance.
CM: Martín Zubimendi—Arteta has quickly turned to Zubimendi and hasn't been let down by the summer acquisition. The Spanish midfielder excels both with and without the ball and will continue developing with additional playing time.
CM: Declan Rice—Rice's lethal set-piece delivery should pose significant problems for West Ham, who have surrendered eight goals from dead-ball scenarios in their six Premier League matches this season.
RW: Bukayo Saka—Saka returned to scoring form midweek after being deployed as a substitute and will be keen to maintain his strong record versus West Ham. He has netted four times and registered six assists across 11 encounters with them.
ST: Viktor Gyökeres—Gabriel Martinelli challenged the Swedish forward to reach 30 to 40 goals this season, but Gyökeres currently sits on just three after nine Arsenal appearances. All his strikes have arrived at home in league competition, however.
LW: Eberechi Eze—Martinelli's scoring streak is highly impressive but Arsenal now possess abundant attacking depth, meaning Eze could feature on the left flank against West Ham. He favors a central role, but Ødegaard's return complicates that positioning.
