Tomiyasu returns | Expected Arsenal line-up vs West Ham

Arsenal will be looking to tighten their grip on fourth place with a win at West Ham on Sunday afternoon. Here is the side Mikel Arteta is expected to pick:

Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale is an undisputed starter for Arsenal so he’ll retain his place between the sticks meaning Bernd Leno has to settle for a place on the bench again.

Defence: Arsenal were boosted by the return of Takehiro Tomiyasu last weekend after the right-back made a late substitute appearance during the win over Man Utd. Arteta has confirmed he’s considering handing Tomiyasu a recall to the starting eleven on Sunday and given his importance to the team, I think we’ll see him replacing Cedric Soares.

With Kieran Tierney still out, Nuno Tavares should continue at left-back while Ben White will line-up alongside Gabriel once again in the middle of Arsenal’s defence. Ron Holding will be a back-up on the bench.

Midfield: Arteta suggested today that Thomas Partey is unlikely to play again this season as he continues to recover from a thigh injury that he sustained earlier this month.

Mohamed Elneny has done a terrific job in the last two games so he deserves to keep his place in midfield against West Ham. Granit Xhaka capped an excellent display with a superb goal against United so he should start on Sunday with Albert Sambi Lokonga missing out.

Martin Odegaard was excellent against Man Utd last weekend and the Norwegian has thrived since being given the armband. Let’s hope we see another top display from him at the London Stadium.

Attack: Bukayo Saka has handed Arsenal a major injury boost as he’s expected to be fit despite being forced off with a minor thigh injury last weekend. The youngster has trained in recent days so should be able to keep his place on the right side of attack.

Alexandre Lacazette is pushing for a recall but I think we’ll see Eddie Nketiah keeping his place up front. He’s added a new dimension to Arsenal’s attack since coming into the team so he could lead the line up front once again on Sunday.

However, we may see Arteta making one change to his front three with Gabriel Martinelli recalled. Emile Smith Rowe is likely to be the man to make way but he’ll be a very useful option to have from the bench.

Here is how Arsenal could line-up: