PREMIER LEAGUE: EMIRATES STADIUM, SATURDAY MARCH 20, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1730 GMT
ARSENAL:
To paraphrase the Beatles, you have to admit it is getting better for Arsenal.
No one would ever suggest that the Gunners' season has been one of smooth progression, but their current standing is probably as good as Arsene Wenger could have dared imagine at the start of the campaign.
Safely in the Champions League quarter-finals - where they face Barcelona - and on the heels of with Chelsea and Manchester United in the title race, Wenger's side now face an out-of-form West Ham while welcoming back captain Cesc Fabregas who missed the previous two games with a hamstring problem.
After Nicklas Bendtner's last-minute winner against strugglers Hull last weekend - a goal Wenger rated as "great for the championship, but bad for my heart" - Fabregas's return will only strengthen the manager's options and should restore a sense of calm after the unwanted thrills at the KC Stadium.
And what better way to claim a psychological advantage in the race for Premier League glory than to face one of the league's leakier teams 24 hours before your main title rivals are due to play?
Victory will take Arsenal top, however briefly, and that will do no harm whatsover to the squad's belief. Wenger, therefore, is adamant that focus should remain on the visit of the east London side and not be deflected by the anticipation surrounding the forthcoming meeting with European champions Barcelona.
"I believe it is much more important to focus on the West Ham game than the Barcelona draw," said the manager.
"We have fought since August for the championship and it is important we keep our mind on what is vital to us. That is the championship, then we can go into the Champions League with the right belief.
"The West Ham game is the next game, and in football the next game makes your life.
"If we speak about West Ham instead of speaking about Barcelona, that is where we can show we have matured and that we are intelligent."
Strategy: Fabregas's return improves Arsenal as an attacking force as well as in midfield and with Andrei Arshavin and Bendtner currently enjoying a good run of form, it's hard to envisage anything other than a dominant home performance that will test West Ham's creaking defence.
Gianfranco Zola's side offered little against Chelsea last weekend although Wenger will have noted the early opportunity that was spurned by Ilan and use the incident to warn his defenders of the need to retain concentration. William Gallas's continuing absence is a worry but Sol Campbell has performed well alongside Thomas Vermaelen although the former England defender will need to employ all his experience against the quality of Carlton Cole.
Injury Update: Wenger has no new injury concerns from last week's win over Hull while Song, Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky return. Gallas's calf injury is an ongoing concern and Wenger admits he doesn't know when his defender will be back. "Cesc and Tomas have a final test Friday morning," Wenger said. "They should be available for Saturday. From the last game we don't lose anybody. So normally we should have Fabregas, Carlos Vela and Rosicky back. Plus of course we have Alex Song coming back from suspension."
WEST HAM UNITED:
West Ham should be used to kicking off a derby as underdogs as that was exactly the position they were in last week. And the 4-1 defeat they suffered at Chelsea fully justified that tag.
Gianfranco Zola, the manager, was convinced he still had plenty of reasons to be upbeat however, especially after Fulham's dramatic comeback against Juventus in the Europa League gave hope to every unfancied side.
"I was stunned," Zola admitted. "Juventus couldn't cope and it's a massive result for Fulham and a devastating result for Juventus and Italian football.
"Football can sometimes bring you surprises. I always hope. I never go on the pitch with the feeling that I'm going to lose the game. I tend to go to the match thinking on the positive side and I need to go there and think that my team can do something. I always do.
"Obviously Arsenal are flying now. They are playing against a West Ham side that hasn't been playing very well and our away form is not the best but football is football and sometimes it can be tricky."
West Ham have already played Arsenal twice at Upton Park this season.
The most recent encounter saw an under-strength Gunners side narrowly come out on top in an FA Cup clash while the Premier League clash featured a stirring Hammers comeback from 2-0 down to claim a point.
Strategy: With home games against Wolves and Stoke coming up Zola could be forgiven for keeping his powder dry for those but has indicated he intends to hand Carlton Cole, the forward, a recall. The England international started on the bench at Stamford Bridge because of a knee injury but looks set to start this one. It's the opposite for midfield
play-maker Scott Parker however as his own fitness concerns mean he is likely to be rested in the hope of making the Wolves game. Mark Noble is available again following an arm injury so he could slot straight in. The Hammers are likely to flood midfield anyway, with Alessandro Diamanti given the task of giving Cole as much support as possible.
Injury update: Defender Danny Gabbidon and midfielder Kieron Dyer are sidelined yet again and right-back Julien Faubert is still out with a hamstring problem at a time when defender Manuel Da Costa is still suspended. Herita Ilunga should have recovered sufficiently from a hamstring injury in time to reclaim the left-back spot however.
