Arsenal vs West Ham preview: Olivier Giroud has incredible record against West Ham, Emirates is bogey ground for Slaven Bilic's side
A look ahead to the Premier League fixture at The Emirates Stadium
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Dimitri Payet: Assuming that he starts this match following their Europa League qualifier in Romania in midweek, The French midfielder will want to show the Upton Park faithful why West Ham forked out nearly £11m for his services. Only topped for assists in Europe last season by Cesc Fabregas, Leo Messi and Manchester City target Kevin De Bruyne. His style will pose a different problem to what teams facing West Ham wold normally expect.
Best stat…
8: West Ham have not beaten Arsenal at the Emirates in eight years, when Bobby Zamora’s goal on the stroke of half time gave them a lifeline in avoiding relegation. Slaven Bilic’s new side have only scored three goals in eight visits to Arsenal since their move to the 60,000 seater stadium.
Remember when…
Arsenal produced a stunning attacking display in the early months of 2013 to thump the Hammers 5-1. Jack Collison put West Ham ahead with a drive from the edge of the box but Arsenal responded in superb fashion, with Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud(2), Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott all netting wonderful goals in front of The Emirates’ faithful.
Player to watch…
Olivier Giroud: The French striker’s substitute performance against Chelsea in the Community Shield gave Arsenal an extra dimension and he will be hoping to start against West Ham - an outfit that he has scored five goals in five games against. Arsene Wenger is reportedly in the market for a striker - Karim Benzema’s name has been oft mentioned - but Giroud will want to prove to his manager that he is capable of spearheading a title challenge for the Gunners.
Past three-meetings…
Arsenal 3 (Giroud, Ramsey, Flamini) West Ham 0, Premier League, March 2015
West Ham 1 (Kouyaté) Arsenal 2 (Cazorla, Welbeck), Premier League, December 2014
Arsenal 3(Podolski 2, Giroud) West Ham 1 (Jarvis), Premier League, April 2015
Vital information…
KICK-OFF: Sunday, 1.30pm
TV: Live on Sky Sports highlights on BBC1
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