Arsenal will try to take a giant step toward their first Premier League title since 2003-04 on Sunday when they visit a West Ham United side fighting to avoid relegation.
After Manchester City’s 3-3 draw at Everton on Monday night, league leaders Arsenal (23-5-7, 76 points) now control their own destiny in the title race. If they win their last three league matches, Manchester City will not be able to catch them.
The Gunners will be considerable favorites in those final three matches; at West Ham, home to Burnley on May 18 and then at Crystal Palace on May 24.
Arsenal will have to balance the need for focus with the excitement of reaching the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in 20 years, following a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night to complete a 2-1 semifinal aggregate victory. The Gunners will face Paris St. Germain on May 30, six days after the league finale.
“I was in a really high emotional state after the game, obviously, because we know what it means to everybody, to the club,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “Straight after the game, you have to believe me, straight after that, my concentration, my focus, my energy was, ‘OK, West Ham, what do we have to do on the mental side, physically, tactically, technically, to prepare in the best possible way to go there and win the game?’ That’s it.”
The best news for Arteta is that his squad arguably is as healthy as it has been all season. Tuesday’s match-winning scorer Bukayo Saka has returned from a hamstring injury, and Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz also are available after question marks in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the Hammers (9-17-9, 36 points) enter Sunday a point beneath the relegation zone following a 3-0 defeat at Brentford last Saturday, combined with Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 victory at Aston Villa the following day.
That setback followed a run where West Ham took seven of nine points to surge in front of Spurs. That included back-to-back home wins, a 4-0 romp of Wolves on a brace each from Konstantinos Mavropanos and Valentin Castellanos, and a dramatic 2-1 victory over Everton via Callum Wilson’s late winner.
Another home victory could put the pressure right back on Spurs, who play Monday night at home against Leeds United.
“We realize it is up for us to deliver, but it is a big game,” Hammers manager Nuno Espirito Santo said. “We want to think about Everton, think about Wolves, think about the first half against Brentford, about the positive things we can do. This has to be our mindset.
“Anything that happened before doesn’t change it. We can only affect what’s ahead of us.”
–Field Level Media
