Zubimendi eyes improvement and momentum as Arsenal face West Ham

Martin Zubimendi has admitted he still has "more to do" as Arsenal prepare for their home Premier League clash with West Ham United.

The Gunners snatched a last-gasp winner away at Newcastle United in the league last time out, and followed it up with a convincing 2-0 Champions League victory over Olympiacos on Wednesday.

It has been an encouraging week for Mikel Arteta's side, who have reduced the gap between themselves and league leaders Liverpool to two points. 

A win over West Ham would therefore put Arsenal top of the table, at least temporarily, before Liverpool play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge later on Saturday.

The Gunners have also secured William Saliba's future at the club, with the France centre-back signing a contract extension earlier in the week.

Despite their momentum, Arsenal will be wary of facing West Ham, having lost their last two home league meetings against the Hammers. Only once before have they suffered three consecutive home defeats to them — between November 1991 and March 1995.

Zubimendi, who has starred in all six of Arsenal's league games so far this season, spoke of his personal ambitions under Arteta ahead of a key London derby.

"The adaptation has been good, but I think I can do it better," the midfielder said.

“It's true that the team is amazing, the staff gave me a lot of confidence. The feeling on the pitch is good, but I think I have more to do in this club.

"We want to keep the momentum and win as many games as possible. We will recover well and prepare for the next game against West Ham."

Meanwhile, West Ham claimed a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Everton on Monday, in what was Nuno Espirito Santo's first game in charge of the club.

The Hammers currently sit 19th in the table, having won just once in their first six Premier League outings, with their poor start culminating in the sacking of Graham Potter.

Nuno said: "It's going to be a really tough game. It's a new game, and new things will happen, even though we have a good record there.

"That gives us confidence, but we know we're facing a good opponent, and it's going to be a good test.

"It's been hard work. I think everyone at the club is making a big effort to help, and it's all about that. We're getting things going, getting to know each other better. It's been hard work."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabriel, who scored the Gunners' dramatic winner at Newcastle, has now netted 18 Premier League goals for Arsenal – the most of any defender across the league since his debut in September 2020.

The Brazil international has scored all of his goals from set-piece situations and already holds the Premier League record in that statistical category.

Centre-back Gabriel has been a mainstay in an Arsenal defence that has conceded the fewest goals in consecutive seasons in the Premier League, having shipped just 63 goals in 76 games across those campaigns.

They have also leaked just three goals so far in this top-flight season, the joint-best record along with Crystal Palace.

West Ham – Jarrod Bowen

West Ham captain Bowen has contributed to 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League outings, with eight strikes and three assists.

He also has a strong record against Arsenal, netting five times in all competitions — one of which was the decisive goal at Emirates Stadium in last season's league meeting.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal head into this clash in strong form, having won six of their last eight Premier League fixtures (D1 L1). Their only setbacks in that period came against Liverpool (a 1-0 defeat) and Man City (a 1-1 draw). Since this run began on May 18, the Gunners have collected 19 points — more than any other side.

At Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have been formidable, losing just four of their last 42 league games (W29 D9). Interestingly, half of those defeats have come at the hands of West Ham, with losses in December 2023 and February 2025.

Set pieces have been a key weapon for Arteta's side: nine of Arsenal's last 14 league goals have arrived from dead-ball situations (seven corners, a free-kick, and a penalty). In fact, 16.7% of all goals scored under Arteta have come via corners (68 of 408) — a higher proportion than almost any other Premier League manager with 300+ goals, behind only Tony Pulis (21.9%) and Sean Dyche (18.6%).

West Ham, meanwhile, have a poor record in London derbies, losing more than any other team in Premier League history (134).

They have been beaten in eight of their last 11 such fixtures (W2 D1). However, their recent away form offers encouragement: just one defeat in five on the road (W3 D1), with all of their last 10 points in the league picked up away from home.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 76.7%

Draw – 13.9%

West Ham – 9.4%