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Football London
Football London
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Lewis Pangratiou

Paul Merson and Mark Lawrenson agree on West Ham vs Arsenal prediction amid top four race

Paul Merson and Mark Lawrenson both agree that Arsenal will manage to beat West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta's side clinched vital back-to-back wins against Chelsea and Manchester United and they will continue their quest to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League when they take on the Hammers in east London. Victory would strengthen their hold on fourth place, currently sitting two points above fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Although it's bound to be a difficult game, Merson thinks Arsenal will have enough to see off David Moyes' side: "West Ham's approach against Chelsea was mind-blowing. They rested three of their best players - Michail Antonio, Declan Rice, and Jarrod Bowen - to prepare for their Europa League tie," he wrote in his Sportskeeda column.

READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Partey, Tomiyasu, Bellerin's future and West Ham

"If West Ham do win the Europa League, I think Declan Rice has no excuse but to stay at the club. If they don't win it, however, he may well leave for a club that plays in the Champions League. This is the perfect time for Arsenal to play West Ham and beat them. This is a nothing game for West Ham, but it could prove to be a massive result for Arsenal."

Merson's prediction: 0-2

Like Merson, Lawrenson also thinks that the Hammers are likely to rotate their squad given their huge upcoming European semi-final second leg on Thursday. In his eyes, that should give the Gunners the advantage going into the game: "Like Leicester, West Ham are fully focused on Europe at the moment - this follows the first leg of their Europa League semi-final with Eintracht Frankfurt, which is absolutely massive for them," he told BBC Sport.

"As I've been saying all season, West Ham don't have the biggest squad and they will almost certainly make some changes here. That should help Arsenal, although the Hammers will still be difficult to beat.

"The Gunners have benefited all season from not being in European competition - most of their midweeks have been free - but being fresher is particularly handy at this stage of the campaign."

Lawrenson's prediction: 1-2

It's a huge game for Arsenal as they look to consolidate their position as favourites in the race for top four. A win will put them on 63 points, and will pile the pressure on Tottenham - who face Leicester at home earlier on Sunday afternoon - ahead of each side's 35th game of the season.

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