Arsenal vs West Ham United. Premier League.
Emirates StadiumAttendance59,830.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski also set to play against former side
Saturday 25 August 2018 14:50, UK
Lucas Perez and Jack Wilshere will be looking to prove a point when West Ham travel to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
Both players joined West Ham from Arsenal in the summer, with Wilshere ending a 17-year spell with the club and Perez departing after one full season.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is also set to play his former side as West Ham look for a first point of the season.
"You never know whether players will have extra motivation when they return to face their old clubs, as Jack Wilshere, Lukasz Fabianski and Lucas Perez will do on Saturday," said Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini.
"For me, the difference we have to make, we make as a team and not because we have three players who were with Arsenal. We need to improve as a team in defending, in attacking, in mentality, in a lot of things because against a big and good team like Arsenal, this is the only way to improve."
West Ham have lost to Liverpool and Bournemouth while Arsenal have started their season with defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea.
However, manager Unai Emery says he does not intend to play with two strikers - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette - this weekend.
"At the moment, no. I think we need to have the control with the possession, with the positioning on the pitch, with more players inside.
"And after this possession, to do the attacking moments and defending moments with this balance."
Arsenal are without Sead Kolasinac (knee), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (leg), Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) and Carl Jenkinson (ankle).
West Ham look set to be without captain Mark Noble as he has been unable to train this week due to a back injury.
Andy Carroll, Winston Reid and Manuel Lanzini are long-term absentees.
I don't see anything other than an Arsenal win here. West Ham have struggled, and I don't see anything different from them compared to last year.
I can't get over Cheikhou Kouyate leaving for Crystal Palace for that kind of money, he's the only one who had any legs in midfield, and I think Arsenal will run riot.
Let's be honest, if Arsenal had put the chances away against Chelsea - and it's easy to say: "Oh that's a half chance" - but they had five unbelievable chances at Stamford Bridge. If they put those away, they come away from the Bridge scoring seven, and everyone would be saying: "Wow".
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (17/2 with Sky Bet)