Three of West Ham United’s five FIFA World Cup representatives are in David Moyes’ starting XI as the Hammers return to Premier League action after a 44-day break at Arsenal.
Brazil’s Lucas Paquetá, England’s Declan Rice and Germany’s Thilo Kehrer all start at Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day evening, while France’s Alphonse Areola is named among the nine substitutes and Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd is not available.
The Irons will line up with former Gunner Łukasz Fabiański in goal. The 37-year-old spent seven seasons in north London between 2007-14, winning the FA Cup in his 78th and final appearance for the club.
The back four will be comprised of Czech Republic international Vladimír Coufal, who appears for the 88th time in Claret and Blue. The 30-year-old was controversially sent-off for two bookable offences in the Hammers 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last season in December 2021.
Craig Dawson has been Mr Dependable for the Hammers since his arrival – initially on loan – from relegated Watford in October 2020. The Rochdale-born centre-back has played 83 times, scored nine goals and helped the Irons reach last season’s UEFA Europa League semi-finals.
Kehrer featured once at the World Cup, where he started Germany’s 1-1 group-stage draw with Spain. The defender’s versatility was on show as he played at right-back in that tie, but will be in the heart of the defence at kick-off tonight.
Aaron Cresswell is West Ham’s second most-capped Premier League player makes his 270th appearance in the competition. The 33-year-old starts at left-back, as he did in the Hammers’ 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium on the opening weekend of the 2015/16 season.
Rice anchors the midfield, fresh from impressing as England reached the quarter-finals in Qatar. Not turning 24 until 14 January, the captain scored his first senior goal for West Ham in a 1-0 home Premier League win over Arsenal two days short of his 20th birthday in January 2019.
Coufal’s compatriot Tomáš Souček joined the Hammers a year after Rice’s landmark goal. The 28-year-old has since registered 112 appearances and 18 goals in all competitions, including one in a 3-3 Premier League draw at London Stadium in March 2021.
Jarrod Bowen also scored in that 3-3 draw two seasons ago, and has looked sharp in West Ham’s mid-season warm-up matches. The No20 also scored in the Irons’ 2-1 home defeat by the Gunners last season and has yet to finish on the winning side in five Premier League appearances against our Boxing Day opponents.
Paquetá scored once for Brazil at the World Cup, in a round of 16 victory over South Korea, but is still seeking his first goal in Claret and Blue. The No11 could face his international teammate Gabriel Martinelli in what will be his first career appearance against Arsenal.
Another player who shone during the Club’s mid-season games was Saïd Benrahma. The exciting Algerian winger has found a greater level of consistency to his game in recent months, scoring in Premier League fixtures with AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, then mid-season matches against Cambridge United and Udinese.
Londoner Michail Antonio has had plenty of battles with Arsenal in his seven-plus season West Ham career, but only ended on the winning side once in eleven appearances against our nearest Premier League neighbours – the aforementioned game in which Rice netted the winner nearly four years ago.
Gianluca Scamacca misses out with the injury he suffered at Fulham nine days ago, while Aguerd is not ready after having injury and illness issues at the World Cup.
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Dawson, Kehrer, Cresswell, Rice ©, Souček, Bowen, Paquetá, Benrahma, Antonio
Subs: Areola (GK), Johnson, Ogbonna, Emerson, Coventry, Lanzini, Downes, Fornals, Mubama
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Ødegaard ©, Martinelli, Nketiah
Subs: Turner (GK), Holding, Cédric, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Marquinhos, Zinchenko, Cozier-Duberry
Referee: Michael Oliver
