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David Moyes’ West Ham continue to enjoy their best Premier League season of recent memory.
The Hammers sit fifth, three points behind London rivals Chelsea with a game in hand on the Blues.
They aim for their fourth straight home victory when Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal visit the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, a feat they haven’t achieved since May 2002.
Another victory would further West Ham’s surprising claims for a Champions League place, an achievement Moyes suggested the squad are now working towards.
“It’s incredibly important if we’re pushing for the top four which we want to do.
“The top four is not something people were talking about before the season but we’re going to try to do our best for it.”
Moyes was also positive on the availability of his squad with no new absentees reported and Pablo Fornals, Angelo Ogbonna, Arthur Masuaku and Andriy Yarmolenko all making good progress in returning from their injuries.
Bukayo Saka is the only worry for Arsenal as they report a injury-free squad ahead of successive London derby after victory against Tottenham last weekend.
The Gunners have enjoyed London derbies in the Premier Leagues this season, recording 13 points, more than any other side in the capital.
An unconvincing performance against Olympiakos in midweek will quickly be forgotten by Arsenal fans as Europa League progression was assured, especially due to their north London rivals exiting the competition in dramatic fashion on the same evening.
Whilst many credit Pep Guardiola with honing the managerial prowess of Mikel Arteta, the Spaniard has praised Moyes with his influence on his coaching career in the build-up to the fixture.
“He really created a special atmosphere when we were together and I think that is why everyone involved at that time really enjoyed our time together.”
“He was the one that introduced me to the Premier League and he has been a huge influence.
“I learned a lot as well as a footballer, I think he made me a much more complete player, he made me play in different positions and gave me a lot of responsibility as well.”
Arteta’s side have historically enjoyed away fixtures against West Ham and have won more Premier League games on the road against the Hammers than any other side (13).
It’s an unusual occurrence for West Ham to be ahead of Arsenal in the table heading into the fixture. Sunday’s fixture will be just the fourth time that the home side have been above the Gunners in the table at the time of facing them, failing to win on any of those previous occasions.
David Moyes will be buoyed by the return of Jesse Lingard however, the Manchester United loanee previously unable against his parent club in West Ham’s 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.
Arsenal’s eyes may well be on winning the Europa League as they seek Champions League football but they’ll be hoping to put a dent in their opponents own claims for the qualification to the competition. The game promises to be an entertaining encounter on a reduced matchday in the Premier League.
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