West Ham have enjoyed a tremendous rise in recent weeks under the guidance of David Moyes, rising out of the Premier League’s relegation zone after a three-match unbeaten run.
The Hammers will go toe-to-toe with Arsenal again this evening in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, a week after holding the Gunners to a goalless draw at the London Stadium last week- a result that came in between crucial wins against Chelsea and Stoke City.
Having bolstered their standing in the league, West Ham now have the chance to improve morale around the club by continuing their cup run- although a clash with Arsene Wenger’s side will prove to be a stern test.
Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas, formerly of Arsenal, believes the Hammers will fall short of their objective this evening as he made his predictions for the match. Speaking ahead of the game, he said:
“David Moyes is a friend of mine but it was always going to be a graft for him. The tools were there with the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Winston Reid, who was being touted as a £20m signing for Liverpool 18 months ago, but it has been impressive how quickly he’s got them all pulling in the same direction,”
“However, the league has to be the priority here despite climbing a few places and I’d expect seven or eight changes. Arsenal will play some of the kids again but I can see them wearing the visitors down, with the quality of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott being enough to get the job done.”
Nicholas has predicted a 2-0 win for the Gunners.
