Mark Lawrenson predicts the result of the London derby between Arsenal and West Ham United
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has backed Arsenal to claim a victory over West Ham when the two sides meet at the London Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League. The Gunners will be keen to overcome David Moyes' side to strengthen their grip on fourth place in the league table.
Mikel Arteta's side bounced back from a wretched run of form which saw them lose four out of five Premier League games by claiming two outstanding victories over Chelsea and Manchester United last week. The Gunners scored seven goals over the course of both games and thoroughly outplayed Thomas Tuchel and Ralf Rangnick's sides.
They will face a West Ham team that will head into the game on Sunday on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Frankfurt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals.
Lawrenson expects Moyes to rest some of his key players against Arsenal to preserve them for the second leg against Frankfurt next week. He believes the Gunners could benefit from West Ham's thin squad and busy schedule.
"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. As I've been saying all season, West Ham don't have the biggest squad and they will almost certainly make some changes here," Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
"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 midweek have been free, but being fresher is particularly handy at this stage of the campaign."
Arsenal will be desperate to produce impressive performances against West Ham and Leeds to build up steam ahead of their crucial clash with cross-town rivals Tottenham on May 13. Antonio Conte's side currently sit in fifth place in the league table, two points behind the Gunners.
The north London derby could therefore determine which club finishes in the top four of the Premier League this season and qualifies for next season's Champions League.
Arsenal handed potential Champions League boost after what happened during West Ham vs Frankfurt 👀
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Arsenal's performance in the summer transfer window could be crucial for the club's future
Mikel Arteta took over the reigns at Arsenal midway through the 2019-20 campaign when the club were languishing in tenth place in the Premier League table. He was unable to improve the club's performance during his first full season at the club last year, as they finished eighth in the league table.
The north London club, however, backed the Spanish tactician financially last summer. They spent £120 million on six new signings. The Gunners' performances have vastly improved this season and are currently the favorites to finish in the top four of the league.
The club's performance in the summer transfer window could, however, determine their future and if they can continue their progress under Arteta.
One of their major weaknesses has been a lack of squad depth and quality options in key areas of the park such as attack and midfield. The Gunners are likely to qualify for next season's Champions League or the Europa League at the very least and must therefore prepare for a busy fixture schedule.
Napoli want at least 80m euros (£67m) if they are to consider selling 23-year-old striker Victor Osimhen, who is among Arsenal's targets for the summer. 
🚨 Napoli want at least 80m euros (£67m) if they are to consider selling 23-year-old striker Victor Osimhen, who is among Arsenal's targets for the summer.
[Source: CBS Sports] https://t.co/8IiYa2phnO
Hence, they need to make some astute signings this summer to improve the quality of their starting XI and to increase their squad depth .