"The one thing" - Chris Sutton believes Arsenal cannot beat West Ham United for key reason
Premier League leaders Arsenal will resume their title charge on Boxing Day when they host West Ham United at their home ground in north London.
Ahead of the game, former England international Chris Sutton has predicted that the Gunners will be unable to secure a win over the Hammers.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton claimed:
"The break probably came at the worst possible time for them, because of the form they were in, and there isn't a more significant player they could have lost to injury than Gabriel Jesus. People might point at his lack of goals before the World Cup but Jesus is integral to them in the way they press, and with his link-up play.
"He is irreplaceable, certainly from within their squad, so the seriousness of his injury will probably decide whether they try to make some signings in January."
GABRIEL JESUS' FIRST ARSENAL GOAL IS A BEAUTY 🤙 https://t.co/GJxX1xG2Us
He then concluded by predicting a 1-1 draw:
"I feel like I have backed West Ham to be better than they have been on plenty of occasions already this season, but the one thing they should be here is tough to beat."
Arsenal prepare to face West Ham United on Boxing Day
If Arsenal can secure a victory against West Ham United, they will open up an eight-point lead over Manchester City, who will play two days later. While the season is not yet at the halfway mark, the pressure is on West Ham to bounce back from their poor start, as they are currently only one point above the relegation zone.
Both teams have a number of players who are questionable for the match due to injury. The Gunners may have to decide whether to start William Saliba, who has only recently returned to training after the World Cup and played limited minutes for France in Qatar. Saliba may be fresh, but it remains to be seen if he will be ready to start after such a short period of training.
Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe will definitely be out for Arsenal, while Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all doubts.
Gabriel Jesus scored 90 seconds into his Arsenal debut 👀 https://t.co/vKpWhFEPEX
West Ham United are likely to be without Nayef Aguerd, who injured his thigh during the World Cup. They could also be missing Maxwel Cornet, Aaron Cresswell, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio due to various injuries. Kurt Zouma is also set to miss out for the Hammers after undergoing knee surgery last month.