Gabriel Magalhaes wants to close his “incredible” journey with Arsenal with a Premier League title, while the Gunners are preparing to welcome West Ham to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal follows Liverpool at the top of the table, are eight points behind the leaders with a match in hand after the side of Arne Slot with 2-2 in Aston Villa in midweek.
The Gunners defeated Leicester City with 2-0 last week, even though they are without a recognized Center-Forward, after injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Midfielder Mikel Merino was used as a replacement in advance and rewarded the faith of Mikel Arteta with two late goals.
The attacking struggles of Arsenal have been an important focus this season, but Gabriel's imperious partnership with fellow center-back William Saliba helped them to keep them in the title race.
“I think I'm a very different player now! I feel that I have improved a lot, because the coaches and the other players helped me here every day,” Gabriel told the Arsenal website.
“It has been incredible. I play every game and I am so happy to be part of this club and the Arsenal family.”
Asked for his clear improvement since he arrived from Lille in 2020, Gabriel said: “I think I have changed how I defend now, how I like to defend.
“I play against a few strikers now and then, they say:” You are so strong now, you and Saliba are so good together “and things like that. It's good to hear.
“That is what we strive for on the field, we want to keep improving and we want to win trophies.”
Gabriel pic.twitter.com/h9puwwum5i
– Arsenal (@ARSENAL) February 18, 2025
West Ham is now 16th in the table after last week's 1-0 defeat at home in Brentford.
They have won only one of their last seven Premier League matches (one draw, five defeats) and defeated Fulham 3-2 in their first league match under Graham Potter last month.
Midfielder James Ward-Prowse, who recently returned from a loan spell in Nottingham Forest, believes that Potter will change their fortune.
“I am firmly convinced that the work we have done in the past week will turn around,” he said.
“We know where we are and where we have to go. We are currently not playing to standard, and it is up to us as players to put that right.”
Players to watch
Arsenal – Mikel Merino
This season, Arsenal scored more goals from crosses than any other side in the Premier League (13), with both strikes by Merino against Leicester that come through crosses.
Only 8.5% of the goals of West Ham, however, gave this term from a cross (4/47), with only Brighton having a lower share (7.9%).
If Merino gets a chance to lead the border, he will have to get a better from a physical hammers -backline.
West Ham – Jarrod Bowen
Bowen is a goal from the second West Ham player who reaches 50 goals in the Premier League, after Mikhail Antonio (68).
He scored three goals in 10 Premier League performances against Arsenal, only more often against Wolves (six goals) and Brentford (five).
Match forecast – Arsenal Win
Arsenal won 6-0 and 5-2 in their last two Premier League meetings with West Ham-Het only team that scores five or more goals in three consecutive games against an opponent in the competition are Liverpool (versus Norwich City between 2012 and 2013).
Only against Middlesbrough (four in a row between 1930 and 1932), Arsenal scored five or more goals in three consecutive league meetings.
In the meantime, West Ham has only admitted five or more in three consecutive league matches against Aston Villa (between 1930 and 1931).
The irons won this exact match 2-0 last season for the last time at Arsenal in successive campaigns in 2005-06 and 2006-07, when they became the last team that defeated the Gunners in Highbury, and then the first to to do that at the Emirates.
Arsenal, however, are huge favorites for this competition. They are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League matches, their longest run since a point of 16 between December 2010 and April 2011.
The Gunners are also unbeaten in their last 15 Home League matches, which last have a longer run between August 2018 and April 2019 (16).
Opta wins probability
Arsenal – 71%
West Ham – 12.1%
Drawing – 16.9%
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