Arsenal will return to Premier League duties on Saturday afternoon against West Ham United. The Gunners will want to continue their impressive record against Sam Allerdyce’ East Londoners, but as always there are danger-men posing significant attacking threats against our defence.
1. Diafra Sakho
The Sakho comes into this match as West Ham’s top goalscorer this season, with 11 goals in all competitions including 8 in the league. The Senegalese international has impressed since his arrival at Upton Park, being a vital player in the club’s initial early season push for top 4.
The 25 year-old possesses key strengths in his game, as his cleverness with the ball is evident by his likeness to flick ons and his dribbling ability. Sakho is no slouch either and will undoubtedly run at the defence, so is the directness of West Ham’s overall play this season.
With the amount of crosses West Ham love to make (as they did in bombarding our box relentless in the reverse fixture in December), Sakho is definitely a target man Mertesacker and Koscielny will need to hound.