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West Ham will strive to bounce back from defeat at Manchester United and put the pressure on Chelsea with a London derby victory over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

The Irons can move level with the Blues in fourth place in the Premier League with a win over Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, as the Stamford Bridge natives host Sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Arsenal’s trip to the London Stadium marks West Ham’s game in hand over Thomas Tuchel’s outfit, who presently sit in the last of the Champions League qualifying places and with a superior goal difference to the Hammers.

However, David Moyes is facing a number of injury concerns approaching the international break. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up which the claret and blue side could field against Arsenal…

Moyes opted to field a five-man defence against Manchester United last time out, with academy product Ben Johnson recalled to occupy the left-back spot beside Aaron Cresswell, Issa Diop, Craig Dawson and Vladimir Coufal.

The 21-year-old fared reasonably well, although was hauled off alongside Mark Noble early in the second half to allow the Irons to go more aggressive with the introduction of Manuel Lanzini and Said Benrahma.

Lanzini was a bright spark from the off and just what West Ham lacked without Jesse Lingard, and will expect to join the Red Devils loanee in the starting line-up against Arsenal as a reward for his promising contribution.

Lingard could not feature at Old Trafford due to the terms of the Irons’ loan agreement, but is in contention for a recall this weekend in search of a fifth goal or third assist since moving to the London Stadium in the winter market.

Noble had very little impact on proceedings against Manchester United as the £50,000-per-week veteran made only his fourth start of the Premier League term, and was often overrun in the engine room with the Red Devils’ pace too much for the 33-year-old to handle.

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With Arsenal boasting a number of quick players and Arteta’s tactics seeing the Emirates Stadium natives move the ball around more than most top-flight sides, Moyes will be expected to drop Noble and Johnson for a return to a 4-2-3-1 formation on Sunday.

A return to the system utilised for 13 of West Ham’s 28 Premier League fixtures this season will further be expected to see Jarrod Bowen return to the wing after being deployed at centre-forward beside Michail Antonio last week.

Moyes will be unable to call on the likes of Pablo Fornals (groin) and Angelo Ogbonna (ankle) against the Gunners due to injuries, having noted on Friday that West Ham will have the same group of players available to him which faced Manchester United.

“We’ve got just about everybody the same [as last week],” Moyes said. “Pablo Fornals is improving, and, on the injury front, Angelo Ogbonna is closing in and getting much closer to fitness but he’s a wee bit away.

“Arthur Masuaku and Andriy Yarmolenko are both getting much closer, as well, so hopefully, it won’t be too long until we’re back to a full squad.”

Two changes to be expected from last week, then.

AND in other news, a West Ham winter target is set to be available for £17m this summer…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has accused midfielder Ryan Christie of playing for a move away from Glasgow.

Christie, who reportedly earns £16,000-a-week, still has 18 months remaining on his contract at Celtic Park, and has been linked with Arsenal as well as the likes of Leicester, Southampton and Newcastle.

His form has dropped off this season, although the Scottish international has still proved a key figure for the Hoops this season in their tame defence of the league title, scoring four goals, whilst adding 10 assists in the Scottish Premiership.

Christie, who scored the opening goal in Scotland’s play-off penalty shoot-out victory over Serbia back in November, will be hoping his form has done enough to secure a place in Steve Clarke’s squad for this summer’s European Championships.

But McAvennie admitted that he’s been trying too hard in certain matches, and after labelling the midfielder as playing for himself rather than being a team player, expects Christie to leave Celtic this summer.

He told Football FanCast: “I think Ryan has been one of those trying to play for a move. If everything I’m hearing in Glasgow is correct, then he will be on his way. There is no shortage of clubs looking at him.

“Most of them are playing for themselves, playing for a move. Maybe Ryan didn’t like Lenny, I don’t know, I haven’t spoken to the boy.

“But it looks to me like he was playing for a move. He was trying everything. He was hitting them from 40 yards. There were passes to be made and he wasn’t taking that option and he was having a shot. He was going for the spectacular most of the time rather than playing it easy.”

Manchester City will be looking to progress to the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night as they take on Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final second leg.

Pep Guardiola’s side earned a late 2-1 win against the Bundesliga outfit in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium after Phil Foden’s stoppage-time strike, but will need to be wary of Dortmund’s away goal when they travel to Signal Iduna Park tonight.

The Citizens were shocked by 10-man Leeds United at the weekend, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side coming away with a memorable win after Stuart Dallas’ late goal. However, Guardiola had rested plenty of first team regulars in preparation for the game against Dortmund, so we will likely see them back to full strength on Wednesday.

Here’s how we think Guardiola will set up his side in Germany, with seven changes from the team which started against Leeds at the weekend…

Although Ederson perhaps could have done better with Leeds’ late winner at the weekend, there is no doubt that the Brazilian will keep his place in between the sticks if he’s fit for this one.

There are two changes in defence, as Kyle Walker returns to the team at right-back, which sees Joao Cancelo move to the left, where he has excelled in recent Champions League fixtures, with Benjamin Mendy dropping out. Ruben Dias also comes back into the side after being rested at the weekend, and he replaces Nathan Ake.

It’s all change in midfield as Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and the “exceptional” Kevin De Bruyne (in Guardiola’s words) return to the line-up, with Fernandinho and Oleksandr Zinchenko dropping out; whilst Bernardo Silva is pushed further forward as a false nine, replacing Gabriel Jesus.

Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden get the nod on the wings to support the Portuguese international, with Raheem Sterling relegated to the bench after some poor recent displays and Ferran Torres also dropping out despite his well-taken goal against Bielsa’s side.

In other news… Man City suffer huge transfer blow over “outstanding” goal machine

This season has been a troubling one for Wolves; one that’s more or less been a product of Nuno Santo’s desire for further numbers in attack.

On paper, he was right to urge his side to be more attacking. That being said, moving from a system that’s been so successful for the best part of three years was a brave move.

In switching to a four-man defence, it didn’t provide them with much success, something testified by their position in the table of 12th place.

They have since reverted to a three-man defence again, and it’s providing better results.

That being said, their display at Villa Park on Saturday evening lacked a cutting edge. Plenty of chances went begging as the likes of Conor Coady and Romain Saiss spurned opportunities that looked easier to score.

Yet, the burden of scoring goals should not fall on the shoulders of Wolves’ defenders as it did versus Manchester City. Instead, they need more from their front line.

Adama Traore has been the very definition of enigmatic this term. In 2019/20, he was one of the most feared players in the top-flight. The Spaniard dazzled on his way to providing 13 goal contributions and amassing a truly ridiculous five dribbles per game.

Yet, this term, very much like Wolves, he has been disappointing. Traore hasn’t scored or assisted and his threat was incredibly minimal against Villa on Saturday.

The Midlands rivals played out a 0-0 draw with their wing sensation failing to have a positive impact on proceedings. Villa’s defenders got out to him quickly and prevented Traore from ever getting up to speed.

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Indeed, Wolves reporter Tim Spiers claimed during the game that the forward “offered nowt” and the statistics provide plenty of evidence.

The 25-year-old was playing as an inverted winger on the left-hand side on this occasion but despite completing four dribbles, his end product deserted him. The Spain international failed to have a single shot at goal while all four of his crosses into the area evaded an Old Gold shirt.

A player like Traore will naturally lose the ball more often than not, but surrendering it on 15 occasions, as he did on Saturday, was incredibly poor when he offered very little elsewhere.

In total, the attacker played just 23 passes, one fewer than Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez. His tally was only worse than Willian Jose and Rui Patricio’s in the Wolves team.

If anything summed up Traore’s poor campaign, this was it. He struggled to get out of second gear and provided very little goal threat. In short, he let his manager down.

How Wolves lust for Raul Jimenez’s return.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kilman: Shi could replace Wolves talent with swoop for £20m “special player”…

It’s been a busy past couple of weeks for Crystal Palace, hasn’t it?

First of all, Palace chairman Steve Parish completed the signing of Jean-Philippe Mateta from Mainz 05 for £2.5m on an initial 18-month loan with the option to buy.

Secondly, Roy Hodgson has been nothing but ruthless in clearing out the deadwood, with Max Meyer leaving the club by mutual consent. It seems like Christian Benteke may be about to follow suit, with West Brom boss Sam Allardyce in hot pursuit of the Belgian striker before the transfer window closes tomorrow.

But, if there’s one criticism that can be directed at the Palace chairman, it’s the club’s failure so far to sign a short-term replacement to provide immediate cover for the injured Jeffrey Schlupp, who is expected to be out until at least March at the earliest having suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United at Selhurst Park.

However, they missed out on the chance to sign a player who could’ve done precisely just that – former England youth international Demarai Gray.

Reports in recent times revealed Palace were eyeing a move for the former Leicester City winger, with Hodgson confirming the club’s interest, but a move failed to materialise and he ultimately signed for Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

With the benefit of hindsight, this could come to be one of Parish’s biggest regrets in the January transfer window. Eberechi Eze operated in his favoured position as a central No. 10 and Jordan Ayew played out-of-position on the right-hand side of the attack against Wolves.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go quite as planned, as Ayew largely struggled on the right wing – against Wolves, he was rated as one of the worst Palace players on the pitch in the 1-0 win at Selhurst Park with a low 6.8 match rating by SofaScore. He failed to register a single shot on target in the entire game and was fortunate to pick up an assist following Eze’s individual moment of brilliance.

Hodgson finds himself short of options out wide after Schlupp’s latest setback, with Ayew – a forward by trade – and Andros Townsend battling to bag the spot, but there are question marks over each.

Gray, who earned around £55,000-per-week at the King Power Stadium, could’ve been the man to fill the void left by Schlupp. For context, he averaged more shots per game (1.1) than Townsend himself has managed in the current campaign, per WhoScored, which suggests that he may have been able to offer more in the final third.

When talking about the 24-year-old, his former manager Brendan Rodgers once said: “He was excellent. He has been training very well. He is a big talent and he showed that when he came in.

“Some players can sulk and fall out with themselves,” Rodgers added. “But he has worked very, very hard and he made a great impact in the game.”

This kind of attitude would have been most welcome in south London, especially considering Townsend’s unwelcome distractions, and to be able to nab a versatile winger capable of playing second-fiddle to the likes of Eze and Schlupp for little more than £3m would have been a shrewd bit of business.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can’t afford to lose Christian Benteke amid West Brom interest…

Tottenham Hotspur host Wolfsberger AC in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash later this evening, in what should be a mere formality for Jose Mourinho and his squad.

Indeed, the north London giants hold a massive 4-1 lead over the Austrian minnows, all of which were away goals too, so that’s an added bonus.

The Spurs boss could be tempted to hand opportunities to several youngsters with many spotted in training this week, though just to ensure that it isn’t a potential banana skin, rotation from the off should stop at fringe players.

Dele Alli, who has only played 632 minutes all season, is surely in line to start – and so he should – but Mourinho needs to make an even bigger call over Gareth Bale tonight…

On the Chalkboard

The £18m-rated star has endured a tough time since his sensational return to Spurs in the summer, starting only two times in the Premier League, though he has featured in all seven of their Europa League matches thus far.

Bale has only completed one full 90-minute match all term too, as he battles fitness and injury troubles, so there may be doubt over starting him in a game of this nature, especially after making such a big impact against the Hammers on Sunday.

He came off the bench at half-time and provided an assist for Lucas Moura’s sole consolation goal. The 31-year-old even drew praise from Mourinho, who dubbed him a player with “special qualities.”

While talkSPORT pundit Dean Ashton urged the Spurs boss to play him more, he said:

“He’s some player. He’s been absolutely brilliant in this second half – so direct and full of quality,” before adding: “It was clear that Bale was great in midweek and should have started.”

The best thing for Mourinho to do here is let him continue that form with an hour or so from the start tonight, and that should leave him fresh enough for the test of Burnley at the weekend.

Overall since his comeback, Bale has still delivered seven goal contributions at a rate of one every 130 minutes, which is a better rate than Steven Bergwijn (one assist every 256 minutes) and Erik Lamela (one contribution every 250 minutes).

Yet both have often been preferred to the veteran Welshman in the Premier League.

A run of successive appearances could do him the world of good, and that will only benefit Spurs as the season rumbles on – they have lost six of their last eight in all competitions, so there is surely a place for a fit and firing Bale.

Forget about the Allis and Dane Scarletts, it is Bale who should be the first name unleashed on the team sheet today.

AND in other news, Levy can kill two birds with one stone in Spurs swoop for “insane” £40m-rated colossus…

A specialist in sports law has put a timeframe on when the pending Newcastle United takeover arbitration case may end and when a decision may be made.

Speaking to The Chronicle, Peter Nunn, who is a legal director with London-based firm Mishcon de Reya, claimed:  “I would think within the next six months, there should be the hearing and the decision.”

He also claimed that the actual hearing itself will “most likely” last between three and five days, and in terms of the decision being made, Nunn says that “it will probably be within a month of the actual hearing”.

Anxious wait for takeover arbitration

There will now be a very anxious wait leading up to the arbitration case for the St. James’ Park faithful as the final decision at the end of it could give a much clearer idea over the direction that the proposed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is heading.

If the North East club were to win the legal battle against the Premier League, then it could well pave a pathway back for the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to come back to the table.

It is anyone’s guess over what decision will be made by the three-man arbitration panel, but Nunn has claimed that it should be made within the next six months. Either way, Magpies fans now face a nervous wait to see what the outcome will be.

In other news, find out what PIF claim has been dropped by Liam Kennedy on the potential takeover here!

Carlton Palmer has exclusively told Football FanCast that he would advise West Ham United not to re-sign Marko Arnautovic during the January transfer window.

The former England international believes that Arnautovic would prove to be a problem in the dressing room at the London Stadium if re-signed just a year-and-a-half after leaving The Hammers to join Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai SIPG in a £22.5m deal.

West Ham have been linked with a move to bring the 31-year-old back to the club this month as Moyes looks to improve his squad ahead of the second part of the season.

The Hammers agreed to sell Arnautovic in 2019 after feeling let down by the Austrian when he revived efforts to force a move away from the London Stadium by stating that he had no desire to remain in England after the Irons rejected a £19m bid.

Palmer believes Arnautovic has burned too many bridges in east London to make a comeback so soon, even if supporters may welcome him back.“Problem in the dressing room” – Exclusive: Pundit issues warning on £9m-rated WHU linked star

“I wouldn’t take him back. He left under a cloud and, for one, I think that would be a problem in the dressing room. I think he was a fan’s favourite and I think the fans would forgive him, but players aren’t so forgiving,” Palmer told Football FanCast.

“So, I don’t see that. If you saying to me you’ve heard sources of that, I would find it very difficult for Moyes to do that. And I would think the owners of the football club feel that they were held to ransom to let him go. So I’d find that very difficult for him to go back there.

“And why would he want to go back there when he’s done what he’s done to the club to get out there? He created all kinds of problems to get out the club, so why would he want to go back there?”

The Hammers granted Arnautovic his wish and sold the forward to SIPG despite their own issues with his move as then-manager Manuel Pellegrini and the club’s players and staff wanted him out, even though those in charge at West Ham believed that the deal was terrible business for the club.

Arnautovic’s brother, Danijel, had accused the Irons of treating the £9m-rated forward like a “commodity”, and said that they were “using” the 31-year-old in the same manner as a cow or horse being taken to the market.

Arnautovic had scored 22 goals in 65 games for West Ham before joining SIPG, including 11 in 26 matches under Moyes following a successful switch to a more central role having been initially signed from Stoke City as a left-forward.

West Ham are currently short on goalscoring attackers, with Jarrod Bowen (4) and Michail Antonio (3) trailing top-scorer Tomas Soucek (5) after 17 games.

AND in other news, David Moyes has dodged a huge bullet as West Ham dealt blow in bid to sign an 11-goal target.

Southampton were one of several Premier League sides to be linked with a move for Hellas Verona goalkeeper Marco Silverstri earlier this year and they may now be regretting not signing him.

The Saints, Norwich City and Everton were all linked with a move for the former Leeds United man by TuttoMercatoWeb but the 29-year-old ended up staying with the Serie A club.

The shot-stopper enjoyed a very solid season in Italy’s top-flight last time out, as he conceded just 43 goals in 35 games, keeping nine clean sheets (per Transfermarkt).

This would help Hellas Verona secure an impressive ninth-placed finish in their first season back in the top-flight following promotion from Serie B.

The ‘keeper has started this season in arguably even more impressive form, having kept three clean sheets in their first seven fixtures, conceding just five goals (per Transfermarkt).

Whilst Alex McCarthy has impressed for Southampton this season, keeping four clean sheets in eight games, having Silverstri as a back-up could have been useful to Hasenhuttl, especially with the recent news on both of his back-up goalkeepers.

Angus Gunn has sustained an injury on loan with Stoke City, whilst Fraser Forster has been linked with a move back to Celtic, where he spent last year on loan. If Hasenhuttl isn’t careful, he could find himself without a back-up to McCarthy by the time the January transfer window comes around.

When making an appearance for Verona last back in 2018, TuttoMercatoWeb awarded the ‘keeper a 6.5 rating for his display despite a 3-0 loss against Benevento and suggested that he was “miraculous on several occasions” and that he could do nothing about any of the goals.

Considering Silvestri has now established himself as a first-team regular at Verona, and has earned himself a superb 7.2 rating for his performances in Serie A this season, it could definitely be argued that Southampton may be regretting not signing the £5.4 million-rated shot-stopper, particularly if Forster ends up departing in January.

Commenting on West Ham United’s potential January transfer window plans, coming after an inside update from in the know figure ExWHUemployee, many Hammers have pleaded with GSB to land Bournemouth talisman Joshua King.

King, who was linked with a high profile summer move back to the Premier League after the Cherries were relegated, has been described as the ‘perfect signing’ by pundit Darren Bent – with supporters keen on the idea of landing him after ExWHUemployee shared the club’s interest.

The 28-year-old is apparently seen as a priority target by David Moyes who has stressed the importance of his signing in January – coming as Michail Antonio’s injury issues mount while Sebastien Haller continues to divide supporters. 

Taking this into account, many Irons want the club to sign King as West Ham search for a striking option who can cover all bases in terms of being proven in the top flight whilst potentially coming for a cheap price.

Find all of their verdicts on the Norway international down below.

Hammers plead for King swoop

In other news: West Ham fans weren’t impressed with this ‘donkey’ against Leeds, find out more here.