West Ham United could be without Lucas Paqueta for this weekend’s Premier League clash with Arsenal following news of an ankle injury.
The Gunners welcome Graham Potter’s men to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to keep the heat on league leaders Liverpool.
Last week’s 2-0 win at Leicester City meant Mikel Arteta’s men briefly closed the gap to the Reds to just four points but the Merseyside outfit moved seven points clear with a 2-1 victory over Wolves.
With 13 games left of the season, pressure is on Arsenal to be as close to perfect as they can and that continues when they take on West Ham this week. The Hammers have a mixed start to life under Potter but have failed to win in their last four Premier League games.
After losing twice to their London rivals last term, the Gunners have scored 11 goals in their previous two games with West Ham. This week, Arteta will be hoping for a replica of the 5-2 win from earlier in the season.
Fortunately, the Hammers will be without one of their best players for the trip north of the capital with Paqueta set to be out. Reports on Tuesday claimed the 27-year-old had sustained an ankle injury in training, forcing him to withdraw from a session on Tuesday.
The Athletic has reported the decision to take him out of training was a precaution and he will be monitored by the medical team ahead of the weekend. However, it’s the second knock the Brazilian has suffered this season with him recently missing the defeat to Chelsea with a groin issue.
In his absence, Potter has the likes of Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek, Andy Irving, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodriguez and academy ace Lewis Orford to turn to.
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