Mikel Arteta takes charge of his 300th game as Arsenal manager on Saturday boasting a higher win per centage than any of his predecessors who chalked up more than 50 matches, but a familiar danger looms in the shape of West Ham United.
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Arsenal have lost only four of their last 42 Premier League home games, but half of those defeats were against West Ham, who on Saturday will try to claim an unlikely victory in north London for the third successive season.
West Ham won 1-0 last season and 2-0 in the campaign before that, odd results considering Arsenal won the corresponding away fixtures 6-0 and 5-2. Those defeats ultimately proved costly to Arsenal's title hopes and with West Ham having a new manager at the helm in Nuno Espirito Santo, Arteta is wary.
"We learned in the last two seasons – two defeats in the last two years against them here," Arteta said on Friday.
"It's something we need to put right and tomorrow is another opportunity to do that. With a new manager, we know Nuno very well, we expect a very tough match."
Arsenal will be seeking to enter the international break on a high after last week's comeback 2-1 victory at Newcastle United and a 2-0 Champions League win over Olympiacos.
A win over West Ham would put Arsenal above Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table for a few hours at least.
🏋️♂️ Squad fitness
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🫡 300 games as manager
🆚 The threat our visitors pose
Read every word from Mikel Arteta’s pre-West Ham United press conference 👇
It would also further improve Arteta's 58 per cent win ratio in all competitions since taking charge – a figure that even puts the likes of Arsene Wenger and George Graham in the shade.
Not that Arteta was slapping himself on the back.
"Winning rate, the highest? Even with that winning rate we haven't won major trophies," he said.
"The amount of points that we've generated, other managers have won titles. Sometimes you have to congratulate someone else who has been better than you."
Defender Gabriel had to go off against Olympiacos but Arteta hopes he will be fit for the visit of West Ham.
"We'll have to wait and see after training. But we weren't too concerned about him," Arteta said.
