English Premier League Week 10 Preview: Does West Ham Have Any Chance vs. Arsenal?

It may not be bottom of the table versus top of the table, but it is close to it as bottom of the table West Ham United visits Emirates Stadium to take on second-place Arsenal in a match few expect to be close. The Hammers have just one win in nine matches and have totaled a mere six points, but their sole win did come versus a good Tottenham side. Meanwhile, Arsenal has taken their rash of injuries in stride and managed 17 points, five behind top of the table Chelsea and tied with both Manchester City and Manchester United. Truth be told, there is little reason to expect West Ham to get a result, but they did give Arsenal a decent run last season, nabbing a point at home in one of their matches.

Any optimism West Ham may have will likely be quickly put to bed when they take a look at the Gunners' last two matches, a 3-0 thrashing of Manchester City and then a 4-0 dismantling of Newcastle in midweek Carling Cup action. In short, Arsenal have rebounded from their loss to Chelsea with nine points from three matches, two in emphatic fashion and appear to be flying with Theo Walcott returning to health. Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere will miss this weekend's match as Diaby nurses an ankle injury and Wilshere serves a suspension, but it's unlikely either will be needed. Nor will Thomas Vermaelenbe missed versus the Hammers and Manuel Almunia's absence might be considered a plus no matter the opponent. West Ham may have to play without Frederic Piquionne, who will have a match day fitness test, but Matthew Upson appears to be a go. Every player will need to be on the field and at their best for West Ham and Avram Grant, who is facing some heat after giving away lead in a 2-1 loss to Newscastle a week ago.

Projected Lineup, Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott, Chamakh, Arshavin

Projected Lineup, West Ham: Green, Jacobsen, Da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon, Behrami, Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Obinna, Cole.

Key Battle: Cesc Fabregas vs. Scott Parker. For all the negative things one could say about West Ham, few have many bad words for Parker. An honest player who puts in a good shift week in and week out, Parker attracted interest from several clubs this summer, including Tottenham, who had to be warned off of the midfielder several times this summer. On Saturday, Parker will be tasked with putting the stops to Fabregas, the gifted Spaniard who was the league's best midfielder a year ago. With Samir Nasri's recent run of form, Arsenal isn't as dependent on Fabregas as they once were, but he is still the man who dominated match after match a year ago and put the screws to nearly anyone who came across him. If Parker can frustrate Fabregas and keep him from putting his imprint on the match, West Ham's chances of a result might increase to 5%.

Battle Within the Battle: Ryan Rosenblatt's brain versus Key Battle segment. How many "battles" can there be when one side is superior to the other in every facet? Even if Parker can find a way to slow down Fabregas, who is going to keep Nasri from running wild, as has become the norm lately for the Frenchman. If West Ham can manage those two, there is still a matter of slowing Theo Walcott on the wing and Marouane Chamakh is still hanging around up top. The fact is that West Ham have a long road to climb if they are to contemplate getting a result, let alone actually doing it away from home. The one saving grace for West Ham could be Lucasz Fabianski, the Arsenal goalkeeper who must have a few howlers in him if he can't wrest the regular first team sport away from Almunia.