Mark Lawrenson thinks Arsenal and West Ham destined for draw this weekend

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BBC pundit, Mark Lawrenson, admits he will be interested to see how Arsenal approach this weekend’s clash with West Ham, after beating Spurs last weekend.

The Gunners narrowly lost in Europe last night, too, although they still sealed their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

This weekend sees Mikel Arteta look to take down a West Ham side that been in fine form all season. The Hammers have Champions League aspirations, while Arsenal find themselves rooted in mid-table.

And making his prediction for BBC Sport this weekend, Lawrenson believes it could prove another frustrating day for the Gunners.

“It will be interesting to see how Arsenal approach it too. They were attack-minded against Tottenham last week, and were rewarded with the three points,” Lawro said, before predicting a 1-1 draw.

Mikel Arteta will have a number of key selection issues to deal with. The likes of Odegaard, Partey, and Lacazette are bound to come back into his thinking, especially after the blank against Olympiakos.

For the Hammers, a point might not be enough to keep their top four hopes powering on, albeit, it won’t be the worst result in the world.

TBR View: Arsenal should stick to their attacking play, it serves them well

Without telling Mikel Arteta what to do, the Gunners do seem better when they simply use their assets in attacking areas and go at teams.

West Ham will play on the counter, so there is that risk there for Arsenal, but they should be looking to get at the Hammers defence if they can, while trying to keep solid from set-pieces.

Lawrenson is probably right in his prediction here. It’s a tough one to call and a game that could go either way on the day.