This could be a perfect dress rehearsal for the Carling Cup final at Wembley, as both sides are favourites to go through in their semi-final ties, although Arsenal first need to overturn a one-goal deficit against Ipswich, while West Ham have to keep their one-goal advantage over Birmingham.

Hammers on road to Wembley

While their Premiership survival is in great danger, the Hammers continue to produce great results in domestic Cups, having eliminated Barnsley from the FA Cup and came one step closer to the Carling Cup final after beating Birmingham 2:1. The two victories helped players restore some of the lost confidence following the 5:0 defeat at St James Park, meaning the hosts now believe they can win this game and are likely to attack Arsenal. Having scored two goals in every one of their last three home games, West Ham definitely look like they can score one against Arsenal’s leaky defence, although their back line doesn’t look convincing either, so we could easily see a high-scoring game at Boleyn Ground.

New signing Wayne Bridge is set to be handed a debut, but influential midfielder Victor Obinna starts his three-match suspension.

Arsenal shocked by Ipswich

Arsenal were dealt with a heavy blow in their search for the first trophy after more than five years as the Gunners lost the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final tie with Ipswich even though they had been considered hot favourites to win the game. Arsene Wenger is clearly demanding a response from his players following two disappointing performances, with the Gunners also needing to win the game for the purpose of staying in the title race. Arsenal have been pretty convincing on the travels this season, scoring almost two goals per away game, so the Ipswich defeat should be seen as a one-off result rather than anything else. The visitors are set to attack West Ham from the off, and there is no doubt the Hammers will respond in similar manner.

Wojsiech Szczesny continues to deputize for injured Lukasz Fabianski, while Sebastien Squillaci, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna are still unavailable.

Verdict

West Ham showed a lot of improvement in their last few games, especially up front, while their back line remains as calamitous as ever. Arsenal are struggling for form at the moment but the Gunners have more than enough quality to score a couple of goals at Boleyn Ground, so our advice is to bet on over 2.5 goals.

Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.80 (4/5)

Bookmaker: Bet365