Credit: Imago

Oliver Walton

Thu 7 May 2026 19:00, UK

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West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo should drop El Hadji Malick for Ollie Scarles to give his side the best chance of containing Bukayo Saka when they face Arsenal this weekend.

The Hammers will be fearing the worst ahead of Arsenal’s visit to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s side progressed to the Champions League final in midweek, and are now primed to win the Premier League after Man City’s slip up against Everton.

Nuno has several key selection decisions to make ahead of the clash following a damaging 3-0 loss to Brentford last time out.

West Ham’s next match will be huge for both sides in their respective quests at each end of the table, with Scarles clearly deserving of a start at left-back over Diouf.

Ollie Scarles is more reliable defensively, he should start against Bukayo Saka

Saka has been involved in goals against West Ham more than any other opponent he has featured against, with five goals and four assists in his last nine appearances against them.

He scored a penalty for the Gunners in their 2-0 win over the Hammers last October, with Diouf putting in a relatively poor showing at left back as he won four of 10 duels and committed three fouls.

Scarles, meanwhile, put in a fantastic showing at left-back in West Ham’s last win against Arsenal in February last year.

He was up against Ethan Nwaneri rather than Saka that day, but still has previous of performing against the Gunners when it matters.

The above stats show exactly why he should be picked ahead of Diouf this weekend, with the hosts likely needing to defend for the majority of the encounter and Saka always a threat when they play each other.

Scarles has bettered Diouf in the majority of defensive statistics this season, and so even though he is not as strong in the final third, Nuno should give the 19-year-old a starting berth if they want to take anything from Sunday’s clash.

Opta’s predictions highlight task at hand for Hammers against Arsenal

Sources have revealed to Football Insider that West Ham want Nuno to stay, even if they are relegated from the Premier League this season.

They are currently one point from safety in 18th, with Opta giving them an 80.35 per cent chance of relegation as it stands.

The statistical gurus do not fancy the Hammers’ chances against Arsenal, with Nuno’s side only 19.3 per cent likely to win the game, according to their supercomputer.

Scarles’ solidity and strong one-vs-one defending should see him start against Saka, who is in fine form but can be nullified as long as he is not given space to thrive.