Wan-Bissaka returns, Bowen hits 200 at Arsenal

Arsenal v West Ham United

Premier League, Emirates Stadium, Saturday 4 October 2025, 3pm BST

Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo makes one change to his starting XI for West Ham United’s Premier League fixture at Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka returns to the team after a five-match absence, having recovered from a stomach problem. The DR Congo international replaces north Londoner Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back.

Jarrod Bowen makes his 200th Premier League appearance for the Club he joined from Hull City in January 2020, and 246th in all competitions. The captain has 129 direct goal involvements – 77 goals and 52 assists – in his 245 games to date and ranks second in our all-time Premier League goalscoring charts with 59, and first in assists with 38.

The skipper becomes the eighth player to reach 200 Premier League appearances for the Club, following Mark Noble (414), Aaron Cresswell (312), Michail Antonio (268), Carlton Cole (216), Declan Rice (204), Steve Potts (204) and Angelo Ogbonna (201).

Bowen has been involved in eleven goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances, scoring eight and assisting three. The 28-year-old has also scored five career goals against Arsenal in all competitions, including the winner at Emirates Stadium in last season’s 1-0 victory.

He will play on the right of the front three, with Crysencio Summerville on the left and big German Niclas Füllkrug down the middle.

Frenchman Alphonse Areola will start in goal, seeking his 20th clean sheet on his 102nd Premier League appearance. He has 27 clean sheets in 103 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions.

Left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf will look to continue his superb start in a West Ham shirt, having registered three assists in his first six Premier League appearances and also provided the cross from which Bowen scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Everton last Monday evening.

Former Arsenal player Dinos Mavropanos will play as the right centre-back. The Greek joined the Gunners from PAS Giannina in January 2018 and played eight games for the club before moving to German club Stuttgart in 2022.

Mavropanos will be partnered by Maximilian Kilman, who has tasted victory at Emirates Stadium with both Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham.

The midfield will be anchored by Frenchman Soungoutou Magassa, who keeps his place after making an impressive full debut at Everton. The 21-year-old started Monaco’s UEFA Champions League league-stage tie at Emirates Stadium last season.

Portuguese Mateus Fernandes registered an assist in each of Southampton’s two Premier League meetings with Arsenal last season.

Brazil’s Lucas Paquetá has two goals in six Premier League games this season. He started West Ham’s Premier League win over Arsenal here and EFL Cup victory at London Stadium in 2023/24.

The substitutes’ bench sees one change, with Walker-Peters taking the place of Andy Irving, who misses out.

The suspended Tomáš Souček, James Ward-Prowse, former Arsenal goalkeeper and FA Cup winner Łukasz Fabiański and injured midfielder George Earthy are also not involved.

On the bench, Nuno will again be assisted by Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and goalkeeper coach Billy Lepine, all of whom have extensive experience working at the Academy of Football.

Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Saka, Trossard, Ødegaard ©, Eze, Gyökeres

Subs: Kepa (GK), White, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Nørgaard, Nwaneri, Zubimendi, Martinelli, Merino

West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf, Magassa, Fernandes, Paquetá, Bowen ©, Summerville, Füllkrug

Subs: Hermansen (GK), Walker-Peters, Scarles, Igor, Potts, Rodríguez, Luis Guilherme, Marshall, Wilson

Referee: John Brooks

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