Arsenal face West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon and will be able to call upon Ben White after the defender was passed fully fit by Mikel Arteta

Arsenal host West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, knowing that a win could mount serious pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool. Three points here would cut the gap to the top to just five points ahead of the Reds’ visit to Manchester City on Sunday.

Merino excelled off the bench last week as an emergency striker and scored twice as Arsenal beat Leicester 2-0 at the King Power Stadium. The Gunners have just three fit forwards at the moment in Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling - which is why Merino played as a No9.

West Ham have just one win in their last eight matches across all competitions, meanwhile Arsenal have just one defeat in their last eight matches. The Gunners will look to keep t

Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League, with Liverpool their main competitor in the race for the title.