The 3 key battles as Arsenal host West Ham this evening

Alexi Sanchez vs Jose Fonte

Jose Fonte has made an unconvincing start to life at West Ham following his move from Southampton in January.

The 33-year-old has yet to be involved in a Hammers backline to have kept a clean sheet, instead conceding 18 goals in the eight games he has started.

However, the Portuguese Euro 2016 winner is clearly an excellent defender at this level, so it is surely only a matter of time before he hits the heights we all saw at Southampton, and what better way to do that than by thwarting Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez this evening.

The 28-year-old may well play in the more advanced role tonight given Danny Welbeck’s largely ineffectual performance against City, and with 18 goals and nine assists in the Premier League this term, Sanchez is at the peak of his powers.

He wasn’t at his best against City on Sunday, but he has the quality to turn in a match-winning display for the Gunners, and given their current predicament and the uncertainty surrounding the manager, the whole club could really do with another world-class display from their talisman this evening.