Gianfranco Zola has endured a testing start to the season following a largely impressive debut campaign in charge at Upton Park but has talked up his team's chances ahead of Sunday's derby.

Zola said: "In my opinion it is just the kind of game that we need.

"We are the underdogs. Nobody is expecting us to do well against Arsenal. But the spirit of the team is very high and we are going to be working very hard. It could be a surprise."

West Ham will welcome back Scott Parker into their midfield after a one match ban for his rapid accumulation of five yellow cards. The tenacious midfielder will keep our midfield trio on their toes but we will still be strong favourites going into the game given our dominance of the 'lesser' sides so far this season.

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