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Arsenal have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of UEFA Champions League qualification.

The Gunners are currently locked in a thrilling race for fourth place with local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who they currently sit two points above following back-to-back victories against Chelsea and Manchester United. Next up for Mikel Arteta's side is a trip to east London to face off against West Ham United.

Sunday's highly-anticipated Premier League clash falls in between the two legs of the Hammers' Europa League semi-finals against Frankfurt, which could potentially mean David Moyes opts to rest some of his players against Arsenal. Similarly, defender Craig Dawson received a red card during his side's 1-0 defeat against Chelsea, meaning Moyes currently has no recognised centre-backs available for the match against the Gunners.

Angelo Ogbonna, Issa Diop and Kurt Zouma are all currently sidelined through injuries, with midfielder Declan Rice a potential option for Moyes. "Declan has played [at centre-back] before and would give us a different dimension," the former Manchester United boss said when quizzed about the ongoing defender crisis.

"We’ve got that possibility.” Still,