Simon Stone
BBC Sport

The Premier League can cope with odd games being called off at the moment but what they don't want is a significant number of matches to be called off.

That would create an issue over the calendar. I was in contact with a senior football official yesterday and he said he felt that it would be choppy waters for a while around the positive test situation.

Last year, we had an issue around matches and it felt like there was a very real threat of games being stopped for a couple of weeks after 40 and 36 positive tests in individual weeks. Now we are up to 42.

In the first instance clubs would look to bring in reduced capacities in stadiums and then look at social distancing and the very worst case scenario would be going back to matches behind closed doors.

The television contracts are locked in and if games are stopped and the season does not finish when it is supposed to there are financial penalties involved that clubs will look to avoid.

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• Arsenal have won 10 of their past 11 home league games against West Ham, losing the other 2-0 in August 2015.
• After winning three Premier League games in a row against Arsenal between February 2006 and April 2007, the Hammers have won just two of their past 26 against the Gunners in the competition (drawn five, lost 19).
• West Ham manager David Moyes has never won away against Arsenal in the Premier League in 17 attempts (drawn four, lost 13) – it’s the most a manager has played away at one club without a victory in the league.

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Mikel Arteta has named the same Arsenal side that recorded a 3-0 win over Southampton.

Emile Smith Rowe is on the bench again, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is absent from the squad after being stripped of the captaincy due to discipline reasons.

Alexandre Lacazette has the armband tonight.

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Tierney, White, Partey, Gabriel, Saka, Odegaard, Lacazette, Tomiyasu, Xhaka, Martinelli.

Subs: Okonkwo, Smith Rowe, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Pepe, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Nketiah.

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David Moyes has made just one change to the West Ham side from the 0-0 draw with Burnley.

Pablo Fornals comes in for Said Benrahma, who drops to the bench.

Irish 19-year-old winger Armstrong Oxo-Flex is on the bench for the first time.

West Ham XI: Fabianski, Coufal, Fornals, Antonio, Lanzini, Dawson, Bowen, Diop, Masuaku, Soucek, Rice.

Subs: Areola, Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Noble, Benrahma, Kral, Oko-Flex, Alese, Ashby.

And here is the team news from the Emirates...

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Lawro's prediction: 2-1

Arsenal don't seem to have the same problems at Emirates Stadium as they do on the road - along with Manchester City, their home form is the joint best in the Premier League with six wins, a draw and a defeat so far.

I have a feeling the Gunners will get another victory here because, as good as West Ham have been, they are just starting to look a little bit leggy.

The Hammers were nowhere near their best in their draw at Burnley on Sunday and, although they are still fourth, they have only won one of their past five games.

Martin's prediction: 2-2

West Ham have got goals in them because the whole team have been chipping in, and David Moyes is doing a really good job. I think they will get something here - if Michail Antonio can find his scoring boots again.

Find out how Lawro and Martin think the rest of the week's fixtures will go

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Kieran Tierney is "the outstanding candidate" to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as Arsenal captain, according to former Scotland internationals Don Hutchison and Alan Hutton.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Hutton said Arteta had shown strong management to strip Aubameyang of the captaincy and needs to make the right decision over who succeeds him.

"Tierney is the standout name for me," Hutton said. "He is one of Arsenal's best players. You can see with how he conducts himself on the pitch that he's learned a lot from Scott Brown at Celtic."

Hutchison agreed, saying: "You need a captain who has the manager's trust to manage the dressing room. They are responsible for linking the two together.

"Being captain of a club like Arsenal is an incredible privilege, especially with all the young players who are there.

"Arsenal need someone those players can look up to and Tierney is the outstanding candidate."

Listen to full discussion on the Aubameyang fallout from 33'13 on the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

George Cummins
BBC Radio 5 live

It’s unclear who will be Arsenal’s next captain, with Mikel Arteta saying it's not the time to "make a rash decision".

For the next few weeks it seems that the manager will put his trust in the leadership group, which we know consists of Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding.

"Having the leadership group is something that has been tremendously helpful because you get different voices", Arteta said earlier on Tuesday.

So could Granit Xhaka be the next captain after everything that has happened with him in the past?

It’s a question Arteta didn’t want to answer.

"Granit is one of the captains, he is part of the leadership group and is a really important player for us."

Arteta said he told Aubameyang face to face and "he had to accept the decision", with the 32-year-old knowing he needs "some time to heal".

It’s unclear if he has a future at the club, but we know Barcelona need a striker and he has been linked with a move there in the past.

Arsenal stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the captaincy to "defend the interests" of the club, says manager Mikel Arteta.

Aubameyang, 32, was removed as skipper after his "latest disciplinary breach".

The Gabon striker, who was dropped for Saturday's 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton, will not be considered for Wednesday's game against West Ham.

"We have made this decision that unfortunately is a really tough one," said Arteta.

"If I had to choose I wouldn't like to be sitting here talking about it, but we had to do it.

"When we have to make that decision, it's because it's the right one to defend the interests of the football club."

Read more here.

On a team news front, we know that Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not be considered for selection after being stripped of the captaincy due to a disciplinary breach.

Bernd Leno and Sead Kolisinac remain unavailable.

West Ham United full-back Aaron Cresswell is back in contention after missing four games with a lower back injury.

Meanwhile, manager David Moyes has confirmed the club have not recorded any positive Covid-19 tests.

Let's start with the game at the Emirates and get all the context for that clash sorted before then turning our attention to those two starting at 19:30 GMT...

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

That's not the only football we have tonight, though.

Both Old Firm sides are in action in the Scottish Premiership. Our colleagues in Scotland will be providing live text coverage of those.

There is also FA Cup action, with Barrow hosting Ipswich in a second round replay, which is live on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

Finally, we have some women's Champions League action, with Arsenal amongst those in action, and some League Cup thrown in for good measure.

BBC Radio 5 Live

You'll get live text commentary of all the best action and reaction from those Premier League matches right here on this very page.

Our colleagues at BBC Radio 5 Live are also on duty tonight, with Mark Chapman the host from 19:00 GMT. There won't be a full live commentary but you will get updates from around the grounds during the Wednesday Night Club from 19:30.

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Brighton play for the first time since 4 December with three changes from the side that began the 1-1 draw at Southampton.

The Seagulls are without top goalscorer Neal Maupay, who had scored in the club's past two matches, with Shane Duffy and Pascal Gross also not in the squad.

In come Jakub Moder, Solly March and Aaron Connolly.

Brighton: Sanchez, Burn, Moder, Veltman, Cucurella, Mwepu, Bissouma, Lamptey, March, Connolly, Trossard.

Subs: Scherpen, Lallana, Roberts, Alzate, Leonard, Mac Allister, Richards, Turns, Ferguson.

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Three changes also for Wolves from the side that lost 1-0 at Manchester City on 11 December.

Raul Jimenez was sent off in that game and is replaced by Daniel Podence, while Hwang Hee-chan and Trincao come in for Leander Dendoncker and Adama Traore, who both drop to the bench.

Wolves XI: Sa, Saiss, Coady, Kilman, Ait-Nouri, Moutinho, Neves, Hwang, Semedo, Trincao, Podence.

Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Marcal, Boly, Cundle, Moulden, Traore, Silva, Dendoncker.

Patrick Vieira makes just one change to his Crystal Palace side following their win over Everton, and it comes in goal... Vicente Guaita drops to the bench for the Eagles and Jack Butland coming in to make his first Premier League appearance of the season.

Crystal Palace XI: Butland, Ward, Guehi, Tomkins, Mitchell, Kouyate, Hughes, Gallagher, Zaha, Ayew, Edouard.

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Southampton make four changes following their 3-0 defeat at Arsenal - Lyanco, Oriol Romeu, Will Smallbone and Mohammed Salisu coming into the side.

Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, Ibrahima Diallo and Adam Armstrong make way.

Southampton XI: Caballero, Walker-Peters, Lyanco, Salisu, Livramento, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Smallbone, Redmond, Tella, Broja.

Image source, BBC Sport

Right, here is the team news for two of the three games that will be happening tonight...

Saturday's Championship matches between Reading and Luton and Millwall and Preston have been postponed because of cases of coronavirus.

Both Reading and Millwall said they are unable to play because a "significant number" of their players have tested positive.

Three of this weekend's Championship fixtures have now been postponed because of Covid-19 cases, with QPR's game with Swansea City also called off.

No new date has been set for the games.

Reading's match against the Hatters had been due to have special celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the club.

The celebrations have been postponed until Saturday, 12 February, when Reading host Coventry City.

"We apologise unreservedly for the inconvenience and disappointment this causes to both home and away supporters, who were understandably looking forward to attending this fixture," a club statement read.

"However, the health, safety and welfare of our players, coaching team and club staff remains of paramount importance and our primary concern now is to ensure the swift and full recovery of those affected."

This latest postponement comes after Tottenham's game against Brighton at the weekend went the same way because of a Covid outbreak. Yesterday's game between Brentford and Manchester United was also postponed.

Spurs and Leicester had requested that their game on Thursday also be put back, but the request has been refused.

On Monday, the Premier League announced that 42 new positive Covid cases had been recorded amongst staff and players at clubs.