Gunners face tough trip to re-energized West Ham

Arsenal's title-winning credentials face a tough test at the hands of West Ham today and even Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admits an exam in east London provides an ideal test of whether his young squad are ready to reclaim the Premier League title.

A 10-match unbeaten start to the season in all competitions has left Arsenal with an unexpected early advantage over Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

But, while he is thrilled with the way his squad has reacted to Thierry Henry's departure for Barcelona, Wenger remains reluctant to predict how the season will evolve for his youngsters.

"I am still cautious because it's only the beginning of the season and we need to prove we are consistent at that high level throughout the whole year," the Frenchman said.

"I feel our big strength is our togetherness and camaraderie and the fact that everyone is on the same wave-length. It is not easy to keep that in a young team but we must try," he said.

West Ham spent much of last season in the relegation zone, but Alan Curbishley's team have been energized by Dean Ashton's return from long injury break and could jump into the top three if they extend their recent winning streak over Arsenal to four matches.

"The one thing you know about Arsenal is that they will come and play their game," Hammers boss Alan Curbishley acknowledged.

On the evidence of how they played to secure a goalless draw at Liverpool last weekend, Birmingham will set out to frustrate Manchester United when they visit St Andrews today, and manager Steve Bruce has ensured he will have fresh legs available for the task.

Bruce left virtually his entire first-choice line-up on the sidelines for the midweek League Cup trip to Blackburn, paying the price in the form of a 3-0 defeat.

Liverpool have dropped four points with two draws their last two league outings and former Reds skipper Sami Hyypia has warned that the club cannot afford to fall further behind Manchester United and Arsenal.

The mood amongst Chelsea supporters may have been lifted by a four-goal stroll in midweek against Championship outfit Hull in the League Cup.

New coach Avram Grant claimed that attacking display was a reflection of how he wants the west London club to play in the post-Jose Mourinho era, but London rivals Fulham are likely to put up significantly more resistance than Hull could muster.