West Ham United host Arsenal at the London Stadium this evening and they could be boosted by the return to fitness of striker Andy Carroll.

The 27-year-old has once again been hampered by injury troubles this season – making just four appearances in all competitions before he suffered a knee problem back in August.

However, the frontman is set to return to action this weekend and that will be welcome news for Irons manager Slaven Bilic, who has seen his side score just 14 goals in 13 Premier League matches so far this term, meaning they sit just one point above the relegation zone as a result.

With Diafra Sakho having been ruled out for six weeks and Simone Zaza struggling to adapt to the English game, Carroll could well start against the Gunners if he's chosen ahead of midweek goalscorer Ashey Fletcher.

Here are THREE reasons Carroll could help West Ham to the three points when they host their London rivals…

His strength will cause problems

The big striker brings a real presence and strength up top, and that is something that Arsenal have known to struggle with over the years.

While Laurent Koscielny is quite tough himself and has experience of facing Carroll, it is a different story for his likely centre-back partner, Shkodran Mustafi.

The German would certainly have a battle on his hands against the 6ft. 4” attacker, and it is one that he could come off second best in.

He has previous

Carroll has previous for being a thorn in Arsenal’s side, and the visitors only have to think back to last season to recall those bad memories.

The Gunners appeared to be cruising to a routine win when goals from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez put them 2-0 up at the Boleyn Ground, but two Carroll goals saw the two teams go in level at the break.

Incredibly, he completed his hat-trick seven minutes after the interval, only for Koscielny to net an equaliser as the match finished in a 3-3 draw.

He's an outlet

With creative stars such as Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini in the side – the former has created 46 chances in the Premier League this season, which is 11 more than any other player – West Ham have been crying out for someone to finish those opportunities.

As well as having that ability, Carroll also provides a big target from crosses and set pieces and that could be even more effective with the wing-back system that Bilic is currently using.