Coufal’s Sunday graduation. He will defend the best Brazilian scorer in all five elite leagues

Sunday’s London derby between West Ham and Arsenal will have a special appeal for Vladimir Coufal. He will have to defend the best Brazilian goalscorer in all five elite leagues, Gabriel Martinelli, who has scored in the last four rounds.

Although West Ham will be up against the Premier League leader, they can clearly hope for at least a draw. He has only a three-point lead on the relegation zone, and he has a lot to give back to the fans for his poor performance in the week at the Belgian side Ghent.

Coufal ahead of Soucek for the first time

Like the whole of West Ham, the Czechs are not enjoying the best period of their careers. In particular, mainstay of recent years Tomas Soucek has faced criticism from Hammers fans. He even stayed on the bench for the whole game during the week.

Vladimir Coufal is the one playing and for the first time since his transfer in the summer of 2020, he has a better position in the squad than the captain of the Czech national team.

The club’s supporters appreciate his activity and combativeness, whereupon they know that their darlings will need a similar mentality in the fight for salvation.

The Czech back confirmed his good form against Gent, and it was after his free-kick that the Hammers equalised 1-1. He was also praised by the British media, the only blemish was an unnecessary yellow card for talking towards the referee.

Coufal is the man to beat in Sunday’s game

Coufal’s improving game faces a big test on Sunday. Arsenal arrive at the London Stadium with an average of 2.4 goals scored per round. And with an extremely productive five of Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka.

Martinelli should keep the Czech defender most busy. Still only 21 years old, the Brazilian has already scored 14 goals in the Premier League. No Brazilian has scored more goals in any of the top 5 leagues.

In particular, second-placed Neymar is one goal worse. Vinícius has only scored nine times in La Liga, but he would overtake Martinelli in the cup tally. So Coufal can look forward to a pacey speedster in the form of his life.

Source: Premier League