Arsenal stars put through their paces ahead of must-win West Ham clash as Arsene Wenger praises Slaven Bilic's 'creative and efficient' side 

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Arsene Wenger believes Saturday's trip to West Ham is a major obstacle for his Arsenal side to overcome if they are to have any hope of catching Premier League leaders Leicester.

The Gunners have seven games to play and are 11 points behind the Foxes ahead of Saturday's clash with the sixth-placed Hammers at Upton Park.

Wenger's side were full of energy during training on Friday as they prepare for the must-win game against the high-flying Hammers. 

(From left) Danny Welbeck, Kieran Gibbs, Per Metresacker, Theo Walcott, Calum Chambers and Aaron Ramsey take a breather during the training session

Costa Rica international Joel Campbell (right) steps away from Alexis Sanchez at the club's training ground

Arsene Wenger (right) chats with assistant Steve Bould as they prepare the players for the West Ham clash

Mathieu Flamini was in a buoyant mood as he made his way out to the pitches alongside Ramsey

'West Ham is a tough proposal, yes, away from home,' said Wenger, whose side opened the season with a 2-0 home loss to Slaven Bilic's Hammers. 

'They (have) had a very good campaign. When you look at the quality of the players they have, individually they have a good midfield, good strikers and they are solid at the back.

'I think the emergence of (Dimitri) Payet has given them a lot of creativity and efficiency. They have (Cheikhou) Kouyate, (Mark) Noble, Payet, (Manuel) Lanzini - they have a strong midfield and good strikers with (Diafra) Sakho.'

Playmaker Payet has been a revelation for West Ham this season and has returned to the France squad ahead of the European Championships.

Wenger is a long-time admirer of the Hammers' £10million capture from Marseille, but opted against attempting to sign him due to the similar players already at his disposal.

Two of Arsenal's most talented youngsters Alex Iwobi (left) and Hector Bellerin compete for the ball

Petr Cech could make his first appearance for the Gunners since returning from his calf injury

Defenders Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel grab a lift on the medical buggy after training had finished

Welbeck and Ramsey joined the central defenders on the buggy as they cooled down following the session

The Wales international spreads the ball out wide with Mesut Ozil making an attempt to close him down

Sanchez will be hoping to hit top form at the right time for the Gunners in a must-win game on Saturday

'He has always had top talent, even when in periods he has been a bit up and down,' Wenger said.

'But he has been very consistent (this season).

'Historically we always had a great number of creative players - we had (Mesut) Ozil, (Santi) Cazorla, (Jack) Wilshere, (Aaron) Ramsey - they are all offensive players and I've certainly forgotten a few, so we had the numbers.'

Ramsey (thigh) and fellow midfielder Mathieu Flamini (hamstring) could return following injuries against West Ham, while Jack Wilshere (leg) and Tomas Rosicky (thigh) were slated to appear for Arsenal under-21s on Friday night.

Petr Cech could also return to start in goal in place of David Ospina after being an unused substitute against Watford.

Francis Coquelin showed his tenacity isn't toned down on the training pitch with a big tackle on Kaylen Hinds

Arsenal's playmaker Ozil looks to create some magic with Mikel Arteta closing in on the German

Olivier Giroud (left) puts the pressure on the experienced midfielder, who has had an injury hit season

Sanchez was all smiles during the session and Wenger will be hoping he can hurt the high-flying Hammers

Wenger is likely to keep changes to a minimum after wins over Everton and Watford either side of the international break.

'I'm always reluctant to change what works,' he said.

'Team play has improved in the those games and our game is based on mobility, speed and technique. We have found a good balance in our games.'