Arsenal's Boxing Day clash against West Ham cancelled due to threat of Tube strike

London derby at the Emirates over Christmas is axed

Arsenal's Boxing Day clash against West Ham has been called off due to the threat of a Tube strike.

Arsenal confirmed this afternoon that the fixture against their London rivals has been cancelled.

"As a result of Monday's strike ballot and the proposed industrial action on London Underground on Boxing Day, Arsenal's Premier League match against West Ham United at Emirates Stadium, originally planned for Wednesday, December 26, has been postponed," said a statement on the club's official website.

"This decision has been made now, due to the preparation period needed to safely operate Emirates Stadium by all the relevant agencies.

"The paramount concern was always the duty of care towards the Arsenal supporters, West Ham United supporters, matchday employees and workers and indeed everyone who was planning to attend the game on Boxing Day."

London Underground drivers are planning to stage three strikes in a row over Bank Holiday pay - with the first scheduled for December 26.

Arsenal have confirmed that the match will be played on either Wednesday January 23 at 7.45pm or Saturday January 26 at 3pm.

"The date of the fixture will be determined by the results in the FA Cup third round, which is being played on the weekend of Saturday, January 5 and Sunday, January 6," Arsenal explained.

There are two other Premier League matches taking place in the capital on Boxing Day - Fulham play Southampton and QPR host West Brom.

However those two games do not appear under threat with QPR stating their match is "definitely going ahead" and Fulham saying they have no plans to cancel theirs.

Other matches in London on Boxing Day include Charlton, Leyton Orient, AFC Wimbledon and Dagenham and Redbridge. They all expect to see their matches go ahead despite the industrial action.