West Ham v Arsenal Betting Preview, 2016-04-09

West Ham to prove problematic for Gunners

Premier League Tips

Saturday 9th April 2016 Kickoff: 1245hrs
West Ham United v Arsenal
Football – Premier League – England

With Leicester continuing to set the pace at the top of the Premier League, and looking unlikely to drop many points in their remaining six games, Arsenal and the rest of the chasing pack know that they must simply win every game in an attempt to take advantage of any slip that may arise. West Ham will be a massive test for the Gunners who, themselves, are still in the hunt for a top four finish and qualification to the Champions League. The early kick-off on Saturday promises to be a crucial and telling fixture.

Due to the sheer brilliance of Leicester City this season, West Ham’s excellent campaign has flown slightly under the radar but they are on the cusp of arguably their best ever Premier League finish and remain in the hunt for the FA Cup with a quarter-final replay against Manchester United ahead on Wednesday. No matter what happens between now and the end of the season, there looks to be huge potential in this squad and it’s all being led by Slaven Bilic who is experiencing management in the Premier League for this first time in his career. Currently three points adrift of fourth place Manchester City, the Hammers sit in sixth and although they are the outsiders of the three clubs going for that final Champions League position, nothing would surprise you in what has been a truly memorable, and at times bizarre, campaign. The club’s board challenged the new coach and his players to bring European football to West Ham ahead of making the move to the new stadium over the summer, but European’s premier competition would have been beyond their own wildest dreams having finished 12th with 47 points last term – they’re already four points better off with seven games still to play.

The season may yet have a positive ending for Arsenal but at this moment in time, it’s looking increasingly likely that Arsene Wenger’s men are going to come up short again in their hunt for the Premier League title. If you had told the club’s supporters that they would be above both Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Liverpool – and comfortably so – heading into the second week of April, they would have been expecting to be celebrating their first championship since 2004. However, if you were then to reveal that they would only be third, and trailing arch rivals Tottenham and surprise packages Leicester, they would almost certainly have combusted following a call for the sacking of their long-serving manager. That seems to be the nature for Arsenal at the moment as they seem unable to take advantage of the chances that present themselves. An 11 point gap to leaders Leicester must be hugely frustrating for all concerned at the Emirates as they have taken six points off the Foxes this season, and have lost only one of their games against the other teams in the top five, indicating that it’s their performances against the lesser teams that have deprived them. That’s in complete contrast to previous seasons when they have under-performed in the big games.

Only the top two of Leicester and Tottenham have lost fewer games than West Ham this season which is evidence of how resolute they have been. Their last defeat came back at the beginning of February when going down 1-0 to Southampton, whilst there last loss at home was all the way back in August, resulting in them being unbeaten in 13 league games at Upton Park. Last Saturday’s draw against Palace brought an end to three straight wins without conceding at home and it could well be that those two dropped points prove pivotal in the race for fourth – especially as both Manchester clubs won their respective games. One of the scorers in that game was the ever-impressive Dimitri Payet who notched yet another sublime free-kick taking his tally to 12 goals, but it is his overall contribution that has him in contention for Player of the Year. He’s a player that West Ham will be desperate to keep a hold off.

Since losing back-to-back games against Watford and Barcelona that end their participation in the FA Cup and Champions League, Arsenal have recovered well to win their last two games convincingly. Six goals for and zero conceded against Everton and Watford have left them with a glimmer of hope of catching the leaders but it’s not unrealistic to suggest that they have to win all seven of their fixtures to have any chance. That’s something they have not been able to do all season, and whilst the most optimistic Arsenal supporters will point to the fact that they won eight in-a-row at a similar stage last season, it would be a huge surprise to see them manage it taking into account the inconsistencies that have blighted them throughout 2015/16.

West Ham v Arsenal Betting Tips

Games between these two are often feisty and well contested so the fact that both have plenty to play for should only add to that. West Ham were convincing 2-0 winners at the Emirates on the opening weekend of the season – a result that many wrote off as being a one-off. West Ham have not done a league double over Arsenal since 2006/07 but if they manage to do it on Saturday then it would be a huge boost to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League and all but end Arsenal’s title hopes – something the home supporters would be delighted with.

I have alluded to the improvement in Arsenal’s performance against the ‘bigger’ clubs this season and this will be another test of that. If you could rely on the Arsenal who looked so impressive against Watford and Everton turning up then they would rightly be favourites but at their current odds – and their inability to put a run of results together – I am more than happy to leave them alone and focus on the home side. Wins over Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea at Upton Park this season illustrate how strong West Ham are in front of their own supporters and the visitors will be in for a huge test. Bilic set his team up perfectly at the Emirates and he will likely play in a similar way, here. I would not put anybody off backing the home team outright at a best price of 56/19, but the selection is to back them +0.5 on the Asian handicap meaning a draw or a West Ham win sees us collect.

West Ham 0.5+Asian Handicap 11/12 @ Betvictor