West Ham v Arsenal
Saturday 12th January 1230hrs
Football – England – Premier League
Pick: Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals
Bookmaker: Boylesports
Odds: 21/20 (odds taken 22.30 GMT, Thursday 10th January)
The Premier League Action returns this weekend and the first port of call is the London stadium for, fittingly enough, a London Derby. The hosts will be looking to upset the Gunners and continue their recent upturn in form. Continue reading for a match preview of West Ham against Arsenal with a selected best betting tip.
Premier League Betting at Boylesports
West Ham Preview
Manuel Pellegrini would have been pleased with last weekend’s win over Birmingham in the FA Cup for a number of reasons. Not only did it ensure a safe and comfortable passage into the next round, it also provided Andy Carroll with his first goal since April. It remains to be seen what the striker’s long-term future is but Pellegrini will be using him to his advantage and he has troubled Arsenal in previous games. West Ham as a whole are in good heart at the moment and head into Saturday’s derby in confident mood. Their form at home against other top clubs this season will only add to their belief they can trouble Arsenal having held Chelsea to a draw and defeated Manchester United 3-1. They have been undone by the quality of Manchester City and Tottenham but it’s now only one loss in their last five at home which is an achievement having struggled so much since moving to this stadium. It will be something of a reunion for Samir Nasri who has only signed up at the club having been banned from football. He’s linked back up with his former boss at Manchester City and having made his debut against Birmingham last week, will be in with a chance of facing the club he started with in English football and one he parted with acrimoniously.
Key-Facts – West Ham v Arsenal
- Arsenal beat West Ham 3-1 at the Emirates in August
- Premier League games involving Arsenal average 3.67 goals this season (a league high).
- No team currently in the top 10 have conceded more goals at home than West Ham
Arsenal Preview
As expected, Unai Emery took advantage of a generous FA Cup draw away to League One Blackpool last week and rested virtually his full team. It provided players who had played all the way through the festive period with a chance to recharge their batteries ahead of what is going to be another hectic part of the season, starting with this tricky visit. Having went such a long time without losing a game, the Gunners have lost three of their last seven, conceding in all but one of those matches and a total of 13 goals. It’s clear that the new head coach has had a positive impact overall but it’s also going to take time for Arsenal to get anywhere close to being a realistic title contender, or even a regular top four finish. That’s still their aim for this season, though, and with them currently in fifth spot and three points behind Chelsea, it’s a realistic ambition. It’s looking more and more like a battle between themselves Chelsea and a resurgent Manchester United for that final top four position so at the very least this week they have to ensure they apply pressure by getting all three points and maintaining the gap between themselves and United.
West Ham v Arsenal Betting Advice
Arsenal won the first meeting of the season between these two clubs, defeating West Ham 3-1 at the Emirates at the back end of August. The final score is not a true reflection of how the game went, though, as Pellegrini’s men was the better side for long spells but unable to take their chances. That’s been the case in many of Arsenal’s matches which is not overly surprising considering the imbalances that exist in their team and squad at the moment.
Only Tottenham have scored more away goals in the league this season than Arsenal which again indicates how potent their attack can be. West Ham are an improving side, however, and with the support coming on side in recent week it’s sure to be a warm welcome for the visitors on Saturday. Pellegrini has become more pragmatic in his approach since the early weeks of the season but he will be aware of how vulnerable Arsenal have been in defence and look to exploit that with the pace and technical ability of his own players in the forward areas. Historically this is a fixture that produces goals with 12 of the last 15 meetings containing three or more. Both teams are averaging well over 2.5 goals for matches they are involved in this season with Arsenal on a league-leading 3.67. It makes over 2.5 goals and both teams to score very appealing.
