A London Derby is in the cards for the first tilt of Matchday 22 on Saturday when West Ham hosts Arsenal. The Hammers have slowly risen through the ranks of the Premier League over the last month or so, and they currently find themselves in 10th place. Meanwhile, Arsenal are in fifth place, and they are looking to close the gap on Chelsea for a spot in the top four. A win and a Chelsea loss would bring them level in the standings, but the Gunners know a win on the road here will be tough.
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English Premier League Betting at BookMaker.eu
West Ham +241
Arsenal +100
Draw +274
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
West Ham have been very sharp over the last five weeks. The Hammers won four straight in the first two weeks of December to move themselves well away from the dregs of the Premier League, and they are 5-1-2 over their last eight matches. Losses to other mid-table clubs like Watford and Burnley haven’t been good, but the Hammers scored a huge point in their last EPL match. They fell behind Brighton 2-0 at home and were saved by a Marko Arnautovic brace.
The Gunners won their last match against Fulham on New Year’s Day. Arsenal didn’t waste too long jumping ahead of the Cottagers, getting goals from four different players in a 4-1 rout. It was just the second time they led at halftime all season long, making this one of their most comfortable victories. It wiped out the taste of a terrible loss against Liverpool a couple days before.
This is the second match between these two teams this year. In August, Arsenal scored a 3-1 victory over West Ham that was much closer than the score line indicates.
Key Injuries
These teams are both incredibly banged up coming into this match. West Ham are without Andriy Yarmolenko, Carlos Sanchez, Winston Reid, Ryan Fredericks, Manuel Lanzini, and Jack Wilshere for at least three more weeks. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez is doubtful with a lower back injury, while Fabian Balbuena Gonzalez is questionable with a knee injury. Marko Arnautovic is probable to play through a lower back injury.
A number of Arsenal players will miss the next few weeks because of injury as well. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Konstantinos are out for a little while longer, and Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck are long-term injuries. Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal, and Mesut Ozil are all questionable.
Player to Watch
Granit Xhaka has been a figure of much debate during his time at the Emirates. Some have criticized him for being far too aggressive and prone to discipline, but Xhaka has been one of the team’s rocks at the back. While the Gunners back line was in tatters due to injury, he held things together with his prowess in the defensive midfield, and he has often led the charge from the back. Xhaka opened the scoring against Fulham too, furthering his contributions to the club.
Prop Bet of the Game – Over 3.5 Goals +136
Neither one of these teams has been too strong in defense. Both Arsenal and West Ham are averaging 1.5 goals per game, and each team relies on its attack to get results. The first meeting between these two teams led to a number of chances and four goals, so there is good value in this bet.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Arsenal are going to be pushed, but I think the Gunners will eventually find their way through to three points…provided enough of their players listed as questionable play. All five players have been contributors at some point this season, so they need to get one or two of them back to feel good.
English Premier League Odds: Arsenal 3, West Ham 2
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