Top of the league Arsenal faces the struggling Hammers in an encounter that will seal the fate of both clubs. With Arsenal looking to run away with the title and West Ham fighting relegation, will the Gunners breeze past West Ham or will they give them a difficult time. Read on for our betting tips and predictions.
Arsenal Vs West Ham Stats & Facts
Arsenal went into the break caused by the World Cup undefeated in their previous eight Premier League matches and five points clear at the top of the table. Despite an injury to starting striker Gabriel Jesus, the Gunners are still a solid bet to continue where they left off on Boxing Day.
Mikel Arteta’s long-term strategy has finally come to fruition, and it has done so in a manner that is faultless. As a result, the Gunners have scarcely put a foot wrong this season.
They have the greatest defensive record (11), tied for best in the league, and the second-best attacking record (33), which puts them five points ahead of the reigning champions, Manchester City.
West Ham, on the other hand, has had a harrowing season thus far and will be hoping that the international break has revitalised what appeared to be a worn-out group before the break.
The team managed to take up points against Bournemouth as their lone victory in their last five league matches, although they lost four of their previous five games in the league, failing to score in three of those losses, and only scoring once.
They are now ranked 16th in the standings, and all indications suggest that they will not be able to add any points to their total on Monday.
Arsenal and West Ham Squadlist
Here are the players available to both Mikel Arteta and David Moyes in this encounter
Arsenal
Goalkeepers: Aaron Ramsdale, Matt Turner
Defenders: William Saliba, Gaberial Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior, Rob Holding, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Faio Vieira
Strikers: Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah
Out/Banned: Eddie Nketiah, Mohammed Elneny, Takehiro Tomiyasu
West Ham
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola, Lukasz Fabianski
Defenders: Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer, Angelo Ogbonna, Emerson, Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson, Vladimir Coufal
Midfielders: Declan Rice,Tomas Soucek, Flynn Downes, Lucas Paqueta, Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini
Strikers: Said Benrahma, Maxwel Cornet, Jarrod Bowen, Gianluca Scamacca, Danny Ings, Michail Antonio
Out/Banned: N/A
Recent Form
Arsenal: 1st in the Premier League
Last 5 (DWDWD):
- 2-2 vs Liverpool
- 4-1 vs Leeds United
- 1-1 vs Sporting Lisbon
- 3-0 vs Fulham
- 2-2 vs Sporting Lisbon
Arsenal had a good match recently against Liverpool at Anfield but continuing the curse they were unable to convert the encounter into a win. In all competitions, their record is worse than in the Premier League in which they are (DWWWW).
West Ham: 14th in the Premier League
Last 5 (WLWWD):
- 1-0 vs Fulham
- 1-5 vs Newcastle
- 1-0 vs Southampton
- 4-0 vs AEK Larnaca
- 1-1 vs Aston Villa
It seems that West Ham is only doing well against weaker opponents like Fulham and AEK Larnaca while getting trounced by top four Newcastle. We’ll see how they fair against 1st place Arsenal after a break.
BTTS Market
If West Ham keeps performing poorly and Arsenal maintains their seemingly season-long streak of good form, this should be a sweepstake for Arsenal. West Ham being in the bottom third of the league is really telling of their form and I predict that they’ll be goalless. Since they only managed a 1-0 win over Southampton, I’d be surprised if they score against Arsenal. West Ham’s only hope that dashes doubt into the matchup is defender William Saliba’s injury which could make things slightly easier for the Hammers.
BTTS Verdict: No
Over/Under Market
Considering the sole fact that Arsenal has averaged 2.4 goals per match this season, I think that there will be over 2.5 goals this match. After all, they are top of the league with a goal difference of 43 for a reason.
Over/Under Verdict: Over 2.5
