After overcoming Sydney FC in the first match of their Australian tour, Arsenal will be looking for another victory when they take on Western Sydney Wanderers at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
Goals from Per Mertesacker and new record signing Alexandre Lacazette saw the Gunners run out 2-0 winners on Thursday, and they are 2/9 (1.22) favourites with bet365 to come out on top yet again here.
Tony Popovic’s team finished 30 points behind their local rivals in last season’s A-League, but are on offer at 12/1 (13.00) to achieve what they could not by defeating their Premier League guests, or 5/1 (6.00) to earn a creditable draw.
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While Arsene Wenger will have been more than satisfied to see his side come out on top in a match featuring Lacazette’s goal-scoring debut and a number of impressive displays from youngsters, the winning margin could easily have been more flattering.
As well as a missed Danny Welbeck penalty, the visitors forced goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne into several sharp saves in a predictably dominant performance.
Given their evident superiority over the runaway A-League and Grand Finals champions, another one-sided affair seems likely when Wenger’s men take on a team that ended up firmly in mid-table in the same division.
Goal
In fact, the Wanderers’ recent record against teams from outside their own nation makes for even less impressive reading, finishing bottom of their AFC Champions League group after conceding 22 goals in six games.
Considering they lost 5-1 to Shanghai SIPG and both 4-0 and 6-1 to Urawa Reds in that competition, it is hard to see the home team holding their own against a star-studded Premier League outfit.
With this in mind, odds of 7/5 (2.40) seem generous on Arsenal going one better than Thursday’s game and coming out on top by at least three goals in a landslide victory.
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