Arsenal will look to gain ground on the top three, who all play on Sunday, when they face a West Ham side that eased the pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui with an impressive 2-0 victory at Newcastle on Monday night.
West Ham vs Arsenal Betting Tips
- Arsenal-Arsenal HT/FT @ +120 with bet365
- Under 4.5 Cards @ -125 with bet365
- Martin Odegaard Over 0.5 Player Assists @ +275 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Back the Gunners to get a firm early grip
The first goal is going to be crucial in this contest as neither West Ham nor Arsenal possess particularly good records when it comes to rescuing points from difficult positions.
The Hammers have bounced back to draw two of the seven games in which they have fallen behind, while Arsenal have registered only four points in the four matches when they were in a deficit.
Any good feelings for Lopetegui generated by Monday night’s win at St James’ Park could quickly dissipate if Arsenal take an early grip on the game.
And if the home fans get on the manager's back, it could become a very testing 90 minutes for the hosts.
Arsenal showed what they can do in a hostile atmosphere when they won away at their North London rivals Tottenham earlier this season.
And they also performed well in a 2-2 draw away at Manchester City long before teams regularly exploited the vulnerabilities of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Mikel Arteta’s side bossed the early exchanges in both of those affairs, and any repeat of those performances should see them in charge at both half-time and the final whistle.
West Ham vs Arsenal Tip 1: Arsenal-Arsenal HT/FT @ +120 with bet365
All quiet in the East
Many people will expect a feisty affair as West Ham will want to show some pride after being walloped 6-0 in last season’s corresponding fixture.
Yet even when the game was getting out of hand last February, the players maintained a modicum of discipline, with only four yellow cards shown in the 90 minutes.
Referee Anthony Taylor, the man in the middle for Saturday’s clash, has shown 44 yellows and one red in 11 league matches this season, giving him an average of 42.25 booking points per outing.
And when you remember that 14 of those 44 cautions shown came in one game - Bournemouth at home to Chelsea - he has generally not been one to lay down the law this season.
Taylor has issued four or fewer cards in seven of the 11 Premier League games where he has been the top official, and this London rivalry may not be fiery as anticipated.
West Ham vs Arsenal Tip 2: Under 4.5 Cards @ -125 with bet365
Arsenal assist king can hurt the Hammers
The three games he has played this month show just how much Arsenal missed Martin Odegaard during the Norwegian’s two-month injury lay-off.
He had the vision and ability to pick out an unmarked Gabriel Martinelli for the Gunners’ goal at Stamford Bridge on his first appearance since September and added another assist in their 3-0 stroll against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Odegaard also won the spot-kick from which Bukayo Saka scored Arsenal’s fourth in Lisbon on Tuesday as Arteta’s team thrashed Sporting 5-1.
The Norwegian international has assisted four times in his last four appearances against the Hammers and looks good value to set up at least one more goal on Saturday.
West Ham vs Arsenal Tip 3: Martin Odegaard Over 0.5 Player Assists @ +275 with bet365