West Ham travel to the Emirates Stadium with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge. Will the Gunners win and put more pressure on Liverpool?
Best bets for Arsenal vs West Ham
- Draw-Arsenal (Half Time-Full Time) at odds of 4.20 with Betway
- Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 2.38 with Betway
- Bukayo Saka and Jarrod Bowen (1+ Shot on Target Each) at odds of 3.27 with Betway
We expect Arsenal to win and a low-scoring encounter.
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Our analysis: Form of both teams
Nuno Espirito Santo manages his second game as West Ham boss, which will be his first London derby against Arsenal this Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal’s late victory over Newcastle United moved the Gunners to within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who lost to Crystal Palace. The Gunners’ only league defeat this season was against Arne Slot’s Reds. That aside, Mikel Arteta’s men have been in strong form, having conceded just three goals in six matches.
Arsenal are dealing with two problems ahead of this weekend. One is the short break between their Champions League match against Olympiacos on Wednesday night. Additionally, they’ve played a league game against the Hammers on Saturday afternoon. Arteta may need to rotate his side, possibly fielding the likes of Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze to ensure the Arsenal forward line has fresh energy.
West Ham parted with Graham Potter last week and promptly appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as his replacement. The former Nottingham Forest head coach was in charge when the Hammers drew 1-1 at Everton. United recovered after conceding the first goal to tie the game in a match that lacked quality.
With one win in six Premier League games and 14 goals conceded, the Hammers currently have the worst defensive record in the division. Nuno prided himself on a tight defence at Forest. He will aim to create a similar defensive blueprint for West Ham, starting with the daunting trip to the Emirates Stadium.
Probable lineups for Arsenal vs West Ham
Arsenal expected lineup: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Rice, Zubimendi, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres
West Ham expected lineup: Areola, Walker-Peters, Diouf, Kilman, Mavropanos, Magassa, Fernandes, Paqueta, Summerville, Bowen, Fullkrug
Gunners to eventually beat West Ham
West Ham have won on their last two Premier League visits to the Emirates Stadium. However, it is unlikely they will win this weekend to make it three victories in a row. Given Arsenal’s desire to overtake Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, they will be eager to win again this weekend.
However, it won’t be an easy task. Although West Ham have conceded 14 goals so far this season, Nuno Espirito Santo may tighten their defence. A more defensive, safety-first approach is expected at the Emirates Stadium.
The potential for tired bodies and minds in the Arsenal side after their Wednesday Champions League game is a factor. That is why Arsenal is likely to score late in the second half to secure a win.
- Arsenal vs West Ham Bet 1: Draw-Arsenal (Half Time-Full Time) at odds of 4.20 with Betway
Goalfest unlikely after Champions League exploits
Three of the last four meetings between these two sides at the Emirates Stadium have featured two or fewer goals scored. Despite this, the betting markets indicate there’s only a 42.2% chance for this match to see Under 2.5 goals.
Given Arsenal’s midweek European endeavours and Nuno’s desire to tighten up the Hammers’ defence, a low-scoring affair is very likely. In fact, there is at least a 50% chance of Under 2.5 goals occurring on Saturday.
Therefore, this is the value play from our trio of Arsenal vs West Ham predictions.
- Arsenal vs West Ham Bet 2: Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 2.38 with Betway
Saka and Bowen to pose goal threats
Jarrod Bowen helped West Ham to even the score on Monday night at Everton with a second-half equaliser. He has an average of 1.17 shots on target per game this season. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has an average of 0.50 shots on target per game.
With Bowen’s 117% average strike rate for hitting the target every match and Saka’s strike rate currently 50%, the betting markets have undervalued the likelihood of both scoring this weekend.
They suggest that both players have only a 30.77% chance to hit the target. This may be low considering their recent output in 2025/26.
- Arsenal vs West Ham Bet 3: Bukayo Saka and Jarrod Bowen (1+ Shot on Target Each) at odds of 3.27 with Betway
