Arsenal have produced a mixed bag of results so far this season and will be well aware that they need to step things up in order to avoid being leapfrogged by Manchester United in the Premier League table. West Ham away from home is a tricky fixture that could cause Unai Emery and his team some major issues.
Current Form
West Ham
West Ham, while showing glimpses of a team that can cause problems at times, have become a club that you can't really rely on. They're often touted as a potential banana skin for the larger clubs but will also quite happily concede defeat to the likes of Burnley and Watford. The Hammers currently find themselves in 9th position in the Premier League on 28 points which is relatively good considering their mixed form this season. Over the previous 5 fixtures, they've won 2, lost 2, and drawn 1.
Statistically, West Ham have been pretty poor so far this season. They've scored 29 times, an average of 1.38 goals per game. However, they've also conceded 32 times, an average of 1.52 goals per game. For West Ham to reach the heights they aspire to, they really need to invest in a good quality goalscorer to bump their attacking numbers up.
Arsenal
As seems to often be the case with Arsenal, they have spent most of the season flirting with the top 4 but not really having the guts to make a move on it. They're currently in 5th place in the table on 41 points, 3 points behind 4th placed Chelsea. More worrying, however, is the fact that they now only have a 3 point cushion on Manchester United who have sacked Mourinho this season for poor results. That speaks volumes about how Emery has this team performing at the moment.
Statistically, Arsenal have been doing well in the attacking department and have scored 46 times, an average of 2.19 goals per game. However, they have let themselves down defensively and have conceded 31 times, an average of 1.48 goals per game. That's not good enough for a team that expects to be challenging at the top of the table.
Head to Head
In the previous 10 meetings between the clubs, Arsenal won 7, West Ham won 1, and there were 2 draws. Notably, in the 23 games between the clubs from September 2007 to the most recent fixture in August 2018, West Ham won 1, Arsenal won 18, and there were 4 draws. It's fair to say that Arsenal are dominant in the head to head statistics.
Analysis
West Ham
Many onlookers will feel that West Ham have a good chance of taking something from this game against Arsenal, but it really does go against the history of the fixture. Home advantage will perhaps play a part here but the players need to show that they are a team to be taken seriously and not a bunch of players that seemingly turn up to put in a big performance once in a while.
Arsenal's biggest weakness is the defence, so West Ham should look to make things physical in the midfield battles and get the ball forward quickly. Pressing high up the pitch could also be an option if they're confident enough as this Arsenal defence certainly has a mistake or two in it. It's likely that West Ham will have a few chances to create something and they'll need to make the most of them if they are to take anything from this game as Arsenal's strength in attack is almost certain to pile pressure on the defence over the 90 minutes.
Arsenal
This is perhaps a bigger game for Arsenal than it looks on paper. With Manchester United looking to make their way into the top 4, Arsenal cannot afford to drop points in this kind of fixture. With no big signings making their way to the Emirates in this transfer window, Emery and his players need to find a way to stop the defence from leaking goals. There is no doubt that Aubameyang is a world class striker, but his efforts are often counteracted by Championship level defending.
Arsenal need to get the ball down on the floor, control the midfield, and look to play quick passes to put their forwards through on goal. The Gunners are likely to see a lot of the ball and will be able to craft plenty of chances so an early goal would settle the nerves of the team somewhat and allow them to dominate. Complacency at the back could easily be punished by West Ham, however, so there is always a danger of dropped points here.
Predictions
For all the talk of West Ham being a team that can cause the top quality clubs issues, their recent form suggests that they're just as likely to roll over and see themselves pummelled. With the attacking talent that Arsenal possess, I believe they simply have too much firepower for West Ham, and should get the job done with relative ease.
Prediction: Arsenal win
Score Prediction: West Ham 1 - 3 Arsenal
Betting Picks
Arsenal to win at 2.1 or above
I think these are pretty fair odds considering the opposition and I'd take a little punt on this.
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