West Ham v Arsenal Preview
West Ham (4-8-10) and Arsenal (12-4-5) square off at Upton Park on Saturday in an unusual matchup since the two clubs are at opposite ends of the Premiership table. Neither team has been very consistent lately so we could see some surprises.
Premier League bottom dwellers West Ham have lost just one of their last six at home. The loss was a 5-0 disappointment against Newcastle, which put manager Avram Grant’s job in jeopardy again. They followed it up with a 2-1 win over Birmingham in the Carling Cup so he should be safe for now. They had a great first half Tuesday night and faltered in the second but were fortunate to come away with a victory. They can’t afford to make those kind of mistakes against Arsenal.
Carlton Cole scored the winner against Birmingham and has 10/1 odds at Ladbrokes to score first against Arsenal. West Ham have scored in all but one home match this season. Manuel da Costa, Benni McCarthy, Lars Jacobsen and Herita Ilunga are out with injuries. Victor Obinna is suspended. They will bring in Wayne Bridge on loan for this fixture to fill the void.
Arsenal is third in the Premier League but have only won two of their last seven overall. Their last result was an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Ipswich in the Carling Cup on Wednesday. Expect boss Arsene Wenger to bench the reserves and go with the proven Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy on Saturday. Nasri has nine goals on the season and five in his last eight league matches. He is a good football bet to score first against West Ham with 5/1 odds at Ladbrokes. The Gunners have scored first in seven of their last ten Premiership matches.
Arsenal has struggled a bit as of late but they have the second best away record in the Premier League. In the last seven matches against West Ham, they have won five and drawn two. Their injuries include Sebastien Squillaci, Manuel Almunia and Thomas Vermaelen. Bacary Sagna is suspended.
The Gunners should come away with an easy win but both sides are trying to regain their best form. Still, West Ham have the second worst defence in the league, so expect Arsenal to do everything possible to keep up with Manchester United at the top of the table.
West Ham v Arsenal Match Odds (supplied by Ladbrokes)
West Ham: 5/1
Draw: 11/4
Arsenal: 4/7