Premier League: Gunners and Hammers Clash in Tightening Top Four Arms Race

West Ham United vs Arsenal

Arsenal’s top four bid continues as they’re flying over to the London Stadium to take on West Ham United, in what arguably is the top Premier League match on the menu this weekend.

Both sides are gunning for European places, particularly for next year’s Champions League, as we’re winding down the 2021/22 season. But as of the moment, fourth-seeded Arsenal are at an advantageous position with 60 points, whereas seventh-seeded West Ham United have 52 points.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are predicting a comfortable victory for the visitors, but the hosts are not to be underestimated despite their lacklustre recent form.

We expect both the Gunners and the Hammers to go strong since valuable points are up for grabs. So without further ado, here is our preview for this highly-anticipated contest.

 

Talking Points

Building consistency is key for Arsenal

After three consecutive defeats earlier in April, the Gunners have bounced back with two straight victories to put themselves in pole position for the last Champions League berth.

Arsenal are quite a confusing team really, as they have lost to weaker teams like Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Brighton, but somehow they’ve managed to win against Manchester United and Chelsea.

There are some key areas for them to improve in order to finally seal their return to the Champions League next season. Arsenal are still lacking that prolific goalscorer while their full-back and midfield depth are compromised due to injuries.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has already left the club in January and he’s enjoying life at Camp Nou, and with Alexandre Lacazzette likely to leave this summer, the Gunners need to bring in attacking reinforcements.

They are reportedly linked to the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Tammy Abraham which isn’t surprising at all. For the meantime, they’ll rely on Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, and Eddie Nketiah to produce goals and Premier League 2022 highlights.

In other news, full-back Kieran Tierney is a long-term absentee since he just underwent knee surgery while midfielder Thomas Partey is a doubt, so Takehiro Tomiyasu and Granit Xhaka are both contending for starting spots.

West Ham United losing their mojo

The Hammers were locked in a tough match against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-finals to which they lost 2-1 in the first leg.

Because of the loss, West Ham United are now winless in three straight matches and David Moyes has the unenviable task of rotating his squad in these next few weeks.

Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, and Declan Rice were benched against Chelsea last weekend and all of them played yesterday against Eintracht Frankfurt. Considering that they’ll play them again next week for the second leg, perhaps Moyes will rest these stars against the Gunners.

West Ham United are in deep trouble at the back due to injuries and suspension, leaving an opening for Arsenal to exploit. Angelo Ogbonna, Issa Diop, and Kurt Zouma are all injured, while Craig Dawson is meted a one-game ban following a red card against the Blues.

History

West Ham United have lost more Premier League matches against Arsenal (L33) than any other side in the competition. And since achieving a league double over Arsenal in 2006/07, they’ve just won twice in their last 27 matches against them (D5, L20).

The Gunners have lost just one of their last 13 visits to West Ham United (W8, D4), with their last away loss dating back to January 2019 via a 1-0 scoreline.

On the other hand, West Ham United are undefeated in their last six Premier League home games (W4, D2), and they’ve also scored in their last 18 home league games since May 2021.

Mikel Arteta’s side won in the reverse fixture last December as Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe both scored en route to the 2-0 victory.

Betting Tip

Since Arsenal are in better form than West Ham United, they’re being favoured to win by the Premier League 2022 odds. The Gunners are priced high at 1.83, while the hosts are installed at 4.10 and a draw is at 3.55 in the 1X2 market.

With the Gunners having the luxury of rest because they haven’t played European football this midweek unlike the Hammers, they should have fresher legs heading into this contest, which should be enough to secure the three points. But West Ham United aren’t to be counted out easily since they’ll bring the fight to their visitors and they’ll make sure that Arsenal’s win is to be earned the hard way.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.