Arsenal v West Ham United: Basement Boys Aiming for Boost

Both Arsenal and West Ham would have been targeting a positive start to the new Premier League campaign after installing new managers over the summer but it hasn’t turned out that way.

Coming into Saturday’s game at the Emirates, neither team has a single point from four combined matches and while we’re still at a very early stage in the season, a win here is almost vital in terms of kick starting a season.

Arsenal are favourites so can Unai Emery’s side finally get off the mark or will it be Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham who are smiling at the end of 90 minutes?

Match Odds

We mentioned that Arsenal are the favourites here and the best odds on the Gunners currently stand at 2/5. The draw is the next available option at a top price of 50/11 with 10Bet while the draw completes the picture at a best of 81/10 with MarathonBet.

Both sides have poor form as we’ve seen but Arsenal fans would point out that they had the toughest of openings with a home fixture against Premier League Champions Manchester City followed by an away trip to Chelsea. The Gunners rallied well after going 2-0 down in that second match but ultimately lost out by a 3-2 scoreline.

West Ham also had it tough on the opening day and a number of sides will be embarrassed by free scoring Liverpool this season. However, a home defeat to Bournemouth is a poor result for a team that has spent so much money over the summer and is targeting a top half finish as a minimum.

The most likely result is the home win but let’s firstly see who’s in form and set to decide the outcome.

Individual Goal Scorers

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Arsenal’s main strike duo has yet to find the target this season but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette head the first goalscorer betting here. Aubameyang is slightly ahead at best odds of 3/1 while Lacazette follows at a top price of 9/2 with Betway.

At home, against a team they should beat, the pair look more likely to open their accounts for the new season but there are plenty of other candidates. Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored Arsenal’s first goal of the 2018/19 campaign last weekend and he is available at 13/2 with Unibet and 888Sport while the misfiring Mesut Ozil is quoted at 9/1 with the same bookmakers.

There hasn’t been too much love for West Ham in this market but the away side finally get a mention in the shape of Marko Arnautovic who is available at best odds of 10/1 with 10Bet and SportPesa. The Austrian was the Hammers’ best player last season and a threat to any side.

Other potential picks include Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi at best odds of 19/2 with Unibet, and the West Ham pair of Javier Hernandez at a top price of 21/2 with Unibet and Lucas Perez at a best of 14/1 with Betway.

This is a tough call with neither side in great scoring form but, if he is fit and ready to start, this is the sort of game where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can dominate. He is the favourite and perhaps a little short at that 3/1 price but a profit is a profit once it comes in.

Other Side Bets

In those four combined games, Arsenal and West Ham have scored just three goals between them while at the other end of the pitch, they have conceded a total of 11. While patterns can often change it does suggest that we should get plenty of goals in this game and with the Hammers looking particularly shaky at the back, we’re tipping over 3.5 goals here which is available at 31/25 with MarathonBet.

In terms of our final tip, we are backing Arsenal to hit back in some style following those early losses and it could be an uncomfortable 90 minutes for the visitors. It might be advisable to play much safer and take Both Teams to Score at best odds of 13/18 with SportingBet but we’re in a bold move, albeit with a smaller wager on a Correct Score of Arsenal 4 West Ham 1 at 67/4 with 10Bet.

Best Bets:

• Over 3.5 Goals at 31/25 with MarathonBet
• Correct Score of Arsenal 4 West Ham United 1 at 67/4 with 10Bet