MY ACCOUNT
– Arsenal have won all six PL games at home this season
– West Ham have lost nine of their opening 14 games, seven of which by a single goal
– Recommended bet: Arsenal to win by exactly one goal
Arsenal resume action after the World Cup break with a five-point cushion over Manchester City in the Premier League title race, but they face a tough return against London rivals West Ham.
The Gunners were fully focused on the job in hand when last seen in the middle of November as they capped off a strong start to the campaign with a 2-0 win at Wolves.
That means Mikel Arteta’s men have won 12 of their opening 14 matches but now they must embark on the campaign without star striker Gabriel Jesus, who is expected to miss up to ten games in all competitions after picking up a knee injury at the World Cup.
West Ham have been below their best all season, winning only four of their opening 15 games to find themselves labouring in 16th in the standings.
But they finished seventh in 2021-22 and plenty of quality remains in their ranks so Arsenal can not underestimate their challenge.
Team news
Jesus is a notable absentee for the Gunners as his workrate and ability to link others into the game is worth more than his goal scoring threat.
Reiss Nelson is also ruled out for Arsenal while Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko are doubts.
Emile Smith Rowe is lacking match sharpness and is unlikely to be risked while star centre-back William Saliba, who was at the World Cup with France, faces a fitness test.
For West Ham, centre-backs Nayef Aguerd (muscle strain) and Kurt Zouma (knee) are sidelined while Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell are both injury concerns.
The stats
Arsenal are unbeaten in six meetings with West Ham, winning on five occasions, but they have managed only four clean sheets against the Hammers during that run.
However, the Gunners have been defending superb this season, conceding only 11 goals in 14 games and keeping seven clean sheets.
West Ham have had a poor term so far, losing nine of their opening 14 games, but they continue to be competitive as seven of those defeats came by a single goal.
Arsenal have won 12 of their 14 league games this campaign, five of which have also been by a single goal, suggesting this could also be a close contest.
Arteta’s men have won all six Premier League matches at this Emirates in 2022-23 while the Hammers have taken only four points from seven outings on the road.
West Ham have lost four of those seven games by a 1-0 scoreline, which includes trips to Liverpool and Manchester United.
Prediction
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal fare without the injured Jesus, with Eddie Nketiah expected to get his chance to lead the line.
That is a tough act to follow and could ensure Arsenal are a bit below their best, although they are six from six in the league at the Emirates.
West Ham have plenty to prove themselves as their squad has been stretched by Europa Conference League commitments.
Improvement is at some point expected but they too have their injury concerns and have managed only one win from seven away games this term.
With only three goals scored on the road, Michail Antonio being doubtful is far from ideal, so Arsenal are still taken to edge a tight contest.
The Hammers have lost just one of their last 20 games by more than one goal so expect them to stay tight and compact, making it difficult for the hosts to break them down.
Arsenal to win by one goal can be backed at 21/10 with LiveScore Bet, which has happened in three of the last five meetings between these sides.
