The Gunners welcome London rivals West Ham to the Emirates on a cold Wednesday night in this Premier League encounter, but can Arsene Wenger’s charges be relied upon to produce a performance that gives fans some hope that they are actually a top 4 side that are down on their luck, or are they on the road to confirming that they are just not competitive enough to be considered one of the league’s big hitters any more?
The Hammers are hardly in the form of their life, but when it comes to these intense local derbies, just a small nugget of hope can transform into a match winning performance, and with Arsenal winning just one of their last five games in all competitions, can Sam Allardyce snatch 3 points away from North London?
West Ham have only picked up 4 points in their last 5 games, and with just 1 point gained from their last 5 away days to boot, it’s going to take an almighty effort for them to emerge victorious. But Arsenal are vulnerable and Big Sam knows it.
If you use head to head history as part of your betting research, then I assure you that backing West Ham simply won’t be part of your agenda. The Gunners have won 8 of the last 10 meetings between these two both home and away, their only dropped points being two draws in 2009.
The question has to be asked though. Do Arsenal represent good value? I would say it’s on the stingy side on current form. The return of Jack Wilshere from injury is a huge boost for Arsenal, but performances this season leave plenty of question marks over their ability to close out games.
However, the bet I feel give a little bit of value is Arsenal to win to nil. When you consider that West Ham have failed to hit the back of the net in 5 consecutive away games leading up to this clash, and that they haven’t scored in their last 4 visits to the Emirates, I think we may be on to something. Not a bet to have your mortgage on, but a definite value bet.
No comments:
Post a Comment