Arsenal will be hoping to end a torrid run as they make the short trip to West Ham for Monday Night Football. George Pitts previews the action.
Recommended bets
0.5pt West Ham to be leading at half-time at 29/10
0.5pt Sebastien Haller to score first at 6/1
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West Ham v Arsenal
- 2000 GMT kick-off on Sky Sports Premier League
Just as you thought it could not get any worse for Arsenal after poor form led to Unai Emery's sacking, two points dropped at Norwich and a home defeat to Brighton sees them firmly into club crisis territory.
The expressions of the players at full-time said it all and Freddie Ljungberg will have some job in lifting the camp ahead of their game against London rivals West Ham.
The Hammers got a vital win at Chelsea last weekend which probably bought Manuel Pellegrini some time in his job and after Emery's and Marco Silva's recent departures, the Chilean leads the way in the sack race going into the weekend action.
They need to improve their home form (just seven points from 21 there this season) and a win would boost the atmosphere at the ground significantly, which can get toxic in times like these.
The Hammers players should smell blood and Arsenal are there for the taking. After a surprise win at Chelsea, there is no reason why it cannot be done here.
With the poor defence on show from both sides, there could well be goals in this one and preference is to side with the hosts to come out firing.
With Arsenal vulnerable, West Ham can take action in the first half and the near 3/1 price on them to be leading at the interval.
West Ham have not led often at half-time much this season - just three times - but Arsenal have trailed on seven occasions, nearly half of their games.
If the Gunners grow into the game, it might take a while for them to get going. Even so, due to West Ham's unpredictability it is worth nothing more than a small stake.
To go alongside that, United's record goalscorer needs to show up after a mini goal drought and what better timing does he need than to do that here?
Sebastien Haller started well after his big-money arrival but the Frenchman has now scored just once in his last 12 appearances - and has failed to find the back of the net in seven matches now.
The 25-year-old still averages two shots per game and in their last home outing against Tottenham he had five efforts, the previous London Stadium clash against Newcastle he attempted four and before that, when they hosted Palace, he had three.
Haller seems to up his game in east London and it is surely a matter of time until he ends this run.
Prediction: West Ham 2-1 Arsenal (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Best bets
West Ham to be leading at half-time at 29/10
Sebastien Haller to score first at 6/1
Opta stats
- West Ham won this exact fixture 1-0 last season, ending a run of 10 home league games without a win against Arsenal (D3 L7). They’ve not won back-to-back home league games against the Gunners since October 1984.
- Against no side have Arsenal won more away games in the Premier League than they have against West Ham (12 – level with Everton and Aston Villa).
- Arsenal have only won two of their last 12 away London derbies in the Premier League (D4 L6), winning 3-2 at Crystal Palace in December 2017 and 5-1 at Fulham in October 2018.
- No side has lost more Premier League games on a Monday than West Ham (29), while only Man Utd (43) have won more Monday games in the competition than Arsenal (39).
- West Ham have lost their last two Premier League home games – they last lost three in a row at home between May and August 2015, while they last suffered three consecutive home defeats in the same season in October 2013.
- Arsenal have won just one of their last 11 away Premier League matches in December (W1 D6 L4), beating Crystal Palace in December 2017. They are winless in six since then (D4 L2).
- West Ham have picked up fewer points across their last eight Premier League matches (4 – W1 D1 L6) than any other Premier League side.
- Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been involved in 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League London derbies (8 goals, 2 assists). However, he’s yet to score in three appearances versus West Ham – against no side has he played more games without netting in the competition.
- West Ham United's Felipe Anderson hasn't scored or assisted a single goal in his last eight Premier League appearances (553 minutes on the pitch in those 8 apps); his longest run at the club in the competition without a goal involvement.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 86% of Arsenal’s away Premier League goals this season (6/7), with the other being netted by Lucas Torreira. Indeed, since his debut for the club in February 2018, he’s scored 18 of Arsenal’s 43 away goals in the Premier League (42%) – no other player has scored more than five on the road for the Gunners in that time.
Odds correct as of 1200 GMT on 06/12/19
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