Arsenal v West Brom (2000BST, Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League)
There is some pressure on Arsenal as they wrap up the Premier League weekend after all of their title rivals picked up three points with varying degrees of alacrity.
There will be some of you smirking already with the use of the words 'Arsenal' and 'title' in the same sentence as Arsene Wenger has nine points to make up on the two Manchester clubs at the summit having already whiffed badly in the early stages of the campaign at Stoke and Liverpool.
They took a huge amount of criticism following their performance in the latter game but it also seems to have been a bit of a watershed moment as they are unbeaten in four since and put up an excellent display to more than match Chelsea in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Surprisingly little was expected from them that day as the vultures circled and perhaps that helped Wenger and his team actually have the better of the affair without being able to carve out the crucial breakthrough.
The spotlight is very much back on them now as 4/11 pokes against a rival with numerous limitations as they try and extend a winning streak over the Baggies at the Emirates to seven matches.
West Brom boss Tony Pulis does seem to have a knack against Wenger outside of north London and last March’s muscular 3-1 victory at The Hawthorns certainly kicked the Frenchman while he was down with the ire towards him from Arsenal fans as he dithered over his future probably at its strongest.
The spin never really changes from Pulis as his team are a great bunch with a collective spirit when they win and then a lack of overall quality is the excuse when they fail to collect three points.
The Welshman can’t really complain too much at the moment as the club’s owners have funded a pretty decent recruitment drive over the summer in a bid to add depth and eight points from five outings is very much par for the course for a genuine middle-tier set-up.
The tried-and-tested plan from the visitors on Monday night will be to get in amongst the Gunners, cause disruption and then throw some big bodies at the ball in the opposition penalty area when the set-pieces are fired in.
It can and does work and maybe Pulis is even aware that is exactly seven years to the day from the last time West Brom emerged victorious from this trip as Gareth Barry makes his own little piece of history with the most Premier League appearances at 633 and counting.
This is the start of a run of top-flight games for Arsenal that appear on paper to be less testing until a trip to Manchester City on November 5 so an opportunity for them to start cutting into that early deficit behind the pacesetters.
I doubt they will be particularly looking forward to a trek over to Belarus later in the week to face BATE Borisov in the Europa League and that should not be any excuse for a lack of focus here as the fixtures pile up, Wenger well aware they can’t afford any more domestic slip-ups.
Regular readers will know that whenever I want West Brom to zig they tend to zag but some extended time to prepare for this game should at least mean they can make things testing so a narrow home win is the verdict with under 2.5 total goals scored.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 West Brom
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Recommended bet:
1pt Arsenal to win and under 2.5 total goals at 11/4
Posted at 1230 BST on 24/09/17.
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