Ace Football previews the Premier League match between West Brom and Arsenal, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Arsenal hope to kick-off the new year by bagging three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since September in Saturday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Back-to-back victories have moved the Gunners up to 13th in the standings. And as just six points stand between them and Chelsea in fifth, there is still plenty left to play for. West Brom, on the other hand, sit second-bottom on a mere eight points in comparison.
The last time these two sides met at the Hawthorns ended in a 1-1 draw in December 2017. The fixture has been a close affair in the past, although Arsenal are winless in their last three visits to West Brom (D1 L2). That said, a lot has changed since their last meeting.
West Brom Form & Stats
Sam Allardyce has endured a nightmare start. The new manager has lost his first two home matches to Aston Villa (3-0) and Leeds United (5-0) by an 8-0 aggregate scoreline ahead of Arsenal’s visit.
West Brom appeared to have turned a corner under Allardyce by drawing 1-1 with Liverpool at Anfield – just 12 days after holding Manchester City to another 1-1 draw at the Etihad in Slaven Bilic’s last match. But any sign of progress went to smoke on Tuesday upon a 5-0 home loss against Leeds.
The Baggies haven’t fared well at home either, having lost five of their eight league games (W1 D2). Their sole victory at the Hawthorns came in a 1-0 triumph over bottom-placed side Sheffield United on November 28. They’ve since lost four of their last six home games (D2) to sit five points away from safety in a lowly 19th-place.
Although Albion have fared well against the ‘big six’ this season. The hosts have, as previously mentioned, held Liverpool and Manchester City to draws, while only narrowly losing 1-0 to both Manchester United and Tottenham.
Key Team Stats
- Lost to nil in their last 2 home league games.
- Lost 4 of their last 6 home league games (D2).
- Conceded 5 goals in 2 of their last 3 home league games.
- Scored just 2 goals in their last 6 home league games.
- Sam Allardyce has lost 20 of his 34 games against Arsenal in all competitions (W6 D6).
- Unbeaten in their last 3 home games against Arsenal (W2 L1).
Arsenal Form & Stats
The Gunners appear to have turned a corner following back-to-back victories over Chelsea and Brighton. It’s lifted the pressure off manager Mikel Arteta ahead of a crucial phase in the club’s campaign.
Despite suffering a barren run of form between late September to mid-December, Arsenal are still just six points behind Chelsea in fifth and nine points outside the top-four. Champions League qualification, of course, is still a long shot. But if they can string together a strong run of results, along with unpredictability of this season’s Premier League, then anything is possible.
It’s worth noting Arsenal have kept three clean sheets in their five away league games. Arteta’s men scored just three goals, though. They’ve also only found the back of the net more than once in one of their eight trips overall in an 3-0 opening day win at Fulham in September.
Key Team Stats
- Won their last 2 league games.
- Last 5 away league wins have been to nil.
- Alexandre Lacazette has scored in each of his last 3 appearances in all competitions.
- Scored in all 24 of their Premier League games against West Brom.
- Won just 1 of their last 6 away league games against promoted clubs (D2 L3).
- Kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 away league games.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had 17 goal involvements against promoted clubs in 15 league games (13 goals, 4 assists).
Team News
West Brom
Out: Jake Livermore, Kieran Gibbs.
Doubts: N/A.
Arsenal
Out: Gabriel, Thomas Partey.
Doubts: Bukayo Saka, David Luiz, Willian.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Premier League
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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