English Premier
2010-03-20 - Arsenal vs West Ham Utd
A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted
Football : England : Premier League
Saturday 20th March 2010 – Kickoff 5:45pm
He has risen ... (Cesc that is)
Arsenal
The Arsenal fairytale continues, as Wenger’s young side aim to go top, at least for 24 hours. On paper it seems as though they shouldn’t have much trouble here, but Arsenal don’t seem to like to do it the easy way, giving the fans value for their money by waiting until the dying moments to pinch their wins.
Arsenal now have 5 consecutive Premier League wins, and will be looking to make it 6 as they systematically work their way through the “easy run-in” that has required more than a few last minute heroics from its young stars.
The mercurial Cesc Fabregas is set to return to the squad for this game, and he’ll be joined by Alex Song, who has done his time for bad behaviour, and Rosicky who, surprisingly, is fit for a change. Nice of him to join in. Still missing though, will be Djourou and Gallas, both out through injury.
Ramsey and Van Persie are the long term casualties, as you all already know. Arshavin will continue down the left, with Nasri, Walcott and Eduardo all fit and available for selection should the boss want them.
And then there’s that Danish chap too…
West Ham United
Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham have only the one victory away from Upton Park this season, on the opening day, and have fared miserably in this years London derbies, winning none. They are also winless in 9 straight Premier League games; not the kind of form you want to be carrying into a game against the Arsenal.
Believe it or not, but the Hammers actually have a decent record against Arsenal, drawing the last 2 fixtures here, including 0-0 last year. They were also the very first side to come and win at the Emirates, Arsenal’s new home, back in 2007. They will fuel their hopes of an upset here further by bearing in mind Arsenal have been poor at shutting weak teams out.
Portsmouth and Burnley both managed to score here, while Blackburn and Bolton were afforded the luxury of 2 goals! West Ham will surely need to score at least 2 to get a point here, as Arsenal should put a few away themselves. The north Londoners have netted 71 goals already, and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Leading the front line for the Hammers, will be Benni McCarthy, who comes back from injury to help kickstart West Ham’s run-in. Guillermo Franco is also set to return to the squad, while Da Costa is serving his suspension.
It’s a decent line-up, but one that will not be able to handle an Arsenal team that is now well and truly firing on all cylinders, with a scary amount of self-belief. With West Ham’s vulnerability already exposed in the 3-0 and 4-1 losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, expect the Gunners to attack and pressurise from the get go, with the result being another 3 Arsenal points.
The Betting Verdict :
Like the Terminator, this Arsenal side just don’t seem to know when they’re beaten. Always good value to either score the winner in stoppage time, or merely add to their already impressive tally this season, expect Arsenal to hit West Ham early and then run away with it at the end.
A Home win banker.
The Statistics :
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BEST BETTING TIP :
Take Arsenal to win at 1.28 (Pinnacle) – Banker Main Bet – (Include In all Accumulators)Consider Over 2.5 goals at 1.60 (Pinnacle) – Main Bet
Or perhaps Time of first goal – Up to and including 25th minute @ 1.90 (Bet365) – Main Bet
Finally it may be worth Arsenal to score 4 goals or more @ 5.00 (PaddyPower)
