Prediction: Arsenal vs West Bromwich

Verdict: Home win & both teams to score

Best Odds: 17/9

Bookmaker: bet365

Having suffered back to back defeats to Everton and Man City, Arsenal will be desperate to return to winning ways when they host high-flying West Bromwich on Boxing Day. The Baggies sit pretty in eighth despite losing to Manchester United last time out, and they head to the Emirates in very good spirits.

Arsenal

Arsenal fans are probably sick and tired of watching their beloved team start the season strongly only to let one poor run of results ruin their title hopes, and the Gunners appear to be doing it all over again. Just a couple of weeks back, Arsene Wenger’s side were flying high in second position, mere three points behind leaders Chelsea, but they then suffered back to back losses to Everton and Manchester City, allowing their opponents to come from a goal down and win said games. Alarm bells are on at the Emirates as the Gunners are now in danger of dropping out of the top 4, and the only positive is the seriously favourable fixture list in the next month or so. Considering that Arsenal will be facing the likes of West Brom, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Swansea, Burnley and Watford before the top-of-the-table clash with Chelsea, they might just be able to get their season back on track. The players obviously need to take each of those games seriously if they want to avoid any surprises, and also must show the character required to pull out of a difficult position. Arsene Wenger’s charges haven’t been too impressive at home of late, but we believe they can see off the Baggies on Boxing Day.

Team News

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is certain to miss out after picking up a hamstring injury against Manchester City, while Shkodran Mustafi and Santi Cazorla remain sidelined.

Danny Welbeck and Per Mertesacker are expected to join full training soon, but it will be at least few weeks before their are ready for first team action.

West Bromwich

As much as pundits and sections of fans continue to criticise Tony Pulis for what they believe is an outdated style of play, the reality is that his achievements with the Hawthorns outfit have been much better than expected. After avoiding the relegation tussle last term to finish the campaign in 14th position, the Baggies have been thoroughly impressive for their standards this season, climbing to eighth in the Premier League standings. Very good home form has been the key reason behind their uptrend in fortunes, as West Brom picked up 14 points from 9 fixtures on home soil, but they also produced several decent performances on the road, taking 8 points from as many games and giving leaders Chelsea a run for their money at Stamford Bridge. The 2-0 home loss to Manchester United was their first setback in quite a while and the Baggies will be very motivated to pile more misery on Arsenal and prove they have managed to close the gap behind England’s top sides. Having scored in five of last six away fixtures and heading to the Emirates high on confidence, we do expect the Baggies to make life difficult for Arsenal in North London.

Team News

Key defender Jonny Evans remains doubtful through injury, but Boaz Myhill and Saido Berahino definitely miss out.

Key Factors to Consider

• West Brom scored in five of last six away matches
• Arsenal won eight of last nine home games vs WBA (L1)
• The Baggies scored in two of last three meetings with the Gunners
• Arsenal conceded in four of last five home games in EPL
• Both teams scored in Arsenal’s last five matches

Conclusion

Despite setbacks against Everton and Man City, we believe Arsenal have got what it takes to turn things around, but we doubt they can stop high-flying Baggies from scoring. The Gunners are expected to go all out attack from the off and that should give West Brom more than enough opportunities to catch them on the break.

Verdict: Home win & both teams to score

Best Odds: 17/9

Bookmaker: bet365