Prediction: West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 1/1

Bookmakers: Bet365

West Bromwich Albion host Arsenal at the Hawthorns on Saturday lunchtime with the Gunners desperate for three points to keep alive their top four hopes.

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom head into the game against Arsenal on the back of two defeats but despite this, manager Tony Pulis will be optimistic of at least a draw. The Baggies are enjoying their best ever Premier League campaign and have only lost three of their last 10 matches, two of those being away from home. At the Hawthorns Pulis always ensures his team are hard to beat and have only been defeated four times in 14 games. West Brom will be concentrating on set-pieces as their main means of attack and have proven to be formidable using this method, scoring more goals than any other team in the league.

Team News

Matt Phillips has missed the last three games due to a hamstring problem and will also miss Saturday’s game. James Morrison will also be out because of an ankle injury.

However, Salomon Rondon could be recalled to the starting line-up after coming on as a sub in last Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Everton.

Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is under pressure from a lot of fans and a loss against West Brom will seriously dent their top four ambitions. A 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich was sandwiched in between a run of fixtures which saw them win just three times in eight games. This poor form means the Gunners are fifth in the league and five points behind Liverpool in fourth place. Even though they have two games in hand against the Reds, the Baggies will be difficult to beat at home and Wenger’s side could be eight points outside the top four by the end of the weekend.

Team News

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be back in contention after being forced off due to a hamstring problem in the 5-0 win against Lincoln City. Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi are also available.

Kieran Gibbs is a doubt with an ankle injury whilst Mohammed Elneny and Santi Cazorla remain out with an ankle and Achilles injury respectively.

Key Factors to Consider

• West Brom have won seven of their last nine games at the Hawthorns
• Arsenal have lost three of their last four league fixtures
• The Gunners have only won once out of six away matches
• Wenger’s men are in danger of losing three consecutive matches for the first time since 2011

Conclusion

West Brom will make it difficult for Arsenal and will want to keep it tight early on and try and frustrate their opposition. The Gunners are on a dreadful run of form and we cannot see them winning on Saturday afternoon. A low scoring draw is the most likely outcome on a day when the pressure on Arsene Wenger will further intensify.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 1/1

Bookmakers: Bet365