Arsenal: Groundbreaking match for Champions League
It actually looked as if Arsenal would lose their Champions League chances after three defeats in a row. But the two wins recently really pushed the Gunners’ season back on track. Now everything is possible again, starting the matchday in the all-important fourth place.
In addition, the direct duel with main rival Tottenham is still to come. So Arsenal have everything in their own hands. Ahead of the West Ham vs Arsenal game, the betting odds also indicate a clear favourite role for the visitors, even though United are not that far away as far as the table is concerned.
West Ham have just suffered a 2-1 defeat against Frankfurt during the week. Accordingly, the mood is not ideal as things are not going ideally in the league either. The game against Arsenal kicks off on Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
West Ham – Statistics & current form
West Ham went into their Europa League match against Eintracht Frankfurt during the week with a lot of euphoria. This was abruptly ended when the hosts conceded the 0:1 in the first minute. West Ham lost 1:2 and will have to improve their performance in the second leg. Against Arsenal, this could mean rotating the team, as was the case last weekend in the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The squad is broad, but not ideal in every position. The team is currently in seventh place in the league, and it no longer seems possible to look ahead. For a long time, West Ham were also candidates for the Champions League, but four defeats in the last seven league games ruined their chances. A double burden until the end is too big a challenge.
But that does not mean that the Moyes team is not dangerous, on the contrary. Arsenal will have to go to the limit for a win, especially because it is a derby and the Hammers already showed at Chelsea that even with many changes the typical basic virtues can be sent onto the pitch.
West Ham: A disappointment looms
The current situation shows that, overall, it could be a season that has been very decent, but will not be crowned in the end. West Ham could miss out on the Europa League via the league and pull the plug in the Europa League itself in the semi-finals. On top of that, they now have a fearful opponent, because West Ham have never lost to a team in the Premier League as often as they have to Arsenal, 33 times.
What makes it even more complicated for West Ham is Arsenal’s upswing. But at least West Ham have won three of their last four home games in the league, albeit usually only by a narrow margin. It takes a lot of effort to bring in the necessary results. For this reason, and in conjunction with the double-header, our prediction ahead of the West Ham vs Arsenal game is that the visitors will win the game.
Predicted West Ham line-up:
Fabianski – Coufal, Zouma, Johnson, Masuaku – Soucek, Noble, Vlasic, Bowen, Yarmolenko – Antonio
Last matches played by West Ham:
Europa League Final Stage
29/04/2022 – West Ham 1 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Premier League
24/04/2022 – Chelsea FC 1 – 0 West Ham
17/04/2022 – West Ham 1 – 1 Burnley
Europa League Final Stage
15/04/2022 – Lyon 0 – 3 West Ham
Premier League
10/04/2022 – Brentford 2 – 0 West Ham
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
After three defeats against Brighton, Crystal Palace and Southampton, the disillusionment was great. The chance to win the top flight seemed to have been lost, the team looked nervous and tired. Only to then not only pick up six points against Chelsea and Manchester United, but also score seven goals. Three games in a row with a win and at least three goals was last seen under Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners now have a great chance. The team is two points ahead of Tottenham, with the direct duel still to come. A win at West Ham would be the third statement in a row and would drastically increase their chances of finishing fourth. There is pressure, but that was the case in the last two games. Coach Mikel Arteta adjusted the team a little differently there, away from a focus on dominance and towards a little more chaos. And that was perfect.
In purely statistical terms, Arsenal’s season is not that impressive. The Gunners have the sixth-best offence, just as they have the sixth-best defence. Nevertheless, in many phases one had the feeling that the Gunners have underperformed somewhat, the real goals scored are also below the goals expected. With a much better striker due to arrive in the summer, more can be extracted here.
Arsenal: Just don’t fall behind
Arsenal’s statistics at West Ham in recent years have been impressive. The Gunners, who love to play against these opponents anyway, have only lost one of 13 away games. Away from home, however, there is still some catching up to do this season, with seven of the eleven defeats conceded by the Arteta eleven away from home.
A sore point for Arsenal this season is trailing. Only once have the Gunners been able to turn around a 0:1 deficit, and this must improve in the coming months. In general, Arsenal also have the fewest draws of all the Premier League clubs on their record, only sharing the points three times. The confidence for a win is high, yet the defence always offered something recently. Therefore, before the West Ham vs Arsenal match, our value tip is that both teams will score.
Predicted Arsenal line-up:
Ramsdale – Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Cedric – Xhaka, Elneny – Smith Rowe, Ödegaard, Saka – Nketiah
Last matches played by Arsenal:
Premier League
23/04/2022 – Arsenal FC 3 – 1 Manchester United
21/04/2022 – Chelsea FC 2 – 4 Arsenal FC
16/04/2022 – Southampton 1 – 0 Arsenal FC
09/04/2022 – Arsenal FC 1 – 2 Brighton
05/04/2022 – Crystal Palace 3 – 0 Arsenal FC
West Ham – Arsenal Tip
Both teams have had a good season, both are still hoping for the crowning glory. Arsenal are more realistic at the moment, even if West Ham still have a chance to finish the season well. The division of roles is clear, however, with the visitors being favoured.
Because of the current situation of both teams, our tip in the run-up to the match between West Ham and Arsenal is that the visitors will walk off the pitch as winners in the end.
