It is a side languishing in mid-table up against a team pushing for the top four when West Brom visit Arsenal on Saturday but Gunners fans will be horrified by the fact that they are the also-rans.
A mediocre home record has played its part in that with just three wins from seven Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium so far this season.
Arsene Wenger knows that must change as soon as possible and the bookmakers rate their chances here – Arsenal are 4/9 (1.44) favourites with bet365 to pick up three points in this one.
That’s unlikely to prove straightforward against a West Brom side that has grabbed plenty of attention this season with their crisp counter-attacking and impressive organisation.
That success has been built on their home record, however – Albion have won just twice away from the Hawthorns and that’s reflected in the price of 13/2 (7.50) with bet365 for a Baggies triumph.
But they did manage to beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in September 2010. That was the Gunners’ first league defeat of that season and a repeat of that 3-2 win is available at 50/1 (51.00) here. The draw can be backed at 10/3 (4.33).
West Brom can certainly be expected to cause problems rather than limply surrender – while they have no clean sheets on their travels, they have also failed to score just once on the road.
Five of their seven away games have featured over 2.5 goals, as have the majority of Arsenal’s home fixtures. Over 2.5 goals can be backed at 8/13 (1.62) with Bet365.
But the better price is to back both teams to score. That’s happened in six of Albion’s seven away matches and – again – in the majority of Arsenal games in front of their own fans.
Both teams to score is the pick of the bets and is available at 4/5 (1.80) with Bet365.
For the value bet, that price for a Baggies win just looks far too chunky for a team five places higher in the league. After all, this isn’t a blip – we are in December.
Arsenal have lost their last two and are on a run of four without a win. Admittedly, Albion have also lost their last two but the last time that happened they promptly won four on the bounce.
The value pick is to back West Brom to win at 13/2 (7.50) with Bet365.
| BET |
OF THE |
DAY |
| BEST BET |
VALUE BET |
| Both teams to score at 4/5 (1.80) with Bet365 |
West Brom to win at 13/2 (7.50) with Bet365 |
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Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here - you can also follow Adam on
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