Arsenal - West Ham 22-02-2025

Arsenal come into this match with an impressive home record, having gone 12 straight league games without defeat on home soil. With a goal difference of 27-10 and 28 points gained in those games, they have proven to be one of the league's strongest home teams.

Meanwhile, Liverpool dropped 2 points in midweek, giving Arsenal a golden opportunity to reduce their lead in the title race. With momentum on their side and a solid defensive structure combined with efficiency in front of goal, they can put pressure on the league leaders with a win here.

Arsenal

Arsenal are among the very best home teams in the Premier League this season, and as mentioned initially they have gone 12 straight league games without losing at their beloved Emirates. With 28 points out of a possible 36, Arsenal have been extremely effective in front of their home crowd. This has also been crucial in keeping pace in the title race against a Liverpool team that has looked unbeatable for a long time now, and who are proving that the margins at the top of the table are small.

As for the injury situation at the hosts, it is anything but cheerful, because with hamstring injuries to both Saka and Martinelli from earlier, there was not a good atmosphere among the supporters when Arsenal went on a 10-day training camp in Dubai, and during this stay, what had to happen happened, Kai Havertz pulled his hamstring, and then Arsenal suddenly found themselves without any real alternative at the top. But away against Leicester last time, midfielder Merino suddenly turned out to be just as dangerous as Havertz up front, so I expect him to get renewed confidence from the start on Saturday.

West Ham

In their 12 away games so far they have only collected 13 points and are 13-20 on goal difference, which gives an average of 1.08 goals scored and 1.67 conceded so far. Graham Potter was brought in after the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on January 4th but apart from a 3-2 win against Fulham, West Ham fans have not had the restart they might have hoped for, and they have since lost to Palace, Chelsea and Brentford. So I can't quite see them coming into this tough match with a positive feeling.

When it comes to the injury situation for the visitors, it is almost identical to the home team in terms of lack of offensive options. Fullkrug, Antonio, Summerville and now most recently Paqueta are all out with injuries, so who will be responsible for the offensive contributions in this match will be the big question?

Conclusion

Arsenal come in here as heavy favourites knowing that Liverpool will be playing away to Manchester City on Sunday, and I think this could add even more motivation. If they win here and Liverpool drop points at the Etihad, they will suddenly be only 5 points behind with one game less played, and I personally think Arsenal are looking a bit sharper in the important games now, as the 5-1 thrashing of City proved.

I find little value in Arsenal winning at 1.23 at Norsk Tipping, but on the other hand, the bet I end up with seems tempting.

England at 16:00: Arsenal - West Ham: Arsenal -1 Handicap 3-way (1.77)