West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal - Premier League preview and odds

Published on: 17/03/2017

West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal - Premier League preview and odds

March 18, 2017 12:30 pm - The Hawthorns

Premier League

West Bromwich Albion will look to break a two-game losing streak when they entertain a down-in-the dumps Arsenal side at the Hawthorns on Saturday lunchtime. The Baggies still have half an eye on seventh spot, while the Gunners are targeting another top four finish.

West Brom still progressing despite recent blip

The early season calls from Tony Pulis` dismissal now seem a distant memory now as West Bromwich Albion attempt to close in on seventh place Premier League finish. The often divisive boss has weathered yet another storm and has rewarded his owner`s faith with a strong season in the top flight.

With 40 points already on the board, the club is looking upwards rather than down and appear to have built some solid foundations under the former Stoke and Crystal Palace manager. However, the Baggies did seem to take their foot off the gas once the mythical 40-point tally had been achieved. As a result, seventh place now seems a long shot especially with Everton looking in good form heading towards the run-in.

Salomon Rondon has now gone 13 games without finding the net and that will be a concern for the Midland side who have failed to score in their last two outings.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will be under pressure to grab all three points on their trip to the Hawthorns. The Londoners are currently sat in fifth place in the Premier League following a 3-1 defeat to top four rivals Liverpool at Anfield last week. Prior to that they were rocked by a devastating 10-2 aggregate exit from the Champions League at the hand of Bayern Munich just over a week ago. With Arsene Wenger feeling the heat, he will be looking for a response from his players.

The Gunners have scored in each of their last 17 matches and 69% of their matches had over 2.5 goals scored in total. In addition, they have netted in 92% of their away matches including their last 12 in a row.

Team news

The home side will have to make do without Matt Phillips who is suffering from a hamstring problem. Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (thigh) and Santi Cazorla (Achilles) will both miss out for the visitors, while Mohamed Elneny (ankle) remains a doubt.

Recent form (League)

West Bromwich Albion: LLWDW

Arsenal: LWLLW

Betting odds and tips

Despite their recent woes, Arsenal have a decent record against teams outside of the top seven and have yet to lose to such a team away from home. Therefore, the Gunners should win but they might make a bit of a meal of it by conceding at least one goal in this game.

Back Arsenal to win and Both Teams to Score at 5/2 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 17/03/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (17/03/2017 14:55:44) but are subject to change.