The London derby is always an exciting one, but you get some weirdness if you rank Arsenal vs West Ham as a pre-season top-six clash. But these two clubs look like they have what it takes to stay in that group as West Ham (4th, 28th) head down the road to face Arsenal (6th, 26th) at the Emirates.
Arsenal will be without striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the second consecutive game The club stripped the 32-year-old player the captain’s armband and suspended him from this match as a disciplinary measure. Instead, Alexandre Lacazette will take on the role of captain with Granit Xhaka as vice-captain for the foreseeable future.
After an eight-match unbeaten streak, Arsenal have had contrasting results with three wins and three losses in the last six. With two of the defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United, the Gunners will want to show they can compete with the strongest teams in the league. Victory over fourth-placed West Ham will help Arsenal overtake their rivals for a sought-after spot in the Champions League.
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For West Ham, while a defeat to a direct competitor would be a temporary setback in their Champions League quest, a win is quite the opposite. The Hammers’ form is going downhill after a goalless draw against Burnley last time out, but victory could completely reverse their fortunes, dragging them all four points above fifth-placed Manchester United.
How to watch Arsenal vs West Ham
- Day: Wednesday, December 15
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Channel: NBCSN
- Spanish TV: University
- Streaming online: fuboTV (7 days free trial), NBCSports.com (authenticated user)
The match will be broadcast by NBCSN (English) and Universo (Spanish), with both channels stream on fuboTV, available to new users on free 7 day trial.
The match can also be streamed on NBCSports.com to verified cable, satellite or telecom subscribers.
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Arsenal vs. squad news. West Ham
Without Aubameyang for the second consecutive game, new captain Lacazette will probably be the front man boot. Martin Odegaard is in good form, taking on the role of number 10.
Emile Smith Rowe was absent from the 1-2 loss to Everton, but was able to get a spot on the bench in the last match against Southampton. So coach Mikel Arteta will have a choice to make on the left wing if Smith Rowe is available to start from there. Gabriel Martinelli performed well in the absence of the young English player.
Expected Arsenal starting line-up (4-4-1-1): Ramsdale – Tierney, Gabriel, White, Tomiyasu – Smith Rowe, Xhaka, Partey, Saka – Odegaard – Lacazette
News about West Ham’s squad is not too positive. While Aaron Cresswell is someone who has the ability to come back from back problems after three games out in the open, Ben Johnson, Kurt Zouma, Ryan Fredericks, and Angelo Ogbonna All are still sidelined with various injuries.
The biggest choice facing manager David Moyes is which player to deploy in the No 10 role. Pablo Fornals had been a mainstay in that role for most of the previous season Manuel Lanzini came on early in the last two games, although Fornals replaced Lanzini on the bench for the final 10 minutes of both games. Lanzini scored one goal in a nasty win over Chelsea, but was largely ineffective against Burnley in a goalless draw.
Expected starting line-up for West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski – Masuaku, Diop, Dawson, Coufal – Rice, Soucek – Benrahma, Fornals, Bowen – Antonio
Predictions and odds between Arsenal vs. West Ham
Odds by DraftKings
While Arsenal may be baffled by their captain’s very publicly embarrassing behavior, West Ham go into the game with a point to prove. The Hammers won against Liverpool (3-2) and Chelsea (3-2), but they also dropped points to inferior teams late in the game. However, West Ham will have no problem preparing for this game as they have proven themselves against some of the other top teams around them in the standings: wins against Tottenham and Leicester City, and losses. a goal not equalized against Manchester City and Manchester United .
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Although Arsenal are the favorites at home, it’s a tight match as the bookies still offer plus odds on all three cashflow outcomes. Arsenal also have odds plus half-goal odds, while West Ham get plus odds on pick’em. Goals were also expected in the match, with both teams scoring popular goals, although West Ham were knocked out by Burnley last time out.
While a draw could offer good value, it could also aid Arsenal’s Odegaard, who is returning to form for Arsenal. The Gunners’ creative force has been surprisingly without an assist this season, but he has scored a goal in each of the last three games as his hard work finally paid off in front of the net. He’s looked like a quality player in most of the games this season, and there’s no reason why he can’t have a big impact this game, even on set pieces.
Pick: Draw +265, Odegaard 2+ hits the target +320
Guess: Draw 1-1
- Cash flow: Arsenal +115 / Draw +265 / West Ham +225
- Spread: Arsenal -0.5 (+115) / West Ham +0.5 (-135)
- Total goals is O/U 2.5: Over -120/Under +100
- Both teams scored: Yes -155/No +120
