Arsenal v West Ham predictions, odds and betting tips: Gunners can triumph in high-scoring derby

Paddy Power are offering £40 in free bets on the Arsenal v West Ham fixture. You can grab your free bet here. We’ve included instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

Where to watch Arsenal v West Ham

You can watch Arsenal v West Ham in the Premier League on December 28, live on Amazon Prime Video at 8.15pm on Thursday

Match prediction & best bet

Arsenal & both teams to score
1pt 15-8 bet365, Betfair, BoyleSports

You can bet on Arsenal v West Ham here and get £40 in free bets with Paddy Power

Arsenal v West Ham odds

Arsenal 1-3
West Ham 9-1
Draw 19-4

Odds correct at time of publishing

Arsenal v West Ham team news

Arsenal
Jurrien Timber (knee), Thomas Partey (thigh), Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) and Fabio Vieira (groin) are ruled out and Kai Havertz serves a one-game ban.

West Ham
Michail Antonio (knee) misses out but Nayef Aguerd and Maxwel Cornet (both illness) should be back in contention.

Arsenal v West Ham predictions

Arsenal were the Christmas Day leaders in the Premier League for a second successive season and they can guarantee top spot for the end of 2023 by defeating West Ham at the Emirates.

The Gunners are involved in a pair of London derbies for their final fixtures of the year, starting with a home clash against the Irons and finishing with Sunday's trip to Fulham, and victory in either if those games would see them close out the year ahead of Liverpool, who are in action at home to Newcastle on New Year's Day. However, Mikel Arteta is sure to be targeting six points to apply maximum pressure on their title rivals. 

Arsenal will be wary of West Ham, who have shrugged aside Declan Rice's departure to get into the mix for a top-seven finish.

The Hammers finished top of Europa League Group A, earning themselves a place in the round of 16 and a break from European competition until the middle of March. And, after a frantic few months, West Ham seem to be relishing the opportunity to focus solely on domestic matters.

David Moyes's side have won three of their last four Premier League fixtures and are chasing a second success of the season against Arsenal, who were beaten 3-1 at the London Stadium in the EFL Cup fourth round.

Arsenal could have no complaints over their EFL Cup exit, which was heavily influenced by Arteta's decision to rest several first-team regulars. The Gunners are likely to be a different proposition this week although they will be forced into at least one change with Kai Havertz serving a one-match suspension.

Arteta has the option of making further tweaks, but he seems highly likely to stick with the bulk of the players responsible for the strong weekend performance which secured a well-deserved 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

Arsenal returned from Anfield with just a single point but their front-foot approach sent out a message that they are prepared to go anywhere and trust in their ability to secure a positive outcome.

In the months ahead they have no need to be fearful of any away trip, but it is equally important that they maintain the long-established habit of piling up points on home soil.

Arsenal amassed 45 home points last season and are on course to do even better after taking 23 points from a possible 27 this term.

They have scored at least twice in eight of their nine home league games and will probably need multiple goals against the Hammers because a clean sheet could be tricky to achieve.

West Ham have netted on eight of their nine Premier League road trips and have every chance of finding the back of David Raya's net, but it may not be quite enough to avoid a seventh league loss of the season.

Key stat

Arsenal have scored at least two goals in nine of their last ten Premier League home games

Probable teams

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Trossard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Kiwior, Cedric, Nelson, Elneny, Jorginho, Walters.

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta; Bowen.
Subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Fornals, Mavropanos, Cresswell, Ings, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Benrahma.

Inside info

Arsenal

Star man Bukayo Saka
Top scorer Bukayo Saka/Eddie Nketiah
Penalty taker Bukayo Saka/Martin Odegaard
Card magnet Ben White
Assist ace Bukayo Saka
Set-piece aerial threat Gabriel

West Ham

Star man Lucas Paqueta
Top scorer Jarrod Bowen
Penalty taker Lucas Paqueta
Card magnet Edson Alvarez
Assist ace James Ward-Prowse/Lucas Paqueta
Set-piece aerial threat Tomas Soucek

Arsenal v West Ham bet builder predictions

Arsenal to win
Arsenal have collected 23 points from nine Premier League home games and should be too strong for West Ham, who have the worst defensive record (30 goals conceded) among the top eight

Over 3.5 goals
Seven of the last 12 matches between the clubs have generated at least four goals and it seems likely that the high-scoring trend will continue

Edson Alvarez to be carded
Tough-tackling Mexican Edson Alvarez has been carded in seven Premier League games and could overstep the mark at the Emirates

Pays out at 15-2 with Paddy Power

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