Arsenal vs West Ham United prediction, odds and betting tips

Arsenal and West Ham United will go head-to-head in a London derby on Thursday evening.

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Arsenal vs West Ham United odds

Find the latest match odds for Arsenal vs West Ham United. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

⚡Quick Arsenal vs West Ham United betting tips

• Arsenal to win and both teams to score - 15/8 with bet365
• Over 2.5 goals -4/7 with bet365
• Emerson Palmieri to be shown a card - 15/8 with bet365

Arsenal vs West Ham United predictions

By virtue of the festive fixture scheduling, Arsenal head into this meeting with West Ham United in second place in the Premier League.

But a victory on Thursday would restore Mikel Arteta’s men to top spot. That is the prize Arsenal are eyeing.

The Gunners remain second-favourites to win the title this term, behind Manchester City. But while the bookies prefer the champions’ chances, Arsenal’s players will believe that this is their year.

In a strange way, the consensus seems to be that Arsenal are better equipped to win the league this season than they were last, despite the fact they have not been quite as impressive in the first half of 2023/24 as they were in the opening 19 games last time out.

A victory in this match would move Arsenal onto 43 points at the midway point of the campaign. At the same stage of 2022/23, they had 50 points to their name.

Arsenal would need to score nine goals against West Ham to equal their tally from the first half of last term, while even a clean sheet in the upcoming London derby would only see Arteta’s side match the corresponding defensive record in 2022/23.

Arsenal fell away in the second half of last season. From March onwards, they were outperformed not only by Manchester City but also by three other teams in the division.

There looks to be a greater steeliness to this team, however, and the experience of last year will have done them good.

So while Arsenal can only get to 43 points in the first half of the current campaign, they may well be - relatively speaking - in a better position than they were after 19 rounds of fixtures in 2022/23.

�� Arsenal vs West Ham United betting tips

Arsenal can retake top spot in the Premier League by beating West Ham United on Thursday night.

Arsenal to win and both teams to score - 15/8 (bet365)

Arsenal are one of four Premier League teams yet to lose at home this season. They have won seven and drawn two of their nine encounters at the Emirates Stadium so far, as well as triumphing three times out of three in the Champions League.

Given that record and their overall quality, it is no surprise that Arsenal are strong favourites to pick up maximum points on Thursday. But West Ham’s chances should not be dismissed out of hand.

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Somewhat quietly, David Moyes’ men have been climbing up the standings of late. They head into this contest in seventh place, just four points adrift of fifth (which will probably be enough to qualify for the Champions League this term).

Since the middle of November, only Bournemouth have collected more points per game than West Ham. They have also scored in all but one of their last 13 matches in all competitions.

We fancy West Ham’s chances of breaching Arsenal’s backline at the Emirates Stadium. Avoiding defeat will be more difficult, however.

Over 2.5 goals - 4/7 (bet365)

Arsenal’s football this season has not always been as free-flowing as it was in the first half of 2022/23. But the Gunners have still scored in 24 of their 26 games in all competitions this season, and both of the blanks they drew were away from home.

Arteta’s team have scored an average of 2.44 per Premier League match at the Emirates. Only Aston Villa and Manchester City have better records in that regard.

West Ham certainly know where the goal is too, especially now that Moyes has found his best front three. 

Jarrod Bowen is thriving in a central role, flanked by the creative duo of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus. It makes for one of the most talented attacking units in the entire league.

Moyes may be a tactically conservative manager by nature, but with the attacking quality on display in north London, goals are on the cards.

Emerson Palmieri to be shown a card - 15/8 (bet365)

A regular complaint of Arsenal fans is that Bukayo Saka does not receive adequate protection from Premier League referees. 

The England international has certainly been on the receiving end of some robust challenges this season, as he was in previous campaigns.

At the time of writing, only Jordan Ayew, Bruno Guimaraes and Paqueta have been fouled more often than Saka in 2023/24.

Emerson Palmieri will be the latest left-back tasked with keeping the 22-year-old quiet. Needless to say, that is easier said than done.

Emerson has received seven yellow cards this season. Only Nicolas Jackson and Joao Palhinha have had their names taken by Premier League officials more often.

The Brazil-born Italy international will have his hands full up against Saka at the Emirates. Do not be surprised if he is booked by referee Michael Oliver.

�� How to watch Arsenal vs West Ham United

• Location: Emirates Stadium, London, England.
• Date and time: Thursday 28 December 2023, 8.15pm.
• How to watch: Amazon Prime Video.

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

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