West Ham v Arsenal Preview

Arsenal haven’t lost in any competition since the opening day of the season but this impressive run hasn’t always been mirrored in their play. There have been plenty of high points but they were flattered by the scoreline against Bournemouth last week and were slightly fortunate to escape Old Trafford with a draw.

Arsene Wenger’s team are striving for efficiency this season. In terms of shots per game (adjusting for game state) they are averaging only 14.6 shots per90, seventh best in the league. The caveat is only 37% are coming from outside the box, only Chelsea have been pickier this season.

Good quality shot locations see Arsenal convert a massive 47% of their shots on target into goals but is this sustainable? If one high quality shot is saved or missed that doesn’t leave much margin for error. There is a sweet spot between quantity and quality and I fear Arsenal are tending too far towards the latter.

For all the moaning about the London Stadium, West Ham have only lost twice at their new ground in the Premier League and will be boosted by last weekend’s draw at Old Trafford. This should be a close game and West Ham are value at odds-against (13/10 Bet365) in the double chance market.