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EPL Betting – West Ham at Arsenal

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

West Ham (+1100) at Arsenal (-333), Draw (+475)

After their win over Chelsea in the FA Community Shield, Arsenal will start the 2015-16 English Premier League season with a ton of confidence when they host West Ham United at Emirates Stadium this Sunday (8:30 AM Eastern).

The last time the Gunners won the Premier League title was back in 2003-2004 when they finished the season undefeated. Since then, the team has been stuck in a bog of mediocrity. Arsenal finished in third in the table last season, but were a full 12 points behind the champions, Chelsea. This year, Arsenal fans are expecting more than just a ticket to the Champions League; they’re looking for the Gunners to seriously challenge for the league title.

“We have the needed ingredients to succeed but we have a tricky start with two London derbies”, said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger according to the Telegraph. “We’re ready for a fight and we’re motivated to start well. One of our targets is to start strong.”

The first derby mentioned by Wenger comes against West Ham, which finished a very mediocre 12th last season with 47 points. Their season was saved by a Europa League promotion, but now a thin roster will have to deal with four tournaments at the same time. Making matters worse, the team has long struggled against Arsenal, losing the last ten in a row.

Manager Slavan Bilic knows that Arsenal’s speed will make it difficult to buck the trend.

“They are the quickest team in the league and are very dangerous in breaks. They have improved as a unit defensively”, said Bilic in his pre-game presser. “They are on a high and are confident but we are confident we can go there and play good football and get something.”

With West Ham juggling their matchup with Arsenal and a Europa League game on Thursday, expect an invigorated Gunners team to come out on top, making it 11 straight over their cross-town rivals.

Pick: Arsenal (-333).

(Photo credit: Singha94 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

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