WBA vs Arsenal Preview, Team News, Likely XI’s, Travel Guide, Prediction & Betting

Arsenal will be looking to get their Premier League season back on track when they take on West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.

We head into the game off the back of consecutive league defeats to Swansea and Manchester United which have left us sitting down in eighth place in the Premier League table with just 17 points from 12 games – which is our worst start to a campaign in over 20 years.

However, we got back to winning ways with an impressive 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night to book our place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

It was certainly one of our best overall displays of the season so hopefully that result will restore some confidence to the squad and act as a catalyst for a positive run of form over the coming weeks.

West Brom started the season very well but have fallen away in recent weeks and come into the match having lost their last two fixtures to leave them sitting in 13th position in the table – just three points above the drop zone.

A 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle United before the international break was followed up by another 2-0 defeat away at Chelsea last weekend, so Alan Irvine will be desperate to get back to winning ways in front of their own fans.

Team News

Our injury woes show no sign of relenting as we head to the Midlands with a lengthy injury list.

Jack Wilshere has been ruled out for three months after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury he suffered against United while Mikel Arteta is also out with a calf problem.

Wojciech Szczesny hasn’t trained all week due to a pelvic injury he picked up last weekend so Emiliano Martinez is expected to once again start in goal as David Ospina remains out with a thigh injury.

Danny Welbeck faces a late fitness test on a swollen knee while Yaya Sanogo is also a doubt due to a hamstring complaint he suffered in midweek, so Olivier Giroud is on stand-by to start after making his comeback last week.

Laurent Koscielny is back in contention but Arsene Wenger has hinted he may give the Frenchman more time to fully recover from an Achilles injury, meaning Nacho Monreal could continue at centre-back.

Theo Walcott is out with a groin injury so he joins Mesut Ozil, Mathieu Debuchy, Serge Gnabry and Abou Diaby on the sidelines.

West Brom have cleared Saido Berahino to play despite the striker being arrested for speeding and drink-driving during the week.

James Morrison is a doubt with a sickness bug but with Claudio Yacob starting a three-game ban following his sending off against Chelsea, the midfielder may have to start.

Sebastien Pocognoli is a doubt with a hamstring injury but Jonas Olsson is certain to miss the game due to an Achilles problem.

Likely Line-Ups

Travel Guide

Thousands of Arsenal fans will follow their team to the Midlands tomorrow and thankfully West Brom is a relatively easy place to visit for those London-based Arsenal fans as it’s a two hour trip up the M1 and M6 to Birmingham. We’ve come across this fantastic Infographic that offers fans a useful travel guide ahead of their trip which includes travel information, details of where to park near the stadium, where to grab a quick bite to eat on your journey or near the Hawthorns, as well as some useful-to-know stats about this fixture. Check it out:

Predicted Score

West Brom 1-2 Arsenal: The Baggies have looked off the pace recently and were soundly beaten by Chelsea last weekend, while Arsenal showed signs of getting back to form against Dortmund. If we can reproduce the performance of Wednesday night, we’ll certainly win, and I’m backing us to edge this one tomorrow.

Betting Tips

Arsenal are the favourites to pick up three points tomorrow at odds of 14/5 and Alexis Sanchez is on offer at odds of 5/1 to open the scoring, which both look like decent bets. For those who want some more excitement, why not combine Sanchez to score first with a 2-1 Arsenal win – which is on offer at very tempting odds of 47/1. Surely that’s got to be worth a couple of quid!?

BACK ARSENAL TO WIN 2-1 AT ODDS OF 17/2  – NEW CUSTOMERS BET £10 GET £20 FREE

What team would you like to see start and whats your predicted score for the game?