Latest EPL standings as well as fixtures and results are found below the predictions.
Arsenal continue their bid to salvage something from another dispiriting English Premier League season when they face lowly West Brom at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.
The Gunners’ status as top four regulars has bitten the dust in recent years as they morph into the model of inconsistency.
Arsene Wenger departed, Unai Emery came and went, but there has been little discernable uptick since the installment of former midfielder Mikel Arteta in the dugout.
They start the weekend ninth in the EPL table having played a game more than many around them and face the prospect of missing out on European football altogether next season.
That footballing nightmare took a step closer to reality on Thursday when Emery came back to haunt them, steering his Villareal side to an aggregate victory over the Londoners in the Uefa Europa League semi-finals.
Arteta’s side did at least pick up a win at Newcastle in the league last weekend, keeping them just above the likes of Aston Villa and Leeds in midtable obscurity.
Veteran defender David Luiz, who looks to be running down his contract, could be sidelined with a niggle, as might Granit Xhaka.
Kieran Tierney and Alexandre Lacazette should both be fit for action following their respective spells on the sidelines.
West Brom need a win if they are to stand any chance of cobbling together a miracle escape from relegation.
Wise old managerial sage Sam Allardyce has been unable to salvage a grim start to the campaign, leaving Baggies fans questioning the wisdom of sacking incumbent Slaven Bilic.
Early April brought a glimmer of hope in the shape of a flabbergasting 5-2 win at Champions League-chasing Chelsea and a 3-0 stuffing of Southampton at the Hawthorns.
They’ve only lost once in five all told, but defeat at Leicester followed by draws against West Midlands foes Aston Villa and Wolves haven’t been nearly enough to haul them out of the mire.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles won’t line up against his parent club, while Allardyce is also without veteran ex-Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
Robert Snodgrass is also a doubt at the other end of the pitch, with the Black Country club fast running out of Premier League road.
Arsenal vs West Brom: By the numbers
- Coming into this game, Arsenal has picked up 7 points from the last 5 games, both home and away. That’s 1.4 points per game on average. BTTS has landed in just 1 of those games. Arsenal has scored 6 times in the last 5 fixtures.
- Things have not been going that well in front of goal for Arsenal recently, with the side failing to score in 2 of the last 5 games. Will the manager change his tactics today, or throw in another forward?
- Just 1 of the last 5 games for Arsenal has ended with both teams scoring. They have won 2 of those 5 games. Overall, BTTS has landed in 15/34 games for Arsenal this season.
- Coming into this game, West Bromwich Albion has picked up 8 points from the last 5 games, both home and away. That’s 1.6 points per game on average. BTTS has landed in an intriguing 3 of those games. West Bromwich Albion has scored 11 times in the last 5 fixtures.
- West Bromwich Albion has put together a good run of form and has now gone 2 games without defeat.
- It’s possible we will see a couple of goals here, with the last 5 games for West Bromwich Albion ending with 2 goals or more being scored.
- West Bromwich Albion will be looking to keep up the momentum today against Arsenal, having lost just 1 game from the last 5. They have won 2 and drawn 2
- West Bromwich Albion has fired blanks in 16 games this season. That’s 47% of games where they have not been able to find the back of the net. Do they need a new forward? In the last 5 games, they have scored an intriguing 11 goals.
- In the last 5 matches for West Bromwich Albion, 3 of those games has ended with both teams scoring. This season 15 matches (44% of all matches) involving West Bromwich Albion has seen BTTS landing.
Arsenal vs West Brom: Prediction
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.
Arsenal vs West Brom: EPL starting XI prediction
Probable Arsenal Starting XI: Bernd Leno, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kieran Tierney, Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Alexandre Lacazette.
Probable West Brom Starting XI: Sam Johnstone, Darnell Furlong, Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley, COnor Townsend, Matheus Pereira, Conor Gallagher, Okay Yokuslu, Matt Phillips, Callum Robinson, Mbaye Diagne.
Find?all English Premier League predictions, fixtures and results for 7-10 May 2021?here.