Arsenal - West Brom: Relieve the pressure
After two consecutive matches without a win, Arsenal are facing the risk of losing their Champions League ticket. Tonight's match against West Brom, a team with no motivation to compete, is an opportunity for the Gunners to regain their inspiration and at the same time secure their position in the Top 4.
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This season, whenever Arsenal are pushed into a difficult position, they play explosively. This can be clearly seen in the Gunners' stormy period in mid-March. After two consecutive defeats against Watford and Barcelona, they became spectators in the FA Cup and Champions League. During that period, manager Arsene Wenger was under terrible pressure. A group of fans often entered the stadium with banners demanding the French coach's resignation.
However, in that ambush situation, Arsenal played with a resolute spirit. They won convincingly at Goodison Park against tough opponents Everton. Then they won 4-0 against Watford to pay off the debt in the FA Cup.
The Gunners are now in a difficult position. After two consecutive games without a win, Wenger and his team are at risk of being caught by Man United, which means their ticket to the Champions League next season is threatened. Now is the time for fans to wait for Arsenal to play with the spirit of fighting back from a corner, as has been their habit this season.
Arsenal are no longer threatened by injury. The "wounded soldiers" such as Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Santi Cazorla have all returned to training and can play when needed. Motivation will be an important factor for Wenger's team when they step onto the Emirates Stadium tonight.
Meanwhile, this is the problem of their opponents West Brom. After reaching the 40-point mark (the number of points considered safe for teams racing to avoid relegation) in early April, West Brom have been playing very poorly. They have lost two consecutive matches recently with a superficial attitude.
Hosting a West Brom team that has lost motivation is an opportunity for Arsenal to regain their winning streak.
The lack of a goal to strive for has led West Brom players to play more spontaneously. They no longer adhere to the maximum tactical discipline, the factor that made the club strong in the 2015/16 season.
In the past, Emirates Stadium has always been a scary destination for West Brom. In the last 7 visits to this stadium, they have been defeated 6 times. With the current correlation between the two teams, West Brom will hardly avoid being crushed in the upcoming match with Arsenal.
EXPECTED LINEUP:
Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Elneny; Sanchez, Oezil, Iwobi; Welbeck.
West Brom: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Chester; Sessegnon, Fletcher, Yacob, McClean; Rondon, Berahino.
INFORMATION:
- Arsenal: Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla have recovered. Oxlade-Chamberlain is injured.
- West Brom: Chris Brunt and James Morrison are injured.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in Asia in 5/8 recent matches.
- West Brom lost 2/5 recent Asian matches.
- Arsenal won 6/10 of the most recent confrontations with West Brom according to Asia.
SPECIAL:
Odd total goals: In the last 5 matches of West Brom, 4 matches ended with an odd total number of goals. 4/5 recent confrontations between Arsenal and West Brom also had a number of goals not divisible by 2. This is the basis to believe that an odd total number of goals will appear in this match.
PREDICTION: 3-0
According to bongdaplus