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The Premier League returns this weekend after the international break, Arsenal travel to The Hawthorns to face a West Brom side that have lost their last two Premier Leagues games. The Baggies have only won once at home this season, which will give Arsene Wenger and his side some confidence as they will be looking to get over that disappointing performance against Spurs, which saw them miss out on going two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
Although Arsenal looked below average in the North London derby, they will be boosted by the returns of Alex Oxlade – Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey and Hector Bellerin, who have all been missing due to injuries. The returning players will certainly give Arsene Wenger more options to choose from, especially in attack where they seemed to struggle against Tottenham.
History suggests this should be a comfortable victory for the Gunners. West Brom’s last victory over Arsenal came in 2010 in a 3-2 win at the Emirates, however Tony Pulis will be hoping his side can cause an upset and end their poor run against the Gunners.
Despite Arsenal’s impressive defensive record this season, they will have to be wary of West Brom’s attacking talent. Saido Berahino is an obvious threat with his pace in behind the defence, but another man the Gunners will have to look out for is Salomon Rondon. The striker joined the club for £12 million in the summer and has scored three goals in ten appearances in the league so far. With Rickie Lambert also at the club, the Baggies have plenty of attacking options who all pose a threat to Arsenal’s defence.
An uncertainty for the game is Arsenal’s star man Alexis Sanchez. It had been reported that the Chilean was struggling with a calf injury during the international break, however Sanchez still started the game against Uruguay which resulted in a 3-0 defeat. It has been evident that the forward is struggling with fatigue despite the man himself hitting back at the claims that he’s lacking energy. It will be interesting to see whether Wenger starts his star man after playing the full 90 minutes against Uruguay on Tuesday. With the likes of Ramsey and Chamberlain back, this could be the perfect opportunity to give the winger a rest.
Predicted starting line ups:
West Brom:
Myhill, Dawson, Evans, Olsson, Brunt, McClean, Fletcher, Yacob, Berahino, Sessegnon, Rondon
Arsenal:
Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscienly, Monreal, Cazorla, Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil, Chamberlain, Giroud
