ARSENAL stopped the rot in the final few weeks of 2020 and will be hoping to set the tone for a much happier new year with a win at struggling West Brom.
The Gunners went eight domestic games without a win to spark a winter of discontent that led to serious debate about the future of boss Mikel Arteta.
But they bounced back off the ropes on Boxing Day with a derby win over Chelsea, with the Blues failing to justify my faith in them but two of my other tips coming up.
Arsenal followed it up with a battling 1-0 win on the road at Brighton, helping to bring up my deadly double, and will be confident of making it three wins in a row at the Hawthorns.
West Brom have yet to win under new boss Sam Allardyce and the optimism arising from a 1-1 draw at Anfield was quickly blown away as they crashed 5-0 at home to Leeds in midweek.
How the bookies view it
West Brom are rank outsiders and most firms make them 5/1 for a win. The best price for Arsenal is 4/6 at SportNation while the stalemate is 33/10 at SBK.
Recent head to head
The Hawthorns hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal of late and they haven't won on their last three visits. It ended 1-1 when the teams last faced off in December 2017 (below) and West Brom won the two home meetings before that.
It has been a different story at the Emirates, with the Gunners winning their last seven games against the Baggies there.
Players to watch
Arsenal's return to form has coincided with Gabriel Martinelli's comeback from long-term injury. The Brazilian has added some much-needed flair in attack and is 17/10 with 888Sport for anytime scorer.
On-loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher looks a great prospect and has netted twice for the Baggies this season. He's a massive 11/1 with SportingIndex for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
West Brom have conceded three goals or more in their last three home games so the Gunners could grab a few. Over 1.5 Arsenal goals is 4/6 with McBookie while Bet365 offer 6/4 on Arteta's side scoring in each half.
Jake Livermore saw red on Allardyce's dugout debut against Villa but there has only been one booking in their two games since then. So I'm drawn to under 3.5 cards which pays 4/5 at Bet365.
The first goal has been scored in 30 minutes or less in the last seven West Brom games and that makes the 17/20 on offer at McBookie for the deadlock to be broken inside the first half hour great value.
This English Premier League match between West Brom and Arsenal will be played on Jan 2, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best West Brom vs Arsenal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
