SlipsTips examines the Bet Builder market ahead of West Ham’s encounter with Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
West Ham vs Arsenal (Saturday, 17:30)
Both coming into this London derby off the back of impressive wins in the Premier League on matchday 12, West Ham United and Arsenal square off at the London Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Hammers eased the pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui by producing a clinical performance to defeat Newcastle 2-0 at St James’ Park on Monday night.
As for Arsenal, they swept aside Nottingham Forest 3-0 last Saturday before ruthlessly cutting apart Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League in midweek.
With Mikel Arteta’s men overwhelming favourites to make it three wins on the bounce this weekend, I'm instead going to propose a player-based Bet Builder double in East London on Saturday evening.
Emerson To Commit 1+ Foul
I’m kicking off the even-money (1/1) Bet Builder with West Ham’s Emerson to commit a minimum of one foul. The Hammers left-back is averaging one foul per 90 in the Premier League this season. He has been particularly prolific on the fouls front in West Ham’s home games this term, giving away a combined total of eight fouls across his six outings at the London Stadium thus far. Dig a little deeper, and the 30-year-old has made multiple misdemeanours in the Irons’ home games with Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton.
Emerson will be assigned arguably the toughest job on the pitch on Saturday evening as he tries to keep Bukayo Saka quiet. The Gunners talisman is a player who regularly finds himself on the receiving end of robust challenges. Saka has drawn a team-high average of 2.27 fouls per-game in this season’s Premier League, earning his side multiple free-kicks in all but two of his 11 top-flight outings this term to date.
It’s also worth noting that Saka was upended twice during Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night. Thus, the aforementioned Emerson will almost certainly have his hands full on Saturday evening, making him a prime candidate to commit a foul.
Martin Odegaard To Be Fouled 1 Or More Times
For the second half of the Bet Builder, I’m opting for Martin Odegaard to be fouled on at least one occasion during this all-London affair. It would appear that the Gunners' recent revival has coincided with the return of their captain from injury. While Odegaard‘s influence has been immediately apparent from an attacking and creative standpoint, he continues to have a knack for drawing free-kicks from Arsenal's foes.
The classy Norwegian playmaker has been on the receiving end of a foul in each of his three starts for Arsenal since checking out of the treatment room. In fact, Odegaard has earned the Emirates outfit a free-kick in all five of his Premier League appearances this season so far.
The Arsenal skipper is likely to be targeted by West Ham’s Tomas Soucek on Saturday evening. The towering Czech midfielder has totted up a combined total of five fouls across his previous five top-flight appearances.
Recommended Bet
- Emerson to Commit 1+ Foul
- Martin Odegaard To Be Fouled 1 or More Times
Bet Builder – 1/1 (Betfair)
Freelance Sports Writer and Betting Analyst with over five years experience. I’ve written football and darts betting content for some of the biggest betting websites and newspapers in the UK. With a strong passion for the fascinating world of Scottish football, I also regularly feature in Nutmeg, the much-loved Scottish football magazine. Falkirk season ticket holder and avid watcher of football and darts, whether it be UK-based or further afield. Feel free to follow me on X @SlipsTips
