Arsène Wenger has been famed in his feuding with Chelsea boss José Mourinho, with much of the frustration stemming from Wenger’s terrible record against Mourinho. Currently, however, Wenger is the happy one after securing a narrow 1-nil victory over Chelsea in the Charity Shield. The Gunners will aim to carry that momentum into their London derby with West Ham on Sunday.
Slaven Bili? delighted many Hammers fans by returning to West Ham as manager after being viewed as a fan favourite during his playing days. But the Croatian manager is already raising questions as the club struggles to battle through Europa League qualifying. This leaves them vulnerable ahead of playing Arsenal.
Expectations
Wenger will roll with the same central midfield trio that earned him his first victory over the special one. Expect Francis Coquelin to play as the anchor, complemented by Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla on either side.
A more interesting prospect, however, is whether Wenger really believes that Theo Walcott can function as his main striker. There were plenty of instances last season when having Olivier Giroud on the pitch opened up opportunities for the rest of the team, while also scoring goals himself. There is no way Walcott can do it for an entire season.
Bili? has been solid yet unspectacular in his prior managerial roles in which she took charge of Croatia, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Besiktas. Fans along the way loved him, but his teams never particularly excelled. And the fact of the matter is that managing West Ham in the Premier League is the toughest of all of those jobs.
West Ham have conceded easily against inferior opponents in Europa League qualifying and have not been overly effective in attack. This game comes at a terrible time for the Hammers, who would prefer weaker opponents to start the season against.
Match Tips
Tip one: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.57 with ladbrokes
Tip two: Arsenal and over 2.5 goals @ 1.72 with ladbrokes
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