West Brom vs Arsenal Preview – Predicted Line-ups, Player Index, And Prediction

West Brom vs Arsenal – Saturday 12:45pm

West Brom vs Arsenal – Saturday 12:45pm

West Brom fell to a 2-0 to league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend, with Diego Costa and Eden Hazard supplying the finishing touches to further extend their lead at the top of the table.

Saido Berahino has been grabbing plenty of headlines this season and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows us exactly why he’s been so valuable for the Baggies this term. He leads the West Brom squad for total attempts on goal with 24, 62.5% of which have been on target. Berahino is 9/4 to score at any time with 888sport.com.

Midfielder Craig Gardner may lead the West Brom squad for fouls with 22, but he’s been more than making up for it with some of his tackle stats this season. He’s won an excellent 75.4% of his 57 attempted challenges so far this term.

Joleon Lescott has lost none of his bite since arrived at The Hawthorns. The big centre-half leads the West Brom squad for blocks this season (6) and is currently only one of two Baggies players this season to have moved into triple figures for defensive contributions (105) (clearances, interceptions, blocks, tackles won), the others being Craig Dawson and Craig Gardner (144 and 109 respectively).

Despite dominating for large periods of the game, Arsenal were unable to finish things off against Manchester Utd as Kieran Gibbs scored an own goal and Wayne Rooney supplied the winner, despite an Olivier Giroud consolation strike.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been approaching something like his best form in recent weeks, his pace and quick thinking providing all sorts of problems down the flanks for opposition defenders. He ranks third in the league, behind only Eden Hazard and Erik Lamela, for dribbles according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, with 38 to his name.

Summer signing Alexis Sanchez has been one of the stars of the season so far for Arsenal, his electric feet and incredible workrate already making him a favourite in the stands. However, it is not just how many times he manages to get in a position to shoot, but how often he works the goalkeeper when he does so. Of the players in the top ten in the league for attempts on goal, only Chelsea’s Diego Costa has a better shot accuracy rate that the Chilean forward, who has hit the target with 72% of his 25 attempts on goal this season. Sanchez is 13/10 to score at any time this weekend with 888sport.com.

Continuing to focus on Arsenal’s attacking players, Danny Welbeck has been in strong form in front of goal since moving from Old Trafford in the summer. However, he has also been showcasing the industrious defensive attitude he has become known for throughout his career. As well as his 24 attempts on goal, he has also won 84.2% of his 19 attempted tackles.

West Brom:

League Form: LDDWLL

Possible starting lineup: Foster; Wisdom, Dawson, Lescott, Gamboa; Dorrans, Morrison, Gardner, Brunt; Berahino, Anichebe

Arsenal:

League Form: LDWWLL

Possible starting lineup: Martinez; Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Flamini, Ramsey; Sanchez, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Welbeck

Prediction

West Brom 1 Arsenal 2

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars with at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate team.