Arsenal vs West Ham United Predictions

• Nuno’s first 21 games at Forest saw BTTS land on 16 occasions
• Eight of his 10 away trips during his first season at Forest also finished with both teams scoring
• West Ham’s midfield looks notably more direct under their new boss, allowing their wide players to target gaps in Arsenal’s defence
• Gyokeres has scored 40 times in his last 36 home league games

Bright start for Nuno

While his dugout debut did little to return West Ham to their overreferenced way, Nuno’s arrival has improved the Hammers’ hopes of survival. West Ham picked up a 1-1 draw with Everton in their first game under their new manager, following a dismal start under Graham Potter.

While West Ham had less possession at Everton than in their final game under Potter, the Hammers made more progressive passes and carries in Monday’s clash. While that might not delight the fans who yearn for a more attractive style of play, it should make West Ham more effective going forward.

Visitors have the potential to cause problems

One interesting change from their loss to Palace was who Nuno trusted to progress the ball. Potter’s side relied on centre-halves Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman to drive forward and make passes, but Nuno’s side looked to midfielders Lucas Paqueta and Mateus Fernandes, with support from their full-backs.

The setup of Nuno’s side could be a concern for Arsenal. While the Gunners have made a brilliant start at the back, the one point of weakness looks to be out wide. Their full-backs tend to drift inside during the build-up, before pushing out wide in the final third. That will leave gaps for West Ham’s wingers, especially now that their full-backs are pushing on and their beefed-up midfield looks a little more direct.

Nuno’s arrival brought expectations that he’d sort their defence, but a look at his Forest reign suggests the odds-against price on both teams to score holds some appeal. After Nuno arrived in December 2023, both teams scored in 16 of Forest’s final 21 games, including eight of their 10 trips. Last season, his Forest side scored in 84% of their away games.

A managerial change helped West Ham to a 1-0 win at the Emirates last year, while they’ve scored in four of their last five visits. Bowen has a goal or an assist in his last three away clashes with Arsenal, so West Ham can trouble a solid Arsenal backline.

Perfect game for Gyokeres

That loss to West Ham is the kind of game Mikel Arteta will expect to avoid after adding Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish forward hasn’t made the difference in any of their big games just yet, but he’s scored three times across home meetings with Leeds and Nottingham Forest.

The Swede has a brilliant record when it comes to scoring at home, netting 37 times in 32 home league games for Sporting. He also scored 22 goals in 46 games at home for Coventry, so getting him just shy of evens to score anytime in a fixture like this probably won’t happen the deeper we get into the campaign.