PREMIER LEAGUE: The Striker previews the bumper return to Premier League action on Boxing Day with a preview for each match, FACTMAN stats and a recommended BETDAQ bet.
BRENTFORD V TOTTENHAM
12.30pm The Premier League returns with a blockbuster Boxing Day on BETDAQ Betting Exchange! It’s a swift return to action after the World Cup which only finished last Sunday, but it’s great to be back. We kick off the action with Brentford hosting Spurs, and no doubt all eyes will be on Harry Kane who missed the penalty to go 2-2 with France. He is a strong character who should bounce back well, but surely things like that weigh on you for a while, and then it’s such a quick turnaround there was no time to even reflect on how the World Cup went. As I said before we went to the World Cup, it will be interesting to see how things play out over the next few weeks because we’ve never had a winter World Cup before. You forget what the headlines were around teams before the break, and manager would have had time to reflect on the set-up and tactics of their sides. We could see some very different looking teams now – and one of those sides could be Spurs because they went into the World Cup conceding a lot of goals. Conte definitely won’t be happy with that – they conceded 11 goals in their last five matches however they did have a reasonably tough fixture list having had to play Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool.
They lost three of their last five games, and then the wins over Bournemouth and Leeds weren’t overly convincing either. They had to come back from 2-0 down against Bournemouth, and then were 3-2 down against Leeds going into the final ten minutes. I suppose those type of wins show good fighting spirit, but surely conceding that volume of goals is a worry. The big question here is can Brentford take advantage of that – they went into the World Cup with a shock 2-1 win over Manchester City, but that came off a poor run where they failed to beat Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Aston Villa. The win against Manchester City was definitely a shock, but their performance was top class. They finished the game with an xG of 3.33. Spurs have definitely struggled more away from home this season, and while I couldn’t put anyone off a Spurs lay at 2.0 but Over 2.5 goals stands out here at 1.84. This game screams goals on paper – both sides have been involved in high scoring games, and neither of them are solid at the back either. I wouldn’t even by surprised to see four or more goals, but Over 2.5 goals looks nice value to welcome back the Premier League!
The Striker Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.84 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BrtTot
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● Brentford are winless in their last 13 meetings with Tottenham in all competitions (D4 L9), since a 2-0 home win in the second tier in March 1948.
● Tottenham have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five meetings with Brentford in all competitions (W3 D2), with Lloyd Owusu in a 1998 League Cup match the last Bees player to net against them.
● Tottenham have won just one of their last 15 away London derbies in the Premier League (D6 L8), and are winless in their last nine (D3 L6) since a 1-0 win at Fulham in March 2021.
● Brentford have lost just two of their last 13 league Boxing Day games (W7 D4), though they did lose 2-0 at Brighton in the Premier League last season.
● Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 15 league Boxing Day games (W12 D3) since a 2-0 loss at Portsmouth in 2003. In English league history (top four divisions), only Aston Villa have ever had a longer run without defeat on 26th December (20 between 1890 and 1913).
● Brentford are looking to win consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May, following their 2-1 win at Man City before the World Cup break. The Bees have lost just once in seven home league games this term (W3 D3), going down 3-0 against Arsenal in September.
● Tottenham have conceded 11 goals in their last five Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 14 combined. They’ve conceded at least twice in each of these five matches – only once have they conceded 2+ goals in six consecutive Premier League games, doing so in April/May 2003.
● No player has scored more Premier League goals on Boxing Day than Tottenham’s Harry Kane (9, level with Robbie Fowler), with the England striker scoring on all six of his appearances on this day.
● Only Erling Haaland (5) has scored at least twice in more different Premier League games than Brentford’s Ivan Toney so far this season (3), with Toney netting both goals in the Bees’ 2-1 win at Man City in their last match.
● Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has scored three goals in his last three Premier League games, including a brace in Spurs’ 4-3 comeback win against Leeds last time out. It’s as many goals as the Uruguayan had netted in his previous 161 appearances in European league football.
CRYSTAL PALACE V FULHAM
3pm It’s a busy afternoon with four games kicking off at 3pm, the first of which is Crystal Palace hosting Fulham. Both of these sides will be recently happy with their start to the season – they are sitting around mid-table with 19 points but Fulham have played one game more compared to Crystal Palace. Fulham started the season as one of the favourites to go down, not quite certain to be in the relegation battle but definitely in the mix, and they must have been absolutely delighted to be sitting within the top half of the table as we reached the World Cup. They have created a lot of chances going forward, but when you look at the under0linging numbers there are concerns. At the moment, they are conceding an average xG of 2.1 per game in the Premier League; that is much too high, and eventually teams will start scoring more goals against them unless they improve. I’m sure during the World Cup that is what the management has been working on, so let’s see how they have improved here. Crystal Palace are another side that I have concerns about looking at their under-lining numbers. They are conceding more chances than they are creating, and that’s never ideal. They come into this game as the clear favourites, but the 2.14 feels much too short here.
It’s going to be hard to find a better bet from a value point of view than the Palace lay at 2.14. When I look at this game I fully expect a closer game than the odds suggest. While Fulham have been conceding a lot of chances at the back – Palace are only creating an average xG of 1.2 per game this season, so it’s likely Fulham can “get away” with being average at the back. Palace went into the World Cup off a loss to Nottingham Forest which was poor, and they weren’t impressive in their final home game beating Southampton 1-0. They actually conceded a higher xG than they created in that game, and with Fulham creating a lot I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar story here. Fulham haven’t played too badly away from home this season either – they have had a tough fixture list already played Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City away and were respectable in every game. I feel they can get a result here, and the 2.14 lay is a nice position to have.
The Striker Says:
Two points lay (liability) Crystal Palace to beat Fulham at 2.14 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/CryFul
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last five Premier League meetings with Fulham (W3 D2) since a 4-1 home loss in October 2013.
● Fulham have failed to score in three of their four Premier League away games against Crystal Palace (W1 D1 L2), with the exception being a 4-1 victory in October 2013.
● Fulham have won just one of their last 28 Premier League London derby matches (D5 L22), beating Brentford 3-2 earlier this season. They’ve scored as many goals in their four derby matches this season as they had in their previous 14 in the top-flight (6).
● Crystal Palace have won just one of their last seven Boxing Day games in the Premier League, losing the last two by a 3-0 scoreline. They last lost three consecutive league games on this day between 1999 and 2001.
● Six of Fulham’s last eight Premier League Boxing Day games have been draws, with the exceptions being a 3-1 loss to West Ham in 2010 and a 2-1 win at Norwich in 2013.
● Crystal Palace have won each of their last three Premier League home games – they’ve not won four in a row at Selhurst Park in the top-flight since December 1990.
● Fulham have lost their last two Premier League games, with both defeats coming courtesy of 90th minute winning strikes from the opposition. No side has ever lost three consecutive Premier League games thanks to 90th minute winning goals before.
● Fulham have scored more cross-assisted goals than any other side in the Premier League this season (9). Seven of the Cottagers’ 24 goals so far have been headed, the highest share of any side in the division (29.2%).
● 147 of Wilfried Zaha’s 300 off the ball runs for Crystal Palace in the Premier League this season have seen a teammate trying to find him (49%), the highest percentage of targeted runs by any player to make at least 100.
● Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored in each of his last three Premier League London derby matches, having scored in just one of his first 17 such games.
EVERTON V WOLVES
3pm Next we have a massive relegation battle as Everton host Wolves. Most Premier League fans would look at these two clubs and say that they are “too good to go down” and that is because they have been in the mix for European spots not too long ago. Things change quickly in football though, and now they are very much in the mix to go down to the Championship. At the moment, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are trading odds on to go down, but Bournemouth have more points than both these sides, and Nottingham Forest have more than Wolves. Even if Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth end up getting relegated, it’s still highly likely that one of these will go down too. You’re probably only looking at Southampton in the mix too, so it’s clear both these clubs are in danger. Wolves are sitting rock bottom at the moment, and while they will be expected to improve on that their stats are very poor. They are conceding an average xG of 1.5 per game in the Premier League which isn’t the worst figure, but their problems have been up front. They just aren’t creating enough to win games. Their average xG created is 1.1, but they aren’t even taking those chances – they are scoring an average of only 0.4. They clearly have big issues, and it would be a massive setback to lose this game too.
Everton went into the World Cup sitting just outside the bottom three. They start the day only one point ahead of Nottingham Forest, and only four ahead of Wolves. When you look at the table you can really see just what a big game this is – it’s a proper relegation six pointer isn’t it! Everton actually got themselves into a decent position but they lost massive ground in the weeks going into the World Cup with losses to Leicester and Bournemouth. That’s put them under pressure, and they actually have worse stats than Wolves. They are conceding an average xG of 1.9 per game and only creating 1.2. They clearly still have issues at the back – it will be interesting to see how this games plays out with Wolves limited up front and Everton poor at the back. Everton will be pleased to have home advantage, but they do look short at 2.44. We have an open market, but I expected it to be more open to be honest. I don’t want to rely on Wolves so I’m keeping stakes very low here; however I do expect a closer game than 2.44 suggests on Everton and they are a value lay in my opinion.
The Striker Says:
One point lay (liability) Everton to beat Wolves at 2.44 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/EveWol
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● Everton have lost their last two Premier League games against Wolves, as many as they had in their previous 12 (W5 D5). They last lost more consecutively against them between 1957 and 1960 (a run of five).
● Wolves won this exact fixture 1-0 in March last season – only once have they won consecutive league visits to Everton, doing so in February 1960.
● This is the fifth time Everton and Wolves are facing in a league match on Boxing Day, with the other four all taking place at Molineux Stadium between 1901 and 1974. Wolves have won three of the previous four fixtures, losing only in 1904.
● Everton have won their last three Boxing Day league games, last having a longer run between 1984 and 1990 (7).
● Wolves are winless in their last seven top-flight Boxing Day games (D2 L5) since beating Birmingham 2-1 in 1978. This is their first fixture on this date since the 2018-19 campaign (1-1 at Fulham).
● Everton have won just one of their last seven league games (D1 L5), failing to score in five of their last six. Indeed, the Toffees have failed to score in 13 Premier League games since Frank Lampard’s first game in charge in February, with only opponents Wolves (14) doing so more in that time.
● Wolves have lost seven of their last nine Premier League games, taking just four points from a possible 27 (W1 D1). This is their first Premier League game when starting the day bottom of the table since their final game of the 2011-12 campaign (2-3 vs Wigan).
● This will be new Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui’s first ever Premier League game in charge, the 12th different Spanish manager to feature in the competition. Just one of the previous 11 has lost their first game, with Unai Emery losing 2-0 to Manchester City with Arsenal in August 2018.
● Including caretakers, none of the last 10 managers to take charge of Wolves in the top-flight have won their first such game (D3 L7). Julen Lopetegui will be aiming to be the first manager to win his first top-flight game in charge of Wolves since John Barnwell in November 1978.
● Alex Iwobi – who leads the way for chances created (27), through balls (7) and assists (5) at Everton this season – has scored more Premier League goals against Wolves (3) than any other opponent. The Nigerian has netted in three of his last four in the competition against them.
LEICESTER V NEWCASTLE
3pm We have some very interesting games kicking off at 3pm, and this looks the pick of them. Leicester went on a great run heading into the World Cup to get out of the relegation battle, while Newcastle put together a five game winning run and a longer run unbeaten to sit third in the table ahead of the World Cup. It’s fair to say that the World Cup came at a very bad time for both these sides – especially Newcastle who had beaten Spurs and Chelsea within their last four games, while scoring eight goals in the other two games! Leicester will say the same however, especially given how poor they were at the start of the season and they won four of their last five games, with the loss coming against Manchester City. It will be interesting to see do these sides pick up where they left off, and that’s just the type of question we have with the first ever winter World Cup. There’s no getting away from the fact that Newcastle have been superb this season, and I really feel they can challenge for a Top Four spot now. I thought they could just move up towards the Europa League spots, maybe 7th or so this season, but their improvement has been rapid.
Not only are Newcastle getting results, their performances have been top notch too. That’s the impressive thing. They have created an average xG of 2.0 per game in the Premier League this season and conceded just 1.2. They are conceding less goals than they should, but other than that their results pretty much reflect their performances. With Liverpool and Manchester United having their own problems this season, there is definitely a window there for Newcastle to make a challenge. How they re-start the season will obviously be very important, and this game will be a good gauge to see their performance level. As I said above, Leicester went into the World Cup playing well but they have been playing average football in general this season. In their wins over Leeds and Wolves, they actually conceded a bigger xG than they created – but in fairness they played well then against Manchester City, Everton and West Ham. Newcastle have offered us a lot of value this season though, and the 2.3 is once again worth backing here – I’d have them a couple of ticks shorter.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Newcastle to beat Leicester at 2.3 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/LcrNew
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● After winning just three of their first 17 Premier League meetings with Newcastle (D5 L9), Leicester have now won nine of their last 13 against the Magpies (L4).
● Newcastle have won two of their last three Premier League games against Leicester (L1), as many as they had in their previous 10 (L8). They’ve won three of their last five at the King Power Stadium, but have lost the other two by 5-0 and 4-0 scorelines.
● Since returning to the Premier League in 2014, Leicester have won just one of their eight games played on Boxing Day (D1 L6), with that coming in 2018 against eventual champions Manchester City.
● Newcastle have lost their last six league games played on Boxing Day, since beating Stoke 5-1 in 2013. The last team to lose more consecutively on this day in the top four tiers of English football were Walsall (7 between 1949 and 1957).
● Having conceded 22 goals in their opening seven Premier League games this season, Leicester have conceded just three in their last eight, keeping six clean sheets in the process. The Foxes are looking to win three consecutive league games for the first time since January 2021.
● Newcastle are on the longest current winning run in the Premier League, emerging victorious in each of their last five. They last won six in a row in the top-flight in March/April 2012 under Alan Pardew.
● Only Claudio Ranieri and Graeme Souness (7 each) have managed more Premier League games on Boxing Day without ever winning than Newcastle boss Eddie Howe (5 – D3 L2).
● This will be Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers’ 300th Premier League game in charge, just the second Northern Irishman to reach this number after Martin O’Neill (359). Each of the last four managers to reach 300 Premier League games have lost their milestone match, most recently Roy Hodgson in November 2019.
● Leicester’s Harvey Barnes has scored six Premier League goals this season (including four in his last five games), only netting more in 2020-21 (9). He’s scored in all five of Leicester’s Premier League wins this season, one of just two players to score in every one of his side’s wins this term (along with Leeds’ Rodrigo).
● Miguel Almirón has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League games for Newcastle, with the Paraguayan scoring seven and assisting Joe Willock’s winner against Chelsea last time out.
SOUTHAMPTON V BRIGHTON
3pm We finish the 3pm games with Southampton hosting Brighton. I have to say I wondered how Brighton who do without Graham Potter but they have done well so far – they actually went into the World Cup with the same amount of points as Chelsea! They put together three nice wins against Chelsea, Wolves and Arsenal (in the Cup), but losing to Aston Villa at home before the World Cup was a very disappointing result. They played poorly too; only finishing the game with an xG of 0.89. Considering Aston Villa have looked average all season, that was a worrying performance. It would have been hard to adjust after losing Potter, but I’m sure the World Cup break has allowed the club decent time to get everything in order. Southampton are a side who re-start the season in trouble. They are sitting in the bottom three, and Nottingham Forest jumped over them with a win in their final game heading into the World Cup. Southampton have put together three losses just at the wrong time – although in fairness to them they did have to play Newcastle and Liverpool in that run. With home advantage they will be looking at this game as a good chance to collect some points, but they simply need to improve.
At the moment Southampton have very similar stats to Wolves who are sitting two points behind them in bottom place. With sides sitting in the relegation zone, you’d expect them to be conceding more chances than they are creating but the reality is Southampton are only averaging an xG of 1.1 this season which won’t win many games when you are conceding 1.6. There is hope for Southampton though because they aren’t scoring the amount of goals they should and they are also conceding more goals than they should based on their performances. They can improve, but they need to start picking up points. I don’t see that starting here though, and I’m happy to take the 2.22 on Brighton. When you look at the under-lining numbers there is only one winner here – Brighton are creating an average xG of 1.9 per game this season which is impressive. I know they do have issues converting their chances, so I’m limit stakes a little.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Brighton to beat Southampton at 2.22 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/SouBri
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● Southampton have lost just one of their 10 Premier League meetings with Brighton (W3 D6), going down 2- 1 at home in March 2021.
● Brighton have never lost away to Southampton in the Premier League, winning one and drawing four of their five visits to St Mary’s in the competition.
● The home side has never won in 10 previous Premier League games between Southampton and Brighton (D6 L4) – no fixture has been played as often without the home side ever winning (Bournemouth v Watford also 10).
● Southampton have lost just one of their last 10 Boxing Day league games (W7 D2), going down 5-2 at Tottenham in 2017. At home, Saints are unbeaten in six Boxing Day games (W4 D2) since a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in 1999.
● Brighton beat Brentford 2-0 on Boxing Day last season, ending an 11-game spell without a league win on this day (D4 L7). However, they’re winless in their last six away from home on Boxing Day (D1 L5) since beating Norwich 1-0 in 2002.
● Southampton have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games (D2 L7), scoring just six goals in this run and never more than once in a game. Saints have also kept only one clean sheet in their last 21 league games, and are the only Premier League side without a home shutout this season.
● Having kept three clean sheets in their first four Premier League games this season, Brighton have since kept just one in their last 10. The Seagulls’ last four league games have produced a total of 17 goals (F9 A8), at an average of 4.3 per game.
● This will be Nathan Jones’ first home Premier League game in charge of Southampton. Just one of the last eight Saints managers to take charge of the club in the top-flight has won their first such home game (D5 L2), though it was the most recent one, with Ralph Hasenhüttl beating Arsenal in December 2018.
● Che Adams has scored twice as many Premier League goals as any other Southampton player this season (4). However, all four of his strikes have come away from home, making him the highest scoring player yet to score at home in the competition so far this term.
● No player has scored more away goals in the Premier League this season than Brighton’s Leandro Trossard (5), while no Seagulls player has ever scored more than five on the road in a single Premier League campaign.
ASTON VILLA V LIVERPOOL
5.30pm Next we have Aston Villa hosting Liverpool. Usually this game would come with the narrative of Steven Gerrard facing his old club, but Aston Villa took the decision to sack him; which to be honest wasn’t the wrong one when you looked at their performances. I was surprised to see Unai Emery take over, as you’d have to say Aston Villa is probably a step down from Villarreal in La Liga but that just shows the pull (and the money) that the Premier League has at the moment. Emery should do a good job at Villa, if he is supported in the transfer market of course, and he got off to a flying start with a 3-1 win over Manchester United and then followed that up with a win against Brighton. With those two wins, the World Cup probably came at a bad time because Villa could have rode that good momentum wave for a little longer but I’d expect to see them improve under Emery from the level they were playing at under Gerrard. Liverpool re-start their season with plenty of questions. Manchester United get a lot of stick these days, but Liverpool are actually two points behind them, and a six points behind Spurs sitting in fourth. We all know Liverpool can be brilliant, but they have been conceding way too many sloppy goals this season.
Klopp surely can see they have huge issues at the back, and it will be very interesting to see what changes he has made with extra time to think during the World Cup. From the outside looking in, they simply haven’t recovered from losing Mane, and they need a replacement in the January transfer window – easier said than done though. Liverpool will be expected to win here by most casual fans, but I actually think they’ll have a difficult time. The 1.8 looks on the short side based on how many goals they have conceded this season. The scary thing for Liverpool fans too is that they should have conceded more. Their average xG conceded in the Premier League this season is 1.7, but their actual is 1.2 per game. You don’t win many games conceding two goals per game! I’m going to keep stakes very small here, but I’d expect Villa to make life difficult for Liverpool and the 1.8 is worth a small lay.
The Striker Says:
One point lay (liability) Liverpool to beat Aston Villa at 1.8 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/AvlLiv
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● Aston Villa have lost eight of their last nine Premier League meetings with Liverpool, with the exception being a 7-2 win in October 2020.
● No Premier League fixture has been won by the away side as often as Aston Villa vs Liverpool (21), with Liverpool’s 15 wins at Villa Park their most at a single away ground in the competition.
● Liverpool have won 92 of their 188 previous league meetings with Aston Villa – in English league history, only Arsenal have beaten an opponent more often (99 vs Everton).
● Aston Villa have won four of their last six league games on Boxing Day (L2), as many as they had in their previous 23. However, they did lose 3-1 at home to Chelsea on this day last season.
● Liverpool have won their last five Premier League Boxing Day games by an aggregate score of 15-0, including all four games under Jürgen Klopp. Indeed, only Mauricio Pochettino (5/5) has a better 100% Premier League win rate on Boxing Day than the German (4/4).
● Aston Villa have won three of their last four Premier League games (L1), more than they had in their final 15 under Steven Gerrard (W2 D5 L8). They’re looking to win three in a row for the first time since March.
● Liverpool have won their last two Premier League games, and are looking to win three in a row for the first time this season.
● Aston Villa have won both of their Premier League games under Unai Emery so far – no manager has ever won their first three league games in charge of the Villans in the club’s history.
● Only Gareth Barry (18) and Frank Lampard (17) have played more Premier League games on Boxing Day than Liverpool’s James Milner (14), whose first ever goal in the competition came on this day 20 years ago, as a 16-year-old for Leeds United against Sunderland.
● Aston Villa striker Danny Ings has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 26. Ings has also been involved in 10 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances against sides he’s previously played for in the competition (7 goals, 3 assists).
ARSENAL V WEST HAM
8pm We finish Boxing Day with the shortest price of the day as Arsenal host West Ham! We actually have a very competitive day of action, the shortest price is only 1.57 which isn’t massively short football betting wise. Arsenal got a huge boost heading into the World Cup with Manchester City losing their final game – I said a month before the World Cup it would be a great achievement for Arsenal if they went into the tournament still sitting top of the table. Now their title challenge is very, very real as they sit five points clear as we re-start the season. Manchester City are still trading 1.5 to win the title but you have to be impressed with Arsenal this season. Not many were taking their title challenge seriously in the beginning; but in fairness they did have an easy fixture list, and every game we are still questioning when the wheels are going to come off. So far though, the wheels are very much on and their performances have been top notch. They are creating an average xG of 2.0 per game this season while only conceding 0.9 – exceptional stats and they have controlled most games. They have rode their luck at times of course, but being able to “win dirty” is a skill too – a skill that Arsenal have lacked for many years. Let’s be honest, when they came under pressure away from home they usually just folder like wet cardboard. Arteta has done his best job in that department; giving them belief and a backbone.
They will be a popular selection at 1.57 here, and I would recommend them for any Betdaq Multiple on Boxing Day too. West Ham have been very poor this season after challenging for the European spots over the last two seasons. They re-start the season sitting down in 16th, only one point away from the relegation zone. Who knows, they might even drop into it at some stage. West Ham just haven’t been scoring goals this season and while they aren’t conceding a host of chances, with their problems up front they just aren’t getting results. They were pretty average against Crystal Palace and Leicester before the World Cup, and with Arsenal having home advantage this looks an routine home win. The break might have done West Ham good, but Arsenal have been playing too well this season not to win here. They are the most confident bet of Boxing Day.
The Striker Says:
Four points win Arsenal to beat West Ham at 1.57 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ArsWes
FACTMAN MATCH STATS
● Since losing three in a row against West Ham between February 2006 and April 2007, Arsenal have lost just two of their last 28 Premier League games against the Hammers (W21 D5). Indeed, the Gunners have only beaten Everton (35) more often than West Ham (34) in the competition.
● West Ham have lost 11 of their last 12 Premier League away games against Arsenal, with the exception being a 2-0 win on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 campaign.
● This is the third time Arsenal and West Ham are meeting in a Premier League match on Boxing Day, with the Gunners winning 1-0 at home in 1998 and 3-1 away in 2013.
● Arsenal have won their last 10 Premier League home games on Boxing Day, and are unbeaten in their last 13 at home on this day since a 2-0 loss against Nottingham Forest in 1987.
● West Ham have won just one of their last eight Boxing Day league games (D3 L4), beating Swansea City 4- 1 in Wales in 2016.
● Arsenal have won each of their last nine Premier League home games, with six of these coming this season. Victory here would equal their longest winning home run from the start of a top-flight campaign, also winning their first seven in 1934-35, 2005-06 and 2017-18.
● Arsenal have won their last three Premier League games by an aggregate score of 8-0 – they’ve not won four in a row without conceding since April/May 2014.
● West Ham have lost their last three Premier League games, last losing four in a row within the same campaign back in August/September 2018. The Hammers have lost 11 Premier League away games in 2022, their most on the road in a single calendar year since 2013 (12).
● West Ham manager David Moyes has lost more away games against Arsenal in all competitions than he has any other opponent (17), while he’s only faced Chelsea (23) on the road more often without ever winning than he has the Gunners (21).
● Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has scored 10 goals in his last 10 starts in all competitions at the Emirates, notching his 10 goals from just 15 shots on target. Before this run, Nketiah had netted three goals in his first 10 starts for Arsenal at the Emirates.
