After finishing second last season in the Premier League to Leicester City, Arsenal fans will be looking for another strong season this term. They currently stand third in the league, and Wenger’s lads are only 2pts behind a Manchester City team that have kicked off the season like a house on fire.
The Emirates Stadium seems to be a challenging place to visit. The lesser teams struggle there, even though Liverpool did a seriously good job at pulling Arsenal’s teeth, when they scraped through with a 4-3 win. Swansea City is a team in crisis. They never really recovered after losing managers Brendan Rodgers and then Garry Monk, plus the Swans eventually decided not to appoint Ryan Giggs after dispensing with Francesco Guidolin.
Can Swansea deny The Gunners?
It is really tough to state a case for Swansea on Saturday, and new manager Bob Bradley is walking straight into a baptism of fire in this fixture. Swansea has only picked up 4pts all season and is currently fourth from bottom of the league on goal difference from West Ham.
It seems certain that this fixture will arouse the attention of all those punters that fancy having Arsenal as part of their accumulator. So where is the value? Most betting firms have Arsenal as short as 2/7 with both Stan James and Sky Bet offering those odds. Many people may even think that price represents value and will give Swansea no chance.
What Price the Swans?
BetVictor offers a best priced 12/1 on a Swansea City victory. That’s not a bad price considering that Southampton only lost 2-1 at The Emirates a short while ago. Arsenal can be notoriously inconsistent and a better wager could come from one of the other markets.
For example, do you fancy Arsenal to dominate possession? Do you also fancy Arsenal to be frustrated? If so then why not back the draw at 5/1? Once again BetVictor is the best price in that market as it stands.
Will Bradley get his tactics right?
There couldn’t be a stiffer test for US coach Bob Bradley to have in the Premier League for his opening game. Swansea will hardly touch the ball for long periods of the game. They are many peoples’ pick to be relegated this season. Turbulent seasons tend not to make for consistency, and this is what is required in order to stay in the league.
Added Incentives
Any negative result on Saturday could see Swansea drop into the bottom three. From that position, it is difficult to see them anywhere else but in the bottom six for the rest of the season. The key will be the first twenty minutes. If Arsenal scores quickly, then this result could become embarrassing for Swansea.
However, should Swansea get to half-time nil-nil, then they’re in with a chance. A big added incentive for Arsenal in this game is the chance to go top of the league. If Manchester City slips up at home to Everton, this is precisely what could happen.
If you think that Arsenal at home to Swansea is a home banker then place your bet. You may find it difficult this season to get a bigger gap between the home and away side than in this fixture. This is both in terms of league position and player confidence. However, Swansea City have absolutely nothing to lose and they may just cause a shock……just don’t count on it!
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