When Unai Emery read the Premier League fixtures he was probably wondering who he had upset, with Arsenal up against Manchester City and Chelsea in their first two games. There is no real hunger for immediate success under Emery this season, but despite that he would have loved to have a much easier start to gain some confidence and get the fans on his side. Arsenal lost both of those two games, but they now head into a far easier spell beginning this Saturday and they will be looking to put a winning run together.

Between now and the end of October, here are the fixtures coming up in the league for The Gunners:

West Ham (H)

Cardiff (A)

Newcastle (A)

Everton (H)

Watford (H)

Fulham (A)

Leicester (H)

Crystal Palace (A)

Arsenal have a great chance to really get going with those fixtures, and will be looking to win at least six of the eight games in this period. After two losses, winning six would certainly calm the nerves and ease Unai Emery into his new job properly. While success may not be required this season, Arsenal are still one of the top teams in the Premier League and they have to show their dominance when playing the smaller teams in the league.

West Ham visit this Saturday as the first game of this eight game run, and this looks to be an ideal opportunity for Emery and his players. Not only can The Gunners win this game, but they can win it in style and put in a good performance for the fans.

What is Happening at West Ham?

The past twelve months have not been kind to West Ham, and there has been plenty for their fans to get upset and angry about. The move to the Olympic Stadium was supposed to be what propelled them to the next level, but actually it has dragged them down and they are in danger of really struggling this season and being part of the relegation battle.

Off the field troubles overshadowed everything last season, with fan protests and even an occasion where some of them went onto the pitch to vent their frustrations at the board. Traditionally West Ham are a very proud club, but what we saw last season was embarassing for them, and something that must be sorted.

This season, things on the field have not got off to the best of starts, with a home loss to Bournemouth and a thumping away at Liverpool leaving them in 19th with 0 points. Just when they could do with a nice and easy game to get something on the board, they have a trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal, a daunting task for anyone, but especially for West Ham with how they are playing right now.

The fans will want to remain optimistic, but with the issues surrounding the club for a long time now, coupled with recent form and the opposition they are taking on this weekend, it will be a huge surprise to see West Ham take anything from this game.

Back The Gunners to Win With Ease

This looks like being a very comfortable afternoon for Arsenal, and not only do I think they can win this game, but I think they can win it with ease, covering the handicap line. The bookmakers have made the handicap line at -1, meaning to cover this Arsenal have to win by two goals or more. This is something I can see them doing, and a score line of 3-0 or 3-1 would not be a surprise to me.

West Ham will be desperate to get something on the board soon, but this game does not look like being where they find something. They are struggling, and Arsenal can pile further misery on them with an attacking display good enough to score three or maybe even four past The Hammers.

The price on a straight Arsenal win here does not appeal, so instead we will be using the handicap line for value. Arsenal -1 is priced up at 1.93 with the bookmakers, they need to win by two goals or more to make this bet a winning one, and this is something I think they will do with ease.

 

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