Arsenal head to resurgent West Ham & Wagner looks to stun Chelsea – Midweek Premier League Preview

December 12, 2017
Henry Jackson

There’s a full midweek feast of Premier League action to look forward to over the next two days, as a busy December in the top flight continues.

Liverpool were left deeply frustrated on Sunday afternoon, as a terrible Everton side held them to a richly undeserved 1-1 draw at Anfield.

The Reds have a good chance to respond on Wednesday, however, as an out-of-form West Brom outfit make the trip to Merseyside.

Elsewhere in Gameweek 16, Man City beat Man United at Old Trafford to all but wrap up the league title already, going 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Chelsea were defeated 1-0 at West Ham, which was a real turn up for the books, while Arsenal were held 1-1 at Southampton.

Bottom-place Crystal Palace drew 2-2 at home to Bournemouth, with former Reds striker Christian Benteke missing a last-gasp penalty, and there were wins for Burnley, Huddersfield Town, Swansea City, Tottenham and Leicester City.

There are 10 matches on the horizon in midweek – here’s a look at the upcoming action.

One To Watch: West Ham vs. Arsenal

Nobody saw West Ham‘s shock win over Chelsea coming at the weekend, as David Moyes picked up his first victory as Hammers boss.

The three points were a welcome shot in the arm for the under-fire east Londoners, and to beat their relatively local rivals made it even sweeter.

Another London derby arrives on Wednesday evening, as Arsenal make the trip east, having suffered one of their trademark slight wobbles of late.

The 3-1 defeat to Man United was followed up with a draw away to Southampton, and only a late Olivier Giroud leveller avoided a second league defeat on the spin.

You would expect Arsenal to go to London Stadium and come out on top, but under the lights and in front of a vocal set of supporters, you could also see them falling short.

It has happened too often in the past to rule it out, and the atmosphere should help make for a good game.

One To Avoid: Burnley vs. Stoke City

Whenever any set of Premier League fixtures lie ahead, you can always pick out one that looks like the most avoidable match of the season.

With all due respect to both Burnley and Stoke City, not many neutrals will be keeping an eye on their clash at Turf Moor on Tuesday night.

The Clarets are enjoying a fantastic season, sitting seventh in the table, but entertainment value is never the order of the day for Sean Dyche’s side.

Stoke, meanwhile, are playing some fairly dour stuff of their own under Mark Hughes, and have become a team you wouldn’t be disappointed to see head back to the Championship.

It would be a real surprise if this game had more than one goal in it—prove us wrong, lads!

Potential Upset: Huddersfield vs. Chelsea

Chelsea have made a habit out of going quietly under the radar of late, tallying up wins while Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have earned more column inches.

That all changed on Saturday, though, and their failure to get even a point from West Ham was the surprise result of the weekend.

The Blues head to the John Smith’s Stadium on Tuesday evening, and much like for Liverpool and Arsenal, getting back to winning ways is of paramount importance.

Huddersfield have been strong at home in 2017/18, however, losing just twice in eight games and beating United, and it could be a tricky night if Chelsea don’t respect their opponents.

It is the kind of match where the first goal will make it worth watching or not; if Huddersfield get it, it could be a cracker.