Premier League Tips: Hull to cause an upset?

Here are The Football Lab’s betting tips for the weekend’s Premier League action.

For the acca

Sometimes the exit of a star performer gives his teammates a liberating sense of empowerment. That has been the case at West Ham, who have been galvanized by Dimitri Payet’s rightful withdrawal from the team and club. Without him, Manuel Lanzini has put in excellent performances against Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace. Andy Carroll scored a wonderful scissor kick against the latter, significantly on the first day after Payet’s refusal to play, and has gone on a run of four goals in four. The dynamic Pedro Obiang continues to impress in midfield with the new-found variation in attacking play evidenced by nine goals and three wins in four.

West Ham lost 4-2 at forthcoming opponents West Brom back in September but are now a different team. Six of the players who took part in the Hawthorns horror-show either will not or are unlikely to play, while Cheikhou Kouyate has moved position. That victory was Albion’s only win in 10 games against top half opposition this term, Tony Pulis’ side drawing only two of the other nine. They are without Claudio Yacob and Jonny Evans, key instruments behind the Baggies’ strong defensive record. The duo were able replaced by Jake Livermore and Craig Dawson against Stoke but the in-form Hammers could provide a different test. Hammers win – 23/20

Outside chance

You have to go back to January 2012 to find the last time Arsenal lost three games on the bounce. Before their next home game, fans threatened to cover empty seats with black bin-liners to highlight the club’s decline in attendances and stature. As it happened, no such developments transpired and Arsenal beat Blackburn 7-1 to kick-start a seven-game winning streak.

Arsenal’s habit of winning when it matters least though has to end at some point. Arsene Wenger’s side face the resurgent Hull City, who have won four from eight under Marcos Silva, despite five of those games coming against top six opposition. The Tigers look far more composed under the ex-Olympiakos coach and have shown the necessary aggression to keep back-to-back clean sheets against Liverpool and Manchester United. Hull Draw No Bet – 13/2

Goalscorer tip

Swansea look rejuvenated under Paul Clement and so does Gylfi Sigurdsson. He has scored three goals in his last three games, two of which came against Liverpool and Manchester City. The other came against Southampton, in which the Icelander was his team’s most prominent attacking player, as was the case in Clement’s first game at Crystal Palace. He faces a slow Leicester defence that faces a congested fixture schedule. Sigurdsson to score anytime – 7/4