WBA-MAD stat pack: Albion vs Arsenal

06 April 2013 09:27
Find out all the important facts and figures ahead of today's game

 

- West Brom and Arsenal were both participants in high scoring fixtures in their last league games, though Arsenal were on the happier end.  

- West Brom suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham, with a late Graham Dorrans penalty a minor consolation.

 

- That was Dorrans’ first Premier League goal of the season, despite 26 previous efforts at goal including 16 shots on target, not far behind Sun Yeung Ki who has had 32 efforts without scoring this season, and holds the unwanted title of the most shots without scoring in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. You can get an industry best price of 18/1 with 888sport.com on Dorrans keeping his scoring boots on and netting first against Arsenal.

 

- Dorrans has been more effective at linking up play this season, and has completed 259 passes in the opposition half this season.

 

- Jonas Olsson has led the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for clearances made for most of the season, but in the last game he joined an elite group of just five players who have made 30 or more blocks this season.

 

- Arsenal, meanwhile, beat Reading 4-1 to boost their hopes of a top four finish. Four different goal scorers in Cazorla, Giroud, Arteta and Gervinho showed that West Brom will need to be mindful of danger all over the park in this game. That was the sixth time this season that Arsenal have won in the league by three goals or more, and you can get 10/1 with 888sport.com on them doing it again against West Brom.

 

- Cazorla has enjoyed a fantastic first season for Arsenal. Of the top twenty players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for total shots at goal, only Christian Benteke has hit a higher percentage on target than Cazorla (68.6%).  Cazorla is ranked 3rd overall for shots on target this season, behind only Luis Suarez and Gareth, having tested the goalkeeper 66 times this season.

 

- Gervinho scored in his second successive game, and his new confidence was shown in the four dribbles he completed, the joint highest in the last round of games.

 

- As well as four different goalscorers, Arsenal had the top four players in the last round of games for passes completed in the opposition half. Cazorla (55), Ramsey (54), Rosicky (54) and Arteta (52) showed the sort of dominant passing football that Wenger has been working towards all season.

 

- Rosicky has had limited playing time this season, but has been very effective on the pitch, completing a pass in opposition territory every 1 minute and 42 seconds.

 

- Mikel Arteta should become one of just three players to pass 1,000 passes in the opposition half against West Brom. Arteta is on 995 so far this season presently, behind only Santi Cazorla (1170) and Yaya Toure (1039).

 

Source: WBA MAD

Source: FOOTYMAD