On paper, Saturday’s Premier League clash between the Gunners and Swansea at the Liberty Stadium has ‘away win’ written all over it.

Aside from their pre-Christmas defeats at Everton and Manchester City, Arsenal have not lost a league match since the opening day of the campaign, while Swansea have lost four of their last five league fixtures; no wonder William Hill price them at 6/1 to win.

However, given what’s at stake for the home side, who have flirted uncomfortably with the relegation zone all season, this is no foregone conclusion. Arsenal might be Skybet’s 4/9 jollies, but few punters are anticipating a walkover.

Arsene Wenger’s side won 3-2 when the sides last met in October, a result which the match stats team at bettingexpert.com report was something of a rarity for this fixture – only one of the pair’s previous eight duels had ended in a home win.

Nonetheless, in-form striker Olivier Giroud is bet365’s 9/2 favourite to open the scoring on Saturday, with Marathonbet chalking 6/1 about a 1-0 victory for Wenger’s men.

Most backers expect the contest to be dominated by defences, a stance which complements the appeal of both 888sport’s 4/1 odds posted about the draw and BetVictor’s 11/2 for both halves to end all-square.

Elsewhere, Fernando Llorente is a 3/1 shot with bet365 to score at any time, while 10bet chalk a massive 20/1 about a 1-0 home victory.

In other markets, BetVictor’s 5/4 for the match to yield fewer than 2.5 goals looks decent value, while the 7/5 Ladbrokes offer for the Gunners to retain a clean sheet has proved popular among punters.

Paddy Power rate the chances of Arsenal securing maximum points without conceding to be a 9/5 shot, and 188bet post 5/2 in favour of them enjoying a one-goal margin of victory.

Odds courtesy of customisable odds comparison site SmartBets.com. Make sure you’re getting the best free tips online at www.bettingexpert.com.

TOP TIPS

Arsenal to win: 4/9, Skybet

Arsenal to win when starting with a one-goal deficit: 6/5, Coral

Arsenal to win 2-0: 13/2, bet365