English Premier
2011-02-01 - Arsenal vs Everton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Tuesday 1 February 2011 - Kickoff 7:45pm
Arsenal
Arsenal got away with another lacklustre Cup performance on Sunday when they beat Huddersfield thanks to an 86th minute penalty from Captain Cesc Fabregas. Arsene Wenger did make a number of changes to his side, but, while being rewarded with a 5th round berth in the FA Cup, they lost Samir Nasri and Sebastien Squillaci for the immediate future.
The Premier League is still the most important of the trophies for those at the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal are still very much involved in the fight. They sit 2nd in the Premier League and are 5 points behind Manchester United with 15 games left to play. It has been the form at the Emirates that has provided this deficit as they are 7-1-3 there this season, scoring 25 goals and conceding 11.
Even if it was not a vintage Arsenal performance at the weekend, the win over Huddersfield means they have won 5 in a row in all competitions since losing 1-0 at Ipswich in the Carling Cup Semi Final 1st Leg. They have won 7 out of their last 9 games at home, including the last 3.
As mentioned above, Sebastien Squillaci is out through suspension and Samir Nasri is likely to be missing for the next 3 weeks. Denilson is another player who is a doubt after injuring his shoulder in the last game, and Arsene Wenger is expected to make a number of changes to restore in his more established first teamers from the off.
Everton
Everton continue to impress when playing the bigger teams from the Premier League and showed their quality again when drawing 1-1 at home against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon. The likes of Steven Pienaar (left the club to join Tottenham) and Tim Cahill (at Asian Games with Australia) were not available for selection, yet David Moyes continues churning out results.
However, the side have been very inconsistent this season, and good results against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea has to be balanced with poor results against the likes of Wolves, Wigan and West Ham. They are 14th in the Premier League this season, and find themselves only 5 points clear of Wigan in the final relegation spot. Everton are 2-7-3 away from Goodison Park this season, scoring 13 goals and conceding 14.
The draw with Chelsea extended the run of draws to 3 games for the Toffees but also means they have lost just 1 of their last 10 games in all competitions. Even more impressive is their resilience away from home, losing just 1 of their last 12 away games in all competitions. The fact they have avoided defeat at Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham during that time makes the effort more commendable.
There is a slight chance that Tim Cahill will be involved in some capacity after playing in the Asian Games Final on Saturday for Australia. Victor Anichebe will miss the game with the groin problem that kept him out on Saturday.
Head to Head
It has now been 7 games that these sides have contested since Everton last picked up a win. It has been even longer since the Merseysiders came down to London to do so- 15 games in fact.
However, Everton may feel a little more confident as they have avoided defeat in 2 of the last 4 visits to the Emirates Stadium, including a 2-2 draw here last season when the Toffees were denied all 3 points by a last minute equaliser.
Arsenal beat Everton 1-2 at Goodison Park earlier this season.
Prediction
This is a really horrible game for Arsenal to be coming into with a number of concerns with the centre of their defence as well as the regular goalkeeper being out of the side. The Gunners can score goals going the other way although I will be interested to see what kind of impact the loss of Samir Nasri will have on their attacking prowess.
Everton are a resilient, determined side full of heart that will not give an edge against anyone. They seem particularly happy when playing the best sides in the Premier League and almost feel they have a point to prove in those games.
They will cause plenty of problems through the set pieces of Mikel Arteta and the crossing ability of Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman and I expect them to give Arsenal a thorough examination.
Both teams also seem confident they can score against the other and 6 of the last 7 games has seen that happen. Arsenal have looked a little vulnerable all season, especially at home, to conceding goals but they also have the ability to score them. This has led me towards the 'Both Teams to Score' market as the best possible play.
While I think Everton will not take a hiding, and could possibly sneak something out of the game, the price of 1.91 for both teams to grab at least 1 goal looks too good to pass up.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Arsenal 1-1 Everton
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll have a go at 'Both Teams to Score' @ 1.91 from Bodog (2 UNITS)Follow me on Twitter @DavindaAulak- the direct link is below
