Premier League: Not Much Fun For Arsenal and Everton

Arsenal vs Everton

There may not be many smiles among the fans on their way to Emirates for the Premier League fixture between Arsenal and Everton, but there’s no reason why the rest of us can’t enjoy the game.

Dependent on results on Thursday night, the Toffees may need a point or more to guarantee survival – a situation no one at Goodison Park thought they would be in. They face an Arsenal team whose season has taken a sudden turn for the worse.

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners. They were in a great position to claim the coveted fourth place, but catastrophic back-to-back defeats have now made things very difficult.   

Following a nervous few weeks, Frank Lampard’s Everton may be safe if they beat Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Thursday night. But at the time of writing, they are still in danger after losing 3-2 at home to Brentford on Sunday.

The Gunners are at 1.51 to win the game with Everton at 5.03 and the draw at 3.78 and, if a home win is the outcome, it might well be no use for either team.

Talking Points

Can Arsenal pick themselves up?

The Gunners had a great chance to nail down a Champions League place when they faced Tottenham last week but they choked horribly.

Arteta will, with some justification, point to the officials who he blames for ending the Gunners’ four-match winning run which included victories over Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham.

Even before centre-back Rob Holding was harshly sent off on 33 minutes, Spurs’ Harry Kane had converted a contested penalty after Cedric Soares was judged to have pushed Heung-Min Son.

Arteta was furious but his side wilted as Kane and Son piled on the misery.        

And then a 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Monday night left Arsenal trailing their North London rivals Spurs by two points moving into the final weekend. 

This is a young side with plenty of attacking flair. 20-year-old Bukayo Saka is top scoring with 11 goals, while 21-year-old Emile Smith Rowe has 10 and Brazil striker Gabriel Martinelli, still only 20, has weighed in with five goals and five assists.   

The future looks bright at Arsenal but right now they need a result against Everton and some help from relegated Norwich City, who face Spurs on Sunday.

Long-term injuries Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey have been badly missed over the past couple of weeks and they will sit this one out too.

Everton need a cure for their travel sickness  

The Toffees have been woeful on the road this season with a record of two wins, four draws, and 12 defeats away from Goodson Park and the pre-match Premier League 2022 betting odds don’t give them much chance at the Emirates. 

A 0-0 draw away to Watford was put into context by the fact it was the first game in 12 that the Hornets had avoided defeat at Vicarage Road, and it dragged Everton back into the relegation mire.

And Lampard is a little short at the back, which is not good news against such a vibrant Arsenal attack. With Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina injured, and rookie defender Jarrad Branthwaite sent off in the defeat to Brentford, the Toffees are stretched but they have the experienced Michael Keane to guide Mason Holgate on Sunday.   

There will be plenty of other teams looking out for the Premier League 2022 updates for Tottenham, Burnley, and Leeds. The Toffees know that two points from their final two games will almost certainly see them safe, but if they draw or lose to Palace on Thursday, it will be squeaky bum time.

Leeds United are the current favourites for the drop but the Whites last home game against Brighton yielded a point when Pascal Sruijk headed home a 92^nd-minute equaliser.

Everton will only have themselves to blame if they do drop through the trapdoor.   

History

Both Arsenal and Everton have been ever presents in the Premier League but the head-to-heads have been pretty one-sided, with the Gunners winning 37, drawing 13, and losing 11 over the past 30 years.

But Everton are unbeaten in the last three encounters as late goals from Richarlison and Demarai Gray gave them a 2-1 victory in December. And last season, the Toffees ran out with a 1-0 win at the Emirates.     

Betting Tip

Whether or not Everton have secured their Premier League status before this game, I just can’t see their depleted defence holding out against a hungry young Arsenal attack.  

It has been a disappointing week for Arsenal, and they owe it to their fans to finish on a high and give themselves a slim chance of grabbing that fourth place.

I also wouldn’t rule out Everton top scorer Richarlison continuing his good run of form and for an alternative bet, Over 2.75 goals is at SBOTOP odds of 1.81.

 

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