Premier League: Everton vs Arsenal - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Everton host Arsenal on Sunday morning New Zealand time in a match that could shape the title race and the fight for European spots.

Arsenal are humming right now, sitting top of the table and looking like the real deal. Everton, on the other hand, are a proper mixed bag. They’ve been decent at their new home, but are coming off a shocker against Chelsea where they looked completely lost. Can the Toffees bounce back at the Hill Dickinson, or will they continue to look all at sea?

I’ve had a dig into the numbers for this one. From the latest injury news to the tactical battles, I’ve broken down everything you need, including a juicy player prop paying $3.40 on betting apps.

Everton

Honestly, watching Everton this season is doing my head in.

Sitting mid-table is better than a relegation scrap, but their inconsistency is brutal. They moved into the Hill Dickinson Stadium with big dreams, but haven’t quite made it a fortress yet. Last week’s loss to Chelsea was particularly poor - they barely laid a glove on them and looked wide open at the back.

Sean Dyche will be fuming with the defensive gaps in his side. They’re conceding soft goals, something you just can’t do against Arsenal. If they sit deep and invite pressure, they’ll get picked apart. They need to get in Arsenal’s faces and make it ugly, but I’m not sure they have the midfield to do that for 90 minutes.

Team News: Jarrad Branthwaite is still out with that hamstring issue, which is a massive loss. Jack Grealish is a major doubt too.

Predicted Lineup: Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, O'Brien, Mykolenko; Garner, Iroegbunam; Harrison, Doucoure, Lindstrom; Calvert-Lewin.

Arsenal

Arsenal are just relentless at the moment.

They ground out a win against Wolves last time out, in exactly the way champions do. Arsenal don’t always play pretty football; they just know how to win. Saliba and Gabriel are absolute rocks at the back, and having that solid base gives their forwards so much freedom.

I’ve been impressed with how they control the tempo of matches recently too. They don’t panic. Even if it’s 0-0 after 60 minutes, they simply keep turning the screw until their opposition cracks. There’s a reason why NZ betting sites have them heavy favourites here, and I can’t see them slipping up either.

Team News: Bukayo Saka is fit and firing, Martin Odegaard might get a rest.

Predicted Lineup: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Merino, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.

• Arsenal have the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 10 goals in 16 matches.
• Everton have failed to score in three of their last five matches against top-four opposition.
• Gyokeres has 12 goals in the league this season, averaging a goal every 110 minutes.
• The last time these two met at Everton’s ground, it ended in a tight 1-0 win for Arsenal.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight away games in the Premier League.

I reckon this is going to be a straightforward fixture for the visitors.

Everton are missing their best defender in Branthwaite and potentially their best creator in Grealish. That is a recipe for disaster against a team as organised as Arsenal are. 

Expect the Gunners to dominate possession, silence the home crowd early, and pick Everton off.

In fact, I don’t see Everton scoring, to be honest. Arsenal’s defence is too stingy, and Everton’s attack looked toothless against Chelsea. It might be tight for a bit, but Arsenal’s quality should shine through in the end.

I’m predicting a comfortable 2-0 win for Arsenal, which is nicely priced across football betting sites.

Martin Odegaard Anytime Assist @ $3.40

I’m steering clear of goalscorer markets and looking at the creator of them instead.

Odegaard runs the show for Arsenal - everything goes through him. With Everton likely to sit deep and pack the box, Arsenal need his vision. He’s been averaging some serious key passes per game recently, and loves sliding those little balls through for Saka or Martinelli.

Against a defence that is missing its leader and tends to switch off, my pick is that Odegaard will find pockets of space on the edge of the box. Getting well over $3.00 at Sportaza for the best playmaker on the pitch to set up a goal is huge value in my eyes.