Arsenal v Everton – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Arsenal faces Everton in the Premier League on Sunday. The Gunners need to win and hope that Man City draw or loses their fixture against West Ham. Arteta’s side have won 5-1 and 4-0 in their last two home matches vs the Toffees.

Arsenal Form

It’s five wins in a row for Arsenal. They have responded well to a shock 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa in the league and a Champions League exit to Bayern Munich. They beat Wolves 2-0 with 24 shots and destroyed Chelsea 5-0 at home.

A 3-2 win at Tottenham saw them 3-0 up but they allowed a 1.29 xG differential to Spurs and were fortunate to hold on to three points. They have since beaten Bournemouth 3-0 and won 1-0 at Old Trafford vs Man Utd. They allowed just 0.51 xG and two shots on target vs the Red Devils.

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Arteta has a fully fit squad. Jurrien Timber is the only doubt, and he could be back in the squad after his return from knee surgery.

The XI has been settled of late with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard, and Thomas Partey starting. They have been preferred to Oleks Zinchenko, Gabriel Martinelli, and Jorginho.

Arsenal Motivation

The Gunners know they are likely to finish second. They need to get their part of the bargain done by winning at home here.

Goal difference is not a factor so Arsenal have no requirement to win this match by a large margin… they just Man City to draw and to win their fixture.

Everton Form

Sean Dyche’s team are ending this season in great form. After a 13-match winless run in the league, they beat Burnley 1-0 before losing 6-0 at Chelsea. They’ve bounced back brilliantly with 13 points in their last five matches. They won 2-0 in successive home matches, vs Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

A 1-0 home win over Brentford officially secured Premier League survival. A 1-1 draw at Luton Town preceded a 1-0 home victory over Sheffield United last weekend. Everton put up 2.35 xG to just 0.60 xG for the Blades.

Everton Team News

The Toffees are without fullbacks Nathan Patterson and Vitalii Mykolenko for this match. Ashley Young will cover at left back in preference to Ben Godfrey.

Dele Alli will play no part and Jack Harrison is out with a hamstring strain. Andre Gomes is doubtful after a head injury. James Garner is set to play in a wide area once again.

Everton Motivation

Everton have been safe for a while but are still showing focus and motivation. They can only move up one place or drop one place in the table on the final day.

They do not need to park the bus and will have a go at Arsenal at times. Dyche will treat this match with professionalism.

Key Stats

Arsenal have won their last 5 league matches (14 goals scored)

Arsenal have won their last 2 home EPL matches vs Everton (9-1 aggregate)

Arsenal have conceded just 15 league goals at home this season (tied-best)

Everton have lost just once in 8 league fixtures (5 wins, 2 draws)

Everton have scored 17 away league goals this season (2nd least in the division)

Verdict

Both of these sides are playing well of late. Arsenal have more to play for in this final fixture and could lean on their solid defence. A win to zero looks most likely but by a relatively tight margin.

Best Bet: Arsenal win to zero at 1.95
Alternate Bet: Arsenal to win and Under 3.5 goals at 2.35
Correct Score Tip: Arsenal 2-0 Everton at 7.00

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis