The busiest sporting division in the world over the festive period is the Premier League, and the places at both ends of the table will start to heat up with a quick run of games for teams. It could be a particularly unhappy Christmas for Arsenal fans this season, as they continue to be locked at the wrong end of the table.
Everton vs Arsenal Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Everton | +124 |
| Draw | +243 |
| Arsenal | +202 |
Toffees Bounce Back To Winning Ways
Everton had been struggling to rediscover their excellent form again after seeing their great start to the season halted by a run of consecutive defeats. However, there have been signs over recent games that they are back to their best. The aim for Carlo Ancelotti’s side this term would certainly be to finish in a Europa League place, and that is the position that they currently hold.
Everton come into this game against the Gunners unbeaten in their last three games, and they have won their last two in the Premier League. It will be a big week for the Toffees, as they come up against Manchester United in the League Cup semi-finals next week in their final game before Christmas.
The Toffees were excellent in their last league game, as they recorded a fantastic 2-0 win away from home against Leicester City. That victory means that there is now just two points between the two sides. Richarlison opened the scoring in the win for the Toffees, before Mason Holgate doubled their lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Arteta Feeling The Pressure
At present, it looks as though Mikel Arteta will still be the Arsenal manager for their trip to Goodison Park. However, the optimism that surrounded the coach when he managed Arsenal for the first time against Everton nearly 12 months ago has quickly disappeared. The Gunners come into this gruelling part of the season in 15th place, and are just five points outside of the relegation places.
Defeat this weekend could see them slip down to 16th should Brighton & Hove Albion claim a win. A relegation battle wasn’t something that anyone at the club was expecting this season, but only Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United have lost more times this season. Arsenal were able to end a three-game losing run last time out, as they managed to hold on to a point at the Emirates against Southampton. One of the defeats during that run of form came in the North London derby.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his first home goal of the season in that draw, and they will need their high-earning captain to continue in goalscoring form if they are to drag themselves up the table into a position where they believe they should be.
Everton vs Arsenal Picks
There isn’t much debate that Everton are the only one of these two sides that have a realistic chance of finishing in a European place this season, and they will be looking to continue their unbeaten record against Arsenal at Goodison Park. The Toffees have drawn once and won once in the last two. Their form would indicate that they will be able to make it two wins from three this weekend.
