The bloody fact of the matter is that Arsenal fans probably shouldn't be quite as disappointed with the way the 2016-2017 Premier League season went down as they are. Heading into the last match day against Everton, they have a shot to finish in the Top 4, and that alone, in a campaign filled with injury problems and the general issue of flat out not having one of the four most talented teams in England has left the Gunners reeling.
This English Premier League duel will go down Sunday, May 21, 2017, at 10 a.m. ET at Emirates Stadium. The match will be televised live on the NBC family of networks.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal -225
Everton +550
Draw +350
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Though technically, a point will keep Arsenal alive in the chase for the Top 4, in all reality, anything less than three points won't be enough to reach next year's Champions League. The Gunners are a point back of Liverpool heading into the last day of the campaign, and unless the Reds lose by three goals to relegated Middlesbrough, the only possible route would be to get a win. Even that would require a bit of good fortunate, as Liverpool would have to cough up a result against Boro, or Manchester City would have to lose at Watford, and the combination of total goals for the Arsenal win plus the Manchester City loss would have to be greater than five.
Needless to say, the odds are against Arsenal. That said, the odds in this match are in its favor. Everton is locked into seventh, and the results of this match won't change that. Thus, the Toffees have nothing left to play for on the campaign, and that's why they're big underdogs. The Gunners are set at -225 on the moneyline and are favored by a full ball on the Asian Handicap.
Key Injuries
Arsenal has a few big question marks coming into the last week of the season. Laurent Koscielny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey are all on the mend, and if these three can't play in the last match, it's going to be a real uphill battle against a team that has played some sound soccer at the top flight all season long.
Everton's side at this point has been completely ravished for multiple reasons. Yannick Bolasie, Seamus Coleman, Ramiro Funes Mori, James McCarthy and keeper Maarten Stekelnburg are all fighting injuries, while five of the younger players on the roster, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Callum Connolly, Jonjoe Kenny, Ademola Lookman and Kieran Dowell were all called up to play in the U-20 World Cup in South Korea and won't be available for the end of the campaign.
Recent Form
Everton has been up and down for sure of late. The club was great for the better part of an hour against Chelsea and fell apart from there, then it was a no-show in a 1-0 loss at Swansea City that ultimately proved to keep the Swans up in the EPL for another season. A 1-0 win over Watford last weekend was a respectable result, but you can tell this team has packed it in for the summer.
Arsenal has almost quietly won four straight matches and seven out of eight as we head down the stretch. Mesut Ozil has been fantastic for the Gunners, and he's helping generate a bunch of offense. It was Alexis Sanchez's brace against Sunderland midweek though, that kept the Gunners in the chase for the Top 4.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This match has the potential to be nervy for Arsenal. If the Gunners go into the second half without breaking the ice, this could be a problem the rest of the way. We're not worried about the anemic Everton offense and what it's going to bring to the table after scoring just 19 goals in 17 away matches this season. We're worried about the Gunners and whether they're going to be able to keep their own crowd on their side. They have gone 13-3-2 at home this term and could finish the deal, but even if they did, they won't reach the UCL. We'd rather take the one-goal than lay it, but in the end, we think this will end up being a push.
English Premier League Odds: Arsenal 1, Everton 0
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