Norwich City is officially up against it. The Canaries have spent much of the Premier League season on the right side of the drop zone, but with just three matches left, they'd be back in the Championship if the season ended today. Their chances of getting anything out of this match on the road at Arsenal are slim, but Alex Neil's side surely will be fighting with everything its got.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal -400
Norwich City +950
Draw +500
Over/Under 3 (over -120)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Arsenal almost has to be the huge favorite in this match. If nothing else, Norwich has been in horrible form of late, and that's why it's gone from safety to in a lot of trouble.
The Gunners, of course, are still fighting for their spot in the UCL next year as well. The team is level with Manchester City by well behind in goal differential for third best in the league, a key cutoff point. Finish third or better, and you're guaranteed a spot in the main portion of the Champions League. Finish fourth, and you've got to play a home-and-home series against another really good team just to get to the group stage.
The number on Arsenal is chalky, though. The Gunners are -400 on the moneyline and are laying a goal and a half on the Asian Handicap.
The total is very high by EPL standards at 3 and -120 vig on the over.
KEY INJURIES
Norwich is going to have to play the rest of this season without Timm Klose and Alex Tettey, two men who are crucial to the team's survival. Russell Martin is back in training after sitting out the team's loss to Sunderland with an illness.
This could be the match in which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns for Arsenal. The Gunners have played without him since the end of February due to a knee injury. We know that Santiago Cazorla won't play in this one though, as he continues to recover from a long stint on the sidelines with a leg injury.
LIVE BETTING
For all of the talk of how bad Norwich has been, Arsenal hasn't been in great form relatively speaking either. The Gunners have drawn three of their last four matches, including failing to get all three points from both Crystal Palace and Sunderland, two teams which are still in the midst of the relegation fight.
Norwich has had a couple weeks off in a row, and it needs it. The Canaries were beaten 3-0 at home by Sunderland in a match which very well could doom their season, and that came on the heels of a 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace which could've easily gone the other way.
QUICK PICK
The Canaries just aren't finishing right now. Nathan Redmond only has five goals this season, and Dieumerci Mbokani really hasn't had any form whatsoever. Steven Naismith has been a nice addition in the winter transfer window, but he hasn't helped this team get all that many results.
That said, we expect a scrappier effort out of Norwich City in this one. The Canaries are going to be on the wrong foot for much of this one, especially with Arsenal knowing that a win is absolutely crucial at this point.
Though we do think the Gunners will end up getting all three points in this game, the spread is just too high. Norwich will put forth a good effort and get nipped at the wire to push it closer to a return to the Championship.
EPL Odds: Arsenal 2, Norwich City 1
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BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The fixture between Arsenal and Norwich City will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2016, at 12:30 p.m. at Emirates Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on NBC.
