The calendar has turned to December, and that means there are a heck of a lot of matches in the English Premier League that are crammed into an awfully short period of time. Everton doesn't know what it's like to play a midweek affair yet, but it's going to get a shot at it this Tuesday when it plays host to Arsenal in one of its biggest games of the season if it wants to continue to stage a fight to stay in the top half of the table.
This English Premier League duel will go down Tuesday, December 13, 2016, at 2:45 p.m. ET at Goodison Park. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Everton +333
Arsenal -115
Draw +264
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The Toffees have to be pretty big dogs in this game for as well as the Gunners are playing this season. They're being asked a bit here at +333 on the moneyline, but the more important number is that they're +0.5 with -105 on the Asian Handicap, effectively insinuating that it's 50/50 as to whether they get something from this match or not.
The total is fairly average at 2.5 with -140 vig on the over. It's a bit high considering the fact that Everton has scored just 19 goals in 15 matches this season, but Arsenal has netted 36 in that same timeframe.
Key Injuries
The injuries are again starting to mount for Arsenal, but it just keeps pushing through it all. The list of the wounded include Chuba Akpom, Santiago Cazorla, Mathieu Debuchy, Per Mertesacker, Danny Welbeck, Yaya Sanogo, and now most recently, Shkodran Mustafi, who is feared to miss the rest of the calendar year after getting taken off with a hamstring injury last week against Stoke City.
Everton doesn't have any particularly new injuries to deal with, though the loss of Yannick Bolasie a couple weeks ago against Manchester United could be a blow that hurts the team's chances the rest of the season.
Recent Form
What more could you ask of Romelu Lukaku? Ronald Koeman got a brace out of him against Watford, but the match was still lost 3-2. It's got Koeman on the hot seat already after just a few short months at Goodison Park, and he is really going to need some positive momentum going forward into the holidays or risk starting 2017 in a bit of a relegation scrap.
As far as the Gunners are concerned, they just keep doing the job. They've got some studs for sure, namely Theo Walcott, who is in great form at the moment, and he's one of the many reasons why this team has won four straight matches of any real consequence. Forget about the 2-0 loss at home to Southampton in the EFL Cup; these matches in the Premier League and the UCL are far more important. Do remember though, that this is going to be four matches in just nine days for Arsenal across the major competitions and the eighth since returning from the international break on November 19.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Fatigue is a bit of a concern for an Arsenal team that is also banged up, but the way the Toffees are playing right now, there's not a lot to like. Everton is a side that is almost without direction when it comes to form, and not having Bolasie in there is going to make a big difference.
The task on this day is simple for Arsenal: Shut down Lukaku. If it does that, it's going to win this match and push back into level terms with Chelsea with the Blues obviously still having that game in hand for the moment.
English Premier League Odds: Arsenal 2, Everton 0
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
