English Premier
2025-04-05 - Everton vs Arsenal
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 5th April 2025 - Kick Off 12:30pm
This game is live on TV
Everton
They put in plenty of effort and had the better of the chances before conceding in the second half against Liverpool at Anfield. Ultimately it was always going to be tough for Everton from that moment onwards, but David Moyes will be very pleased with the effort of his squad and will be looking for more of the same in the early Saturday kick off.
His team may remain in 15th place in the Premier League table, but Everton are very unlikely to be relegated, even if Ipswich Town were able to close to 14 points behind them after results during the week. With eight games left to play, no one is expecting Everton to be playing in the Championship when moving into their new Stadium, but before that they have to complete their schedule at Goodison Park where The Toffees have a 4-7-4 record.
Everton's long unbeaten record in the Premier League was ended in the narrow defeat at Anfield, while 5 of the previous 6 League fixtures had ended in draws. The side have not won any of their last 4 at Goodison Park in all competitions since their crushing win over Leicester City, although each of the last 3 at home in the Premier League have ended with the points shared.
Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are both expected to be miss out as the manager takes no risk with pushing them to return too soon.
Arsenal
One more Premier League fixture has been completed by top flight clubs and Arsenal's faint title hopes have faded a little more after Liverpool's win over Everton. The win over Fulham has to be seen as positive as Mikel Arteta looks for some momentum to guide his team through the remainder of the season, although it was not the perfect day.
Bukayo Saka returned, but Arsenal have suffered some key injuries ahead of a big Champions League Quarter Final against Real Madrid, while the team are still 2nd in the Premier League table and 12 points behind leaders Liverpool. The Gunners head to the North West this weekend with a 7-6-2 record away from home.
Arsenal's win over Fulham have extended their unbeaten run to 6 games in all competitions and they have won consecutive fixtures either side of the March international break. Since losing at St James' Park in the League Cup Semi Final, Arsenal are unbeaten in 4 away games in all competitions and have won twice in that run.
As mentioned, Bukayo Saka and scored what proved to be the winning goal on Tuesday- he may be given a start in this one. However, the squad suffered a big blow with Gabriel set to miss much of April, and both Jurrien Timber and Ben White are doubts.
Head to Head
The game between these clubs at the Emirates Stadium ended goalless in December.
Everton had won 3 in a row at Goodison Park against Arsenal, but that run was snapped in a 0-1 defeat in September 2023.
Prediction
There can be little doubt that the Champions League Quarter Final is a potential distraction for Arsenal, especially with the Premier League title destined for Liverpool.
Giving the manager some cause for concern are the injuries that Arsenal suffered against Fulham and you do have to wonder if Mikel Arteta will think about resting key players with the Real Madrid tie in mind.
He will have to make defensive changes with Gabriel almost certainly missing out and Jurrien Timber and Ben White both pretty big doubts. That may leave Arsenal vulnerable in the early Saturday kick off, although The Gunners could look much more dangerous in the final third with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back in the lineup.
They could also benefit from facing an Everton team that have had twenty-four hours less than Arsenal to prepare for this game and after putting in considerable effort into the Merseyside derby. Poor finishing cost Everton a big opportunity to win at Anfield, and David Moyes will feel very disappointed with the defeat after the efforts put into the fixture.
Some changes will be made to the starting eleven to freshen things up, but the fans will get behind Everton as the final run at Goodison Park begins.
This should help and Everton may have enough about them to avoid defeat.
Backing them with a full goal start on the Asian Handicap may be the better play though, especially with Arsenal looking stronger in the final third both in the starting lineup and with options to make an impact from the bench. However, the defensive injuries could be a big concern and Everton may just do enough to earn a result that pushes the title a little bit closer to their rivals across Stanley Park.
They may need to score at least twice for a positive result though with the defensive numbers of recent performances.
Recent history has shown that this has been a low scoring fixture at Goodison Park, but both teams may offer more in the final third than they do at the back. If there is an early goal, Everton may be involved in another game with goals attached to it having recently played out 2-2 draws with Liverpool and Manchester United on this ground, especially with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back in the squad to give Arsenal more attacking threats than they have had for several weeks.
The price looks far too big for goals and that may be the best play in what is a very tough fixture to call with any real certainty.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Everton 1-2 Arsenal
