Everton vs Arsenal
Never mind the Premier League – this fixture has long been a bastion of top-flight English football.
In fact, this will be their 216th meeting; a history which goes back to 1905 when Sandy Young – a favourite on Merseyside before his lift took a turn for the worse – netted the only goal as Everton defeated Arsenal by a solitary goal at Goodison Park.
Were he alive today, it’s intriguing to think what he would make of the big beast that is top level football and Premier League highlights.
What we do know for sure, 115 years on, is that this is a clash between two of the giants of English football at similar stages in their rebuilding process.
Talking Points
For respective managers Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta it’s almost a year to the day since they were appointed.
Ancelotti’s Toffees have enjoyed a good week with victory over Chelsea followed by a 2-0 success at Leicester so to win three in a row would be a fine achievement.
It’s been quite the opposite for Arsenal who have taken just one point from two home matches and are languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Albeit, they have made positive strides in the 12 months under Arteta but, as the Spaniard returns to the club where he made his name in English football, he will be concerned his side appear to have lost its way of late.
Indeed, since a rare win at Old Trafford at the start of last month, the league form has been woeful both at home and away, including seven defeats in the past 11 games.
One of those, last week at home to Premier League strugglers Burnley, saw Granit Xhaka dismissed for violent conduct and the Swiss midfielder will be missing from this contest as a result of his suspension, as will centre back Gabriel – himself sent-off in Arsenal’s midweek draw with Southampton.
At least Arsenal ended a run of 797 minutes in the Premier League without a goal from open play in that game, a statistic that mirrors the fact this is the club’s worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 1974-75 season.
Like Arteta (until recently), Ancelotti has made a largely positive impression in charge while also enduring the odd poor run.
This weekend he may bring goalkeeper Jordan Pickford back into the fold after continuing his rotation in midweek when he benched the England number one and selected Robin Olsen.
Everton will almost certainly be without Brazilian midfielder Allan after he left the fray at Leicester with what looked like a hamstring injury, while captain Seamus Coleman is also missing with the same problem.
As for star summer signing James Rodriguez, it remains to be seen if he can overcome the niggle which has forced him to miss the past two games.
Whoever takes to the field, there will be real incentive to win in what will be a genuine barometer of the first 12 months at the helm for both men.
Everton or Arsenal – could better times be ahead?
History
The two longest established top flight clubs, Arsenal have enjoyed a distinctive edge in their meetings over the years.
The Gunners have tasted victory on 108 occasions compared to the Toffees who have won 61 clashes with 46 draws.
Everton have actually only won two of their last eight against Arsenal, a run going back to December 2016 when a late Ashley Williams goal gave the home side a 2-1 success.
Last season, this game saw both current managers watch the game but not take charge until immediately afterwards.
Arteta was appointed Arsenal manager 24 hours earlier, while Ancelotti had just been announced as the successor to Marco Silva.
They witnessed a goalless draw.
The return fixture became only the third-ever game in Premier League when a goal was scored in the opening minute of each half (also Newcastle United v Arsenal January 1996 and Charlton Athletic v Leeds March 2001).
In a much more entertaining contest than the Goodison game, a double from Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang sealed Arsenal a 3-2 success.
Youngster Eddie Nketiah scored the other for the north Londoners with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (in the first minute) and Richarlison on target for Everton.
Betting Tip
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Everton vs Arsenal | 1X2 draw @ 3.25 |
| December 20, 01:30 (GMT+8) |
There’s not many times in Premier League history where Everton have been favourites ahead of a clash with Arsenal but that’s exactly what the SBOTOP Premier League betting odds make them on this occasion.
You can back the Toffees 1X2 @ 2.42 or Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 2.09.
The Gunners, on the other hand, are available 1X2 @ 2.85 or Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 1.84.
If you are going to get another goalless draw between these two sides the week before Christmas, then correct score 0-0 will pay out @ 10.50.
If you expect goals, then how about total goal 0-1 @ 3.55, 2-3 @ 1.95 or over 2.75 goals @ 2.14?
I am going to go for goals but the same outcome as last season with the points shared.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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