Arsenal are hoping to not fall too far behind the lead pack this week when they take on Burnley. The Gunners are currently sitting in fifth place in the Premier League table, and they are three points behind Chelsea for the last Champions League spot next season. They are heavy favorites per the Premier League betting line against Burnley this week. The Clarets are simply hoping to avoid relegation after a dreadful first half of the year.
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English Premier League Betting at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal -431
Burnley +1069
Draw +512
Over/Under 3 and 3.5
Odds Analysis
It’s an unmitigated disaster for Burnley. The Clarets finished seventh in the Premier League last year, but qualifying for Europa League seemingly wreaked havoc on the club. They are currently 18th in the table and have a worse goal differential than Southampton, who have the same number of points. Burnley did pick up a big win two weekends ago when they beat Brighton 1-0 thanks to a James Tarkowski goal, but that was their lone win in their last 10 matches. They are 1-2-7 in their last 10.
There was good news for Arsenal last week and on Monday as the club qualified for the knockout rounds of Europa League and should have no problem dealing with BATE Borisov. However, they squandered the position they put themselves in for the Premier League with a loss on the road to Southampton. The two sides were level for most of the match, but a Charlie Austin goal in the 85th minute put Southampton over the top. Arsenal can’t afford to drop matches like that if they wish to make it back to the Champions League though.
Key Injuries
Stephen Ward is not going to return until the start of the new year for Burnley, and the fear is that Aaron Lennon is a long-term injury. Nick Pope is doubtful as he continues to train to return to the club, and Steven Defour is questionable. Johann Berg Gudmundsson is probable to play for the Clarets.
For Arsenal, Danny Welbeck and Rob Holding both may be lost for the rest of the season after suffering major injuries. Emile Smith Rowe, Konstantinos, and Hector Bellerin have also been declared out for this match too. Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac are both listed as questionable, while Stefan Lichtsteiner looks ready to make his return.
Player to Watch
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s brace was not enough for Arsenal to get the better of Southampton over the weekend, and it was unfortunate to see such an effort go to waste. Those were his third and fourth goals of the season, and while they weren’t pretty, they showed what he can do when he is on the pitch. He has great chemistry with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the duo will be out to lead Arsenal to three points.
Prop Bet of the Game – Burnley Under 0.5 Goals -114
Arsenal were awful at defending aerial balls against Southampton last week, but they were depleted by injuries in the back and didn’t have a strong presence in central defense. They will welcome back multiple defenders this week though, and Bernd Leno isn’t likely to make the mistakes he did last week . Burnley don’t have many good attacking options either with three goals in their last six matches.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This is a great chance for Arsenal to bounce back after their 22-game unbeaten streak in all competitions came to an end last weekend. Burnley have not played good football, and I don’t see that changing just yet. The Gunners will cruise to a victory and hope to close the gap on Chelsea.
English Premier League Odds: Arsenal 2, Burnley 0
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