Match Result: Everton v Arsenal
Arsenal have been practically foot perfect at the Emirates Stadium this season where they have seven wins and a draw. However, it's been slightly different on the road. Mikel Arteta's side have won four, drawn two and lost two of their eight games on their travels. There have been defeats at Anfield and Villa Park, along with the London side being held at the Stadium of Light and Stamford Bridge.
Injuries have certainly contributed to a slight downturn in form, although the Premier League betting sites still make Arsenal warm favourites to win this Saturday night clash. They are trading at betting odds of 1.61 which implies that the Gunners are 62% likely to claim a victory on Merseyside, even if they only have a 50% win rate on the road.
If we pay a closer examination of recent away performances, there has not been a victory in three consecutive Premier League visits. However, Villa, Chelsea and Sunderland have proven to be difficult places to go. William Saliba has returned to central defence and Martin Odegaard is now an option in midfield despite only being a sub against Wolves.
Everton have a puncher's chance of getting something from the game. They've only lost 25% of their home games this term, with these defeats coming against Tottenham and Newcastle. However, the Toffees have won four of their previous six encounters and that has included victories over Fulham, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
It's hard to escape the conclusion that Arsenal can be opposed here. The home side have players like Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who can cause problems and they are also fairly strong defensively. All the above four wins came along with a clean sheet, with the rearguard having a settled look and including Michael Keane and James Tarkowski operating in front of Jordan Pickford.
Goals Under/Over
The Under 2.5 Goals quote is actually trading as the favourite when it comes to this clash. There is clearly a strong case for defences being on top in a game which could be won by a single goal. There have been twenty goals scored across eight Everton matches although this data is slightly skewed by the home defeats against Tottenham and Newcastle where a sum total of eight goals were scored.
Arsenal still have the strongest defence in the Premier League and there have been a total of seventeen goals scored across eight away matches this term. This is an average of just over two per game, with Mikel Arteta's side finding it hard to break down a defensive Wolves team in their previous encounter.
There's a busy festive schedule coming up although Arsenal did lose 2-1 at Aston Villa and also draw 2-2 at Sunderland, so there's a chance that we might see a higher-scoring affair than the odds suggest.
BTTS
The BTTS No odds are trading at roughly a similar price to Under 2.5 Goals. Arsenal have only failed to score in one match all season across every competition. That came at Anfield at the end of August where an unambitious approach led to the team losing by a single goal. Since then, the Gunners have been able to find the net at least once in every match and they're likely to be on target on Merseyside.
Therefore, the more pertinent question is whether Everton can find the net. They have not been power scorers at home this season, registering eleven goals across eight matches on their own patch. There are two home games where David Moyes' side have failed to find the net. The first of these was a goalless draw against Aston Villa and there was also a 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham.
More recently, Everton have scored in home games against Fulham, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, with three being notched in the latter game. In this fixture back in April, the game ended in a 1-1 scoreline thanks to Iliman Ndiaye's penalty cancelling out Leandro Trossard's opener, with the home side only having 30% of possession and two shots on target. At the Emirates, it had been a goalless draw where Everton failed to get a shot either on target or off target.
First Goalscorer
Leandro Trossard has come up with some important goals for Arsenal and could be worth considering here. The Belgian has found the net six times for the Gunners this term and that included the winner at Craven Cottage in the middle of October. There was also a stunning strike at Sunderland as part of a 2-2 draw and he could be the man to make the difference.
Two own goals helped Mikel Arteta's side over the line against Wolves, although it was Bukayo Saka who was the architect of these goals. Perhaps the England man can be the one who breaks the deadlock, with the forward likely to be on penalty duties. There's also the possibility that Viktor Gyokeres can step up to the plate and deliver the all-important goals over the festive period.
As for Everton, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has often been the man of the moment this season and scored a peach to win the game at Old Trafford. It's hard to have faith in any of the strikers although Thierno Barry was able to score against Nottingham Forest and perhaps he can follow this up with another important goal here.