We are currently in the mid of the busiest portion of the English Premier League season, with a ton of games jam-packed into the holiday period. In years past, this has been the time of the year when championships have been won and lost, but with Manchester City pulling away from the pack this season, it’s beginning to look as though the big battle through the second half of the season is going to be for the 3 other available Champions League spots, which is why deciding on an English Premier League betting pick may be a little harder.
The EPL will take a bit of a break this coming weekend with FA Cup action on tap, but there are a couple of games still to be played before that happens. Perhaps the biggest game on the schedule this week is the London derby between Arsenal and the slight soccer odds favorite Chelsea, as it is one that is going to have an impact on those Champions League spots. Arsenal is currently on the outside looking in, and need to take advantage of home field advantage in this one to keep pace with the 4 teams that currently occupy those UEFA Champions League spots.
The Blues are blessed with an abundance of attacking talent, and Alvaro Morata has settled in very nicely in his first full season playing in England. Chelsea has picked up 20 points in their 10 road games this season, going 6-2-2. In those games, they scored 18 goals and gave up just 7.
English Premier League Betting Preview: Arsenal vs. Chelsea
#AFCvCFC kicks off just 73 hours after #WBAvAFC finished
What impact does that have on our preparation? pic.twitter.com/03ECT6xfHq — Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) 2 de enero de 2018
- When: Wednesday, January 3 at 2:45 PM EST
- Where: Emirates Stadium, London
- TV: NBCSN
- English Premier League Betting Odds: Chelsea PK-125 (Over/Under at 3 goals)
Recent Head to Head (Last 5 Games)
- Chelsea 0 – Arsenal 0
- Arsenal 1 – Chelsea 1
- Arsenal 0 – Chelsea 3
- Chelsea 1 – Arsenal 2
- Chelsea 3 – Arsenal 1
Teams Top Scorers
Arsenal:
- Alexandre Lacazette (France): 8
- Alexis Sánchez (Chile): 7
- Mesut Ozil (Germany): 4
Chelsea:
- Álvaro Morata (Spain): 10
- Marcos Alonso (Spain): 5
- Eden Hazard (Belgium): 5
Why bet on Arsenal?
Arsenal is falling off the pace being set by the top 4, and are currently 6 points back of Liverpool in 4th, although they do have a game in hand. The problem here is that Arsenal has only picked up a single point in their last 3 EPL games, and have given up 7 goals in that stretch. They were a little unfortunate not to pick up all 3 points last weekend against West Brom, as they were victimized by a late penalty call that was clearly a dive. That said, they also struggled to beat a poor Crystal Palace side in the game before that tie, and they also gave up the opportunity to close the gap on Liverpool by tying 3-3 with them a couple of weeks back. Arsenal is 8-1-1 at home this season, scoring 25 goals and surrendering 10 in those 10 games.Team Statistics
- Games Played: 21
- Wins: 11
- Draws: 5
- Loses: 5
- Scored Goals: 38
- Conceded Goals: 26
Why bet on Chelsea?
Chelsea is sitting in 3rd right now, just two points back from Manchester United in second. They have two wins and a draw in their last 3 games and did not give up a goal during that run, scoring 7 in the process. Their most recent victory was perhaps one of their most dominant performances of the season, as they absolutely hammered Stoke in a very comfortable 5-0 win that could have been a lot more convincing had they not taken their foot off the gas in the second half.
The Blues are blessed with an abundance of attacking talent, and Alvaro Morata has settled in very nicely in his first full season playing in England. Chelsea has picked up 20 points in their 10 road games this season, going 6-2-2. In those games, they scored 18 goals and gave up just 7.
Team Statistics
- Games Played: 21
- Wins: 14
- Draws: 3
- Loses: 4
- Scored Goals: 39
- Conceded Goals: 14
Possible Line-Ups
Arsenal:
- 33-P. Čech
- 6-L. Koscielny
- 20-S. Mustafi
- 31-S. Kolašinac
- 21-C. Chambers
- 24-H. Bellerín
- 10-J. Wilshere
- 29-G. Xhaka
- 17-A. Iwobi
- 7-A. Sánchez
- 9-A. Lacazette
Chelsea:
- 13-T. Courtois
- 24-G. Cahill
- 28-C-Azpilicueta
- 3-M. Alonso
- 2-A. Rüdiger
- 22-Willian
- 15-V. Moses
- 11-Pedro
- 6-D. Drinkwater
- 7-N. Kanté
- 9-Á. Morata
