The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Arsenal vs. Brighton and Everton vs. Burnley matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Arsenal vs. Brighton
Three-Way: 1: Arsenal -294; X: +580 Draw; 2: Brighton +1325
Spread -1.5: Arsenal -130; Brighton +125
Total +3: Over -104; Under +102
ARSENAL
The Gunners are in an excellent form following the heavy 4-0 defeat at Liverpool as they recorded five wins and a draw since then. Arsene Wenger decided to use several youngsters in the UEFA Europa League tilt against BATE, along with a few experienced first-team players, and they secured a convincing 4-2 victory. Arsenal is now in the first position in the Group H of the UEL, and they also advanced to the 1/8 finals of the Carabao Cup after a 1-0 win over Doncaster Rovers. The good sign for Arsenal is that they didn’t concede a single goal in the previous three Premier League matches, and they are confident of keeping the net intact against Brighton on Sunday.
Arsenal played in ten games so far in the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, recording seven wins, a draw, and a couple of losses, with a goal difference of 19:12, which means 3.1 goals per contest on average. When it comes to playing at Emirates, the Gunners won all five matches, scoring 12 and allowing four goals, so Brighton will have to do their best to avoid a defeat here. The two teams met just twice in the past few years; both games were played in the FA Cup, and Arsenal won on both occasions.
Alexandre Lacazette is currently the team’s top scorer with four goals to his name, and the former Lyon striker has been lethal when playing in front of home crowd, as all of his goals came at Emirates. Theo Walcott, who scored a brace at BATE on Thursday, is following Lacazette with three goals, while Danny Welbeck also scored three. Granit Xhaka is at the top of the assist-chart with three; SeadKolasinac and Aaron Ramsey recorded two each, while Kolasinac also added a pair of goals as well. Santi Cazorla is near to returning with an Achilles tendon injury, Francis Coquelin will spend another two weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring setback, while Danny Welbeck is struggling with a hip injury. Alex Iwobi and Calum Chambers are also unavailable, so Wenger will have to rely on Lacazette, Sanchez, and Giroud in the attack. The good news is that Laurent Koscielny is back after serving the suspension in the Europa League.
BRIGHTON
The Seagulls are in the respectable 13th place in the Premiership with seven points out of the first six games, and they won two out of the last three matches. Brighton recorded a 1:0 victory over Newcastle United and Chris Hughton must be satisfied with the team’s defensive performance, even though the Magpies attempted 17 shots to Matt Ryan’s net. However, the upcoming visit to Emirates is going to be something entirely else, and Brighton have to keep their net intact for as long as they can, or else, if Arsenal scores an early goal, the visitors will be in lots of trouble.
Brighton has played eight matches in the 2017/18 Premier League so far, winning three, with a draw and three defeats, scoring six and conceding eight goals, which means 1.75 goals per contest on average. The away form is a bit problematic for the Seagulls, as they didn’t record a victory yet out of four games, with only one goal scored so Brighton could face plenty of problems at Emirates on Sunday.
The Israeli forward Tomer Hemed and the German midfielder Pascal Gross are currently the team’s top scorers with two goals each, while Solly March and James Tilley scored one goal to their respective names. Gross is the most valuable player as he also added a couple of assists, but the efficiency remains an issue for Hughton, so unless they score at Emirates, it’s not going to end well for them. The gaffer will be without Hemed, who is serving his suspension and cannot help his teammates, while Sam Baldock (calf), Biram Kayal (calf), and Steve Sidwell (back), are also out of the contention for this clash.
Arsenal vs. Brighton – Match Prediction
Arsenal is coming to this matchup with Brighton not having lost in their last 6 games in which they recorded 5 wins and 1 draw in all competitions. against Brighton, the Gunners have won their last two meetings (both in the FA Cup) back in 2015 and 2013 with an identical 3:2 final score. On the other side, Brighton has managed to come out of their small dip in form after defeating Newcastle with 1:0 in their last Premier League game.
This game is really a no-brainer and anything else besides the Gunners convincing win would be a surprise. However, my safer bet here is to go with the over.
MY PICK: Over 3 goals (-104)
Everton vs. Burnley
Three-Way: 1: Everton -133; X: +285 Draw; 2: Burnley +509
Spread -0.5: Everton -141; Burnley +135
Total +2.5: Over +125; Under -118
EVERTON
Ronald Koeman is under a lot of pressure after a series of bad results, especially following a disappointing 2:2 draw against Apoel in the Europa League at Goodison Park, so this game is a must-win for the Toffees. Despite not losing in the previous three matches, Everton is currently playing under expectations as they are in the 14th position with just seven points out of the six Premier League games. The fans are far from satisfied, and I can say that they have every right to be so, because Everton invested a lot of money this summer, and the new arrivals are not producing enough.
Everton played 14 games in the 2017/18 Premier League season so far, recording six victories, four draws, and four losses, with a goal difference of 14:17, which means a bit over 2.2 goals per contest on average. They didn’t allow a goal in the first four games of the season, but since then, the defense is struggling massively, which was evident in the Thursday’s tilt with Apoel. When it comes to home matches, the Toffees have played eight games and won six of them, with the only loss came against Tottenham, 0-3. Eleven out of 14 goals in total came at Goodison Park, while Everton won the all last three home duels with Burnley, so the visitors will go through a lot of trouble to avoid a defeat on Sunday.
The returnee Wayne Rooney, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and OumarNiasse are currently at the top of the team’s goal-scoring chart with three goals each, while Calvert-Lewin and Tom Davies also recorded a pair of assists to their respective names. Niasse emerged as the joker off the bench after a brace against Bournemouth in the previous Premier League match, so it will be interesting to see whether Koeman will hand him a start this time around. Ramiro Funes Mori will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury; YannickBolasie is out until the end of 2017, Ross Barkley will return in the mid-November, while the defenders Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka, and Michael Keane are also sidelined with injuries.
BURNLEY
The Clarets are in the 10th place in the Premier League at the moment, which is a quite good position for them, even though they failed to win in the previous three games. Burnley managed to avoid a defeat at the Anfield against Liverpool and the Wembley against Tottenham, and even beat Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge in the opening game of the season. However, Sean Dyche and the fans must be disappointed with the elimination out of the Carabao Cup as they succumbed to a loss to Leeds at Turf Moor, but that defeat will give Burnley more space to focus on the Premier League.
Burnley played eight matches so far in the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, recording three wins, three draws, and two losses, with a goal difference of 10:8, which means 2.25 goals per contest on average. Despite not winning at Goodison Park in the last three outings, the Clarets have been excellent in away games this season as they still are without a defeat. Considering that they visited such venues as Stamford Bridge, Wembley, and Anfield, and managed to collect five points, Everton will have to do a lot to break the resilient Burnley.
The newly-arrived striker Chris Wood is at the top of the team’s goal-scoring chart with three goals to his name, while Sam Vokes and Robbie Brady recorded two goals each. Brady and Jack Cork added a pair of assists as well, and it seems that Brady and Wood will be the ones who can create problems to Jordan Pickford. Also, the Clarets can be quite dangerous from set-pieces, and with several Everton defenders unavailable to play, that could be their primary tactics for the Goodison Park visit. The starting goalkeeper Tom Heaton is sidelined with a shoulder injury, while the midfielders Dean Marney (knee) and Nahki Wells (ankle) are also unavailable to feature here. The former Stoke City player Jonathan Walters missed the previous five matches due to a knee setback, but he is getting near to return to the full fitness and is doubtful to play on Sunday.
Everton vs. Burnley – Match Prediction
Burnley will likely opt for the defensive approach in this encounter, so I expect them to play a bit deeper, so Everton will struggle to penetrate through the visiting defense. I suppose it’s going to be a tight affair with no more than two goals.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 goals (-118)
