Football – England – Premier League
Sunday 6th April 2014 – Kickoff: 1330hrs
Sunday lunchtime dishes up an interesting fixture between 5th placed Everton and 4th placed Arsenal at Goodison Park with a Champions League qualifying berth up for grabs.
Everton currently lie in 5th position just four points adrift of their opponents this afternoon and they will no doubt be keen to make this home match count as they hold a game in hand over Arsenal before today’s encounter – and they have every chance of achieving not only just a point but perhaps all three points given their recent impressive results.
Everton have put together a five match winning streak at just about the right time as we enter the final weeks of the season with wins over West Ham 1-0, Cardiff City 2-1, Swansea City 3-2, Newcastle United 0-3 and Fulham 1-3, and the good news for Toffees fans is that they also hold a very solid home record of 11-3-1 29/13 with their only defeat at Goodison coming unexpectedly against Sunderland.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has continued David Moyes’ good work, and his Everton side have racked up six straight wins at home along with having kept six clean sheets so far this season. What price a second Everton manager, Martinez, becoming the next Manchester United manager I wonder??
Visitors Arsenal make the trip up to Merseyside on the back of just one Premiership win in their last five matches which was a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane in the North London derby against Tottenham. The Gunners have also lost twice in their last five with a 0-1 loss at Stoke City along with an embarrassing capitulation at Stamford Bridge as they melted away against Chelsea in a 0-6 routing.
The draw has recently been the most common result involving Arsenal as The Gunners have been held to points in back-to-back stalemates with Swansea City 2-2 and Manchester City 1-1. However, both of these results were at home, and Arsenal’s recent away results have been less consistent.
With just one away win from their last five, Arsenal are very vulnerable on the road particularly against the top sides as heavy defeats at Liverpool 1-5 and Chelsea 0-6 have shown; a trip to a well-organised Everton could prove another stumbling block in Arsene Wenger’s pursuit of a Champions League berth.
Everton’s strong home record has been earned over the course of another long and tough Premiership campaign, and they should not be under-rated, particularly at their Goodison Park fortress. I will therefore back the hosts to avoid defeat here by taking the round ball, but don’t be surprised if Martinez’s men chisel out another 1-0 win.
Pick: Arsenal AH0 @ 1.74 Pinnacle
