Arsenal v Everton: match betting preview, prediction & free tip

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Arsenal v Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Over 0.5 Everton first-half goals
1pt 5-4 Betway, Coral

Team news

Arsenal
Hector Bellerin, Nicolas Pepe and Lucas Torreira are all in contention to return to the team. Mesut Ozil (personal) may also be available after missing the trip to Olympiakos.

Everton
Andre Gomes is fit but Theo Walcott has been ruled out. Fabian Delph is available after a ban.

Match preview

Arsenal made it nine matches without defeat by beating Olympiakos 1-0 in Greece in the Europa League on Thursday night but the quick turnaround does them few favours. Everton can take advantage by making a fast start at the Emirates.

Unbeaten in 2020, the Gunners are unrecognisable under Mikel Arteta – but so too are Everton under Carlo Ancelotti. And they have had a week off.

Everton were four points adrift of Arsenal at that stage of the season but now find themselves two points ahead of the Londoners and both are chasing down European qualification.

The Toffees have had 15 days to rest since their last match, a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.

They have lost just twice since the first week of December – at top two Manchester City and Liverpool – and have won three games in a row, scoring eight goals in the process.

Their front two of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison is working nicely though Carlo Ancelotti has still yet to decide on his best midfield. He has been in charge for nine games and has yet to play the same pairing in successive games.

Everton are clearly a progressive unit under the Italian warhorse and are playing some good stuff.

They aren’t without hope at the Emirates and can certainly find the net even allowing for the improvements former Blue Arteta has made in the Gunners’ rearguard. They have kept clean sheets in their last three matches, though Olympiakos were desperately wasteful in Piraeus where Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno had a good night.

With a bit more care and attention the Greeks would have found the net and Everton should feel confident they can find a way through. Both teams to score is 4-6 at best and over 2.5 goals is 8-11 shot, so bookmakers concur. An even better price is the 13-10 that Everton score in the first half, something they have done in each of their last five assignments.

Shkodran Mustafi earned some rare plaudits for his performance in Greece but he’s not a top-class defender and plays in a defensive unit which has mistakes in it.

Newcastle might not have had the guile to break them down but Everton could and the Toffees will be acutely aware that Arsenal aren’t the best starters. The Gunners were dismal for 50-odd minutes against Newcastle – and completely flattered by the 4-0 scoreline – and going into this weekend only porous Villa and Southampton had conceded more first-half home goals than Arsenal.

Arsenal themselves are obviously a threat – even Alexandre Lacazette is scoring again and most of his Premier League goals (26 out of 33 and each of his last nine) have been scored at home.