Arsenal to bounce back
I backed the Gunners in their last Premier League outing against Southampton which they lost 3-2. They then lost to their North London rivals in the Carabao Cup. I'm still going to back them in this game, as I just can't see them dropping points at home to Burnley, but I don't think it will be a complete walkover; I have gone for a combo bet.
Betting Tips
Arsenal have now produced three sub par performances. First they won 1-0 against a lacklustre Huddersfield. They then lost to a Southampton who had only won one game this season. They were constantly chasing the game, equalising twice before Charlie Austin headed in the winner in the 85th minute. They then lost the Carabao Cup quarter final against Spurs. Despite their poor run of form I think they will bounce back in this game, as long as Emre will start playing Lacazette alongside Aubameyang from the start. There will no doubt be some heavy rotations after their crowded schedule over the past few weeks. This is why I think that Arsenal will not win by a large margin. I'm sure the NLD will have taken a toll on a couple of players. There are still question marks over wether Özil will play. All in all I think Arsenal should win this game, but with their attack misfiring in recent weeks I can't see this being a walk in the park.
Burnley were so unlucky in their last match against Spurs, conceding at Wembley in the 91st minute. On Saturday I think they could provide a similar performance but in the long run this won't be enough. The good news for Burnley is that Nick Pope might be returning after a really long time out with injury. Pope played 90 minutes in Burnley's U23s match and could be deemed fit to replace the mediocre Hart in between the sticks. As I said, I think Burnley will be a tough team for Arsenal to break down. But this is a Burnley team that struggles to score, and although Arsenal have not been great at the back recently, I can't see Burnley netting anything against them.
I'm going to go with an old favourite of mine: Arsenal to win and under 3.5 goals in the match. Bethard are offering some decent odds for this at 23/20.
