Premier League Betting: Arsenal Boosts Title Odds
Arsenal’s first UEFA Champions League knockout round match since March 2017 didn’t quite go as expected. The Gunners failed to register a shot on target in the competition for the second time on record after an away match in Barcelona in 2011. They looked set for a draw in the first leg of their Round of 16 match against Porto until the 94th minute, when Wenderson Galeno launched a thunderbolt from 25 yards out to secure a dramatic victory.
Mikel Arteta’s side would return to normalcy in the following match, taking the lead within 18 minutes before doubling the advantage shortly after via Kai Havertz. Bukayo Saka would pile onto Newcastle’s misery in the 65th minute before Jakub Kiwior stretched the lead to four in the 4-1 victory.
Arsenal sit third in the table and they are a surefire addition to your Premier League betting predictions. The Gunners, who are two points out of first place, are +300 to win the championship.
After opening 2024 with a 2-0 loss at home vs. Liverpool in the FA Cup, their third straight defeat in all competitions, you’d have to forgive soccer bettors for thinking that Arsenal would be watching from the sidelines as Liverpool and Manchester City pushed each other for the title up until the final day.
Instead, the Gunners would respond with a vengeance by beating Crystal Palace 5-0 and Nottingham Forest 2-1 before kicking off February with a 3-1 victory against Liverpool. They would follow that up with a 6-0 demolition at West Ham and a 5-0 thrashing at Burnley, with Bukayo Saka scoring a brace in both matches.
At 22 years of age, Saka continues to prove why he is one of the deadliest forwards in England, and he’s a surefire addition to your Premier League player prop bets. If you’re planning to bet on English soccer, bet on Saka finding the back of the net for the sixth straight league match.
The England international has racked up 13 goals and seven assists this season. Only three players have more goal contributions in the Premier League – Erling Haaland (22), Ollie Watkins (24), and Mohamed Salah (24) – and he has combined for just two fewer goals than Sheffield United have scored in the entirety of the season.
He’s yet another reason why we’re backing them to score over 2+ goals, having previously done so in each of their last two meetings against Sheffield United. The last time these two sides faced off, Eddie Nketiah scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win in North London, a scoreline that has been far too common for the Blades faithful.
Whilst Arsenal have won 18 of their 26 league matches, Sheffield United have lost 19 of their 26 – and we’re backing both trends to continue.
After finishing second and securing automatic promotion to the Premier League, Sheffield United have struggled to cope in their return to the top-flight. The departures of Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge in the summer have deprived them of the necessary quality to compete. The Blades opened the season with one point from their first 10 matches, a run that included an 8-0 thrashing at home to Newcastle. The midseason arrival of Chris Wilder has failed to turn the tide at Bramall Lane, taking just three points from their last five matches.
This season, they have lost 5-0 on four separate occasions, including defeats to Brighton and Aston Villa over the past month, whilst their most recent match would see them concede within a half-hour to Pablo Sarabia and lose 1-0 at Wolves. Just a few minutes after Sarabia’s goal, Sheffield United teammates Jack Robinson and Vinicius Souza had to be separated as tempers flared between the two, with the fisticuffs prompting intervention from VAR. Although no red card was given, it didn’t matter: Sheffield United were held scoreless for the third time in four matches.
They have the worst attack (22 goals scored) and the worst defense (66 conceded) in the league, and it is no surprise to see our sportsbooks heavily backing Arsenal at -555 in contrast to Sheffield United (+1400). The Blades sit bottom of the table, level on 13 points with Burnley, seven behind Luton Town, who have a game in hand, and 11 away from automatic safety. With just 12 matches remaining, it seems a matter of when, not if, Sheffield United are confirmed to be playing in the 2024-25 EFL Championship season.
If you’re planning to bet on the Premier League, take the over at -135 and bet on Arsenal scoring over 2.5 goals for the fifth straight league match. Whilst the Blades are conceding over two goals a game, Arsenal are scoring over two per game. With 62 goals scored, only Liverpool (63) can boast a stronger attack.
Arteta’s side sit six points clear of Aston Villa, one behind City and two behind Liverpool, and the odds are in their favor as they look to come away with their 19th league victory.
Questions of the Day
Which Premier League player is likely to score this matchday?
Bukayo Saka is in red-hot form, and we’re backing him to get on the score sheet again at Bramall Lane on Monday.
Which Premier League team is likely to concede over 2.5 goals?
Having previously conceded five goals in each of their last three home matches, Sheffield United’s porous backline will have their hands full against Arsenal.
