English Premier League Odds, Betting Picks & Predictions for Arsenal vs. Everton (Friday, April 23)

Arsenal vs. Everton Odds

Premier League clubs in pursuit of European soccer berths next season square off Friday when Arsenal welcomes Everton to Emirates Stadium.

These sides are separated by just three points in the standings, with the eighth-place Toffees on 49 points with a game in hand facing the ninth-place Gunners. West Ham United currently holds the automatic Europa League berth in fifth with 55 points.

Needless to say, Arsenal needs to bag all three points to inch closer to that prize. A win for Everton, which would be its first on the road against this foe since 1996, would make things even more interesting in the Europa chase as the season winds down in England's top flight.

Let's take a look at these talented sides and see what might be on deck.

Arsenal

The Gunners have been in solid form as of late, going unbeaten in 10 of their last 12 matches across all competitions. So, with that kind of record one would assume they'd be in better position in the standings, right?

Well, three of those victories came in the current Europa League competition, where Arsenal recently disposed of Czech outfit Slavia Prague — formally known as Slavia Praha — to earn a spot in the semifinal round.

That means, the Gunners have compiled 3-1-3 (W-L-D), which is by no means poor, but when you're trying to better your position, the ties will likely come back to haunt you.

And that point was proven when looking back at Arsenal's most recent outing, which happened to be a disappointing 1-1 stalemate against struggling relegation-side Fulham at the Emirates.

The Gunners deserved to lose that match due to poor play in the Cottagers' defensive third, but were bailed out by Eddie Nketiah's 97th-minute goal to salvage a point.

Arsenal held a whopping 2.9-0.9 edge in expected goals in the contest, but lacked any sort of quality in finishing its plethora of scoring chances. The Gunners held an 18-3 advantage in shots, but only five were on goal. They also dominated possession, maintaining control of the ball 70 percent of the game.

Everton

If you're searching for a team that could be the poster child for inconsistent play, you don't have to look any further than the Toffees. Manager Carlo Ancelotti's group defines inconsistency, which could eventually cost it a shot at reaching European soccer's big stage next season.

This is how Everton's last 11 matches went in chronological order of results:

• Two losses
• Three wins
• Three losses
• Three draws

You read that correctly. It has either been a losing streak, winning streak or multiple draws in a row for the Toffees and never anything mixed in between. Their most recent stretch of matches has to be most concerning to Ancelotti, though.

Everton is winless in its last six games, which includes a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinal round. A home loss to Burnley and tie with Crystal Palace are the most glaring results for a club that would be in better position had it snatched even just one win in those games.

The one bright spot entering this tilt is the fact the Toffees should have won their most recent match — a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur — at Goodison Park. They held a 2.3-1.2 xG edge at the final whistle, only to see things unravel via some shoddy defense and unfortunate miscues on home soil.

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Betting Analysis & Picks

Arsenal has utterly dominated Everton on home soil as of late, going unbeaten in its last 23 meetings with the Liverpool-based club. However, the Gunners haven't been at their best form at the Emirates in recent games, going winless in their last four that include two losses and two draws.

I firmly believe this is going to be an extremely tight, chess-match type of contest, with both sides looking to limit the mistakes and avoid the big gaffe that could change the match's complexion. Arsenal's recent failure against Fulham was highlighted by its glaring woes in finishing scoring chances, which is something the host won't get away with in this spot.

For that reason, I'm backing Everton to score scratch out a result via the Double Chance wager at -125 odds on DraftKings as my top pick. I will also sprinkle a little on the total staying under the number in what I forecast to be an extremely even showdown. There have been two goals or less in the Toffees' last four road league tilts, which gives me confidence in this play.

Picks: Double Chance — Everton Win or Draw (-125) | Under 2.5 Goals (-124)