On New Year’s Day, the English Premier League will offer us two clashes. One of them promises to be quite interesting with many goals – the match between Tottenham and Bournemouth. The other match, however, presents a good betting opportunity with decent odds and, most importantly, a very low margin offered by bookmakers. This is the match between Fulham and Arsenal, where in Asian Lines bets, the margin at bet365 is below 2 percent. This is an offer that should not be missed, and that’s why we will try to find the right prediction.
The main line of Asian Lines bets for this match is for an away win for Arsenal with a 1-goal advantage pre-set for Fulham. This seems logical given that Arsenal is in the title race (currently only 2 points behind the top spot, and if they win at Craven Cottage, they will start the new year as league leaders), while Fulham’s main task is to maintain their position in the league. At the moment, the hosts are in 14th place in the temporary standings and are six points clear of the relegation zone. In practice, this means that any poor run of form could put them in serious trouble.
The poor runs of both teams
Speaking of poor form, it’s worth noting that Fulham has suffered three consecutive losses in their recent matches. What’s even worse is that these are games where the hosts failed to score a single goal. The losses came against Newcastle, Burnley, and Bournemouth, and these were certainly matches where the team’s supporters expected to secure at least 4 points.
Arsenal’s poor run is more related to the team’s difficulties in scoring goals. In their last 4 matches, the visitors in this encounter have managed to score only three goals, and these are certainly not the results of a team aiming for the title. What’s even worse is that the goals come from different players, and there is no consistency in any of the big stars of “The Gunners.” Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard have been performing poorly in recent weeks, and none of them can be relied upon to score in every match.
The return of Raul Jimenez
The good news for Fulham is the return of their star striker, Raul Jimenez. Three matches ago, he decided to switch sports and try special MMA practices instead of football, for which he received a deserved red card and punishment. Now he’s back in the game, and this will strengthen Fulham’s aspirations for a good result in the match.
Prediction
Despite seemingly positive news for Fulham, my preferences lean towards Arsenal. Arteta has shown that he can get his team out of a slump, and the situation is exactly like that now. The unexpected loss to West Ham in the last round is an unpleasant moment, but with the right motivation from Arteta, Arsenal players will be able to secure a victory against Fulham. Whether it will be by at least two goals is a separate question, but that doesn’t matter much for the bet. If Arsenal win by only one goal difference, the bet will be refunded, which is entirely acceptable.
It should also be noted that if Arsenal manages to take the lead, as expected, towards the end of the match, Fulham players will have to go on the attack, opening up space for Arsenal’s fast attackers and potentially increasing the lead in favor of the visitors.
So, my prediction for this match is an Arsenal victory against Fulham with a pre-set advantage for the hosts of one goal. The odds for this possible outcome are 2.05, which is more than acceptable.
