EPL Betting – Liverpool at Arsenal

Liverpool (+400) at Arsenal (-133), Draw (+300)

The third set of fixtures in the 2015-16 English Premier League season will close with arguably the game of the week as Liverpool visit Arsenal at the Emirates on Monday (3:00 PM Eastern).

Arsenal entered the season as one of the favorites to fight for the EPL title, but they were shocked by West Ham on opening weekend, falling 2-0 at home. The Gunners bounced back with a win over Crystal Palace last week (2-1), but didn’t play up to expectations in either match, given the level of talent on their roster.

Manager Arsene Wenger has been pleased with the playmaking of midfielder Mesut Ozil in the early going, but would like to see the talented German take a more aggressive role in the Arsenal attack.

‘It’s a pleasure to watch the quality of [Ozil’s] passing and the intelligence of his passing. What I want from him … is a few more goals this season”, said Wenger to the Daily Mail. “He was absolutely magnificent. He works harder than many people think he does. He’s not spectacular in his defending, but he wants to do the job and help the team.”

Liverpool, meanwhile, are off to a strong start, winning their first two matches without a conceding a goal (1-0 at Stoke City, and 1-0 at home over Bournemouth). With the full six points through two games, the Reds are currently tied with four other teams at the top of the table (Manchester United, Man City, and Leicester City.

Despite a disappointing sixth-place finish last year, the team has a ton of confidence in manager Brendan Rodgers. “[Rodgers] will set us up to get a result [at the Emirates],” said Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana to Sky Sports, adding, “We’ve had two clean sheets in two games and we’ll be looking for a third on Monday night. We’re going there to try to get the win.”

The last time the Reds visited the Emirates, they were dismantled, 4-1. Liverpool will likely try to make this a more low scoring game, while Arsenal presses the attack in search of their first home win of the year. That dynamic should favor Ozil and the Gunners, who boast too much talent to get blanked at home again.

Pick: Arsenal (-133). 

(Photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom (Mesut Özil  Uploaded by Dudek1337) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)