EPL Odds: Bottom-table Middlesbrough With Shot vs. Arsenal
Middlesbrough (+555) vs. Arsenal (-170), Draw (+340)
Middlesbrough (4-12-15, 24 points) haven’t won a game in fourteen rounds, but maybe they can end the drought when they host Arsenal (16-6-8, 54 points) Monday, April 17th for the 33rd round of the English Premier League.
Middlesbrough have been wallowing in the relegation zone for most of the season, and unless we see a dramatic nosedive from either Hull City or Crystal Palace, they may as well start packing their bags and prepare for the Championship.
There have been some promising performances, though. Former Man City striker Alvaro Negredo has had moments of brilliance, but at 31 years old he isn’t quite the player he used to be. And Calum Chambers has been a godsend for the Middlesbrough defense, but he’ll be ineligible to play on Monday since he’s on loan from Arsenal.
Other than that, there really isn’t anything positive to say about the current Middlesbrough squad. Trust me, I’m trying.
Their biggest advantage right now is that their upcoming opponent is in complete disarray. Arsenal are coming off another humiliating loss, this time it was a 3-0 crushing at the hands of a relegation-threatened Crystal Palace. The performance was so poor that Arsenal fans turned on the players during the match. It was just another let-down in a season full of disappointments. Of their last five games, Arsenal have only managed to win one.
Now, even the most well-behaved Gunners fans are calling for Arsene Wenger’s head. The #WengerOut campaign is gaining momentum by the week and morale on the pitch is embarrassingly low. It seems like the players are just waiting out the season so that they can either rebuild or jump ship.
Arsenal have almost no chance of finishing in the top four, which has come to be their trademark achievement. They may not win titles, but you can trust Arsenal to consistently finish in the top four. Well, not this season.
It may seem ridiculous to pick Middlesbrough in this match-up, but just look at some of the clubs Arsenal have lost to this season: Crystal Palace, West Brom, Watford, Southampton. With that in mind, a win for Middlesbrough doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
Pick: Middlesbrough (+555)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
