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EPL Odds: Tigers a Live ‘Dog vs. Slumping Gunners

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Soccer News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Arsenal (-333) vs Hull (+1200), Draw (+510)

Hull City (5-5-14, 20 points) will travel to Emirates Stadium this Saturday, February 11, to take on a sputtering Arsenal (14-5-5, 47 points) in the 25th fixture of the English Premier League.

Ordinarily, this would be a straightforward pick. Arsenal are a top-four side with one of the most stacked lineups in the league, while Hull City are wallowing in the relegation zone with only one away win this season.

But Arsenal have lost their last two games, first suffering an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Watford and then a crushing 3-1 defeat to Chelsea. Once again, the Gunners have squandered another shot at the title and are back in their well-worn fourth-place position. The players are struggling, the fans are furious, and morale is low.

On the other hand, Hull are riding high after a huge 2-0 win against Liverpool. The Tigers made use of what little possession they had and held strong against the relentless Liverpool attack. They opened the scoring in the 44th minute when Alfred N’Diaye pounced on a loose ball inside the box; Oumar Niasse sealed the win in the 84th minute after a long ball put him clear of the Liverpool defense. The Reds controlled possession throughout the game and had 22 attempts on goal (Hull had only seven), but they came up short every time.

The Tigers are not having a great season by any stretch of the imagination. They are currently in 18th place and have been fighting relegation for most of the season. But in a sea of losses, they have come up with a few big wins against Manchester United and Liverpool.

Hull have failed to win their last 11 away matches in the Premier League and I’m not bold enough to predict that they’ll end that streak against Arsenal. But when the Gunners have a bad day, they are capable of losing to absolutely anyone. And Hull have had their fair share of David-versus-Goliath moments this season. With a draw valued at +510, that’s a pretty solid play.

Pick: Draw (+510)


Photo credit: “Arsenal Vs Watford” by Joshjdss, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr

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