Pressure is mounting on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after a poor run of form that has seen them lose four of their last five league games. And in Southampton, they face one of the league’s overachievers, who find themselves in fourth place after winning four of their last six.
Arsenal simply cannot score, with the normally prolific Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang heading home at the wrong end of the pitch to gift Burnley all three points on Sunday. By contrast, Southampton have found the net in their last 10 games, only failing to score once so far this season.
Arsenal are 23/20 favourites to win tonight, with a Southampton win at 12/5 and 5/2 about the draw.
If you fancy Arsenal’s woes in front of goal to continue, you can find Southampton to Win to Nil at 11/2, while an Arsenal win with BTTS is 29/10.
Granit Xhaka will miss out tonight as he begins a three-match suspension after seeing red against Burnley, while Hector Bellerin is suspended after picking up five yellow cards. Nicolas Pepe returns from his own suspension, though whether Arteta trusts him to start is another matter.
Southampton have no fresh injury worries, with Danny Ings back in contention after recovering from knee surgery.
Aubameyang is 7/2 to open the scoring or 13/10 to score anytime, while Alexandre Lacazette can be backed at 6/4 to find the net.
Fancy Danny Ings to make the difference? He’s 7/2 to score first, 13/10 anytime, or 13/2 to score two or more goals in the game.
Both teams come into this one on the back of wins, with Leicester flying high in third, while Everton find themselves in eighth. The Foxes have managed to put a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Fulham behind them, with wins against Sheffield United and Brighton in their last two outings. They’re seemingly allergic to draws too – none of their games so far this season have ended in a stalemate.
After a sensational start to the season Everton’s expectations were dampened with a series of poor results. Losses to Southampton, Newcastle, Man Utd and Leeds all showcased defensive frailties that need to be addressed. However, a 1-0 win over Chelsea last time out suggests boss Carlo Ancelotti is on the right track.
Leicester are 11/10 to take all three points here, with Everton at 23/10 and 5/2 about the draw.
Both teams boast prolific strikers and you can back a Leicester win with BTTS at 11/4, while an Everton win with Over 2.5 goals is 19/5.
Leicester could have some issues at the back – Jonny Evans is suspended, while Caglar Soyuncu and Ricardo Pereira both miss out through injury.
Everton are expected to continue without natural full-backs, with Seamus Coleman not yet ready to return, while James Rodriguez will be absent once more.
10-goal striker Jamie Vardy is well in the hunt for the Golden Boot this season and he’s 10/11 to add to his tally anytime here, or 14/5 to score first.
Everton hit-man Dominic Calvert-Lewin is 4/1 to open the scoring, or 7/5 to net anytime.
Have Leeds been found out in the Premier League, or was it always inevitable that a squad largely made of Championship players would struggle at this level? Marcelo Bielsa’s man-marking style certainly offers something different to most teams in the league, but with just one win in six, the early-season positivity around the side has dissipated as reality sets in.
And if there’s any team that can bring you crashing down to earth, it’s Steve Bruce’s Magpies. They’re not pretty to watch, they don’t bring any innovative tactics to the table – but on their day they can still be very effective. Three wins in five has brought some festive cheer to Tyneside, and they enjoy a three-point lead over tonight’s opponents.
Leeds are 3/4 to get back to winning ways here, with 29/10 on the draw and a Newcastle win at 7/2.
Newcastle have several long-term injuries and niggles with Martin Dubravka, Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, Fabien Schar, Javier Manquillo and Allan Saint-Maximin all unavailable. However, summer signing Ryan Fraser is edging closer to full fitness, and could feature here.
Patrick Bamford is fit and will lead the line for Leeds despite an early substitution against West Ham, while centre-backs Robin Koch and Diego Llorente are both injured.
Bamford has proven his doubters wrong so far this season with eight goals to his name. He’s Evens to score again tonight or 3/1 to net first.
Callum Wilson has settled in quickly to life in Newcastle and is 17/10 to add to his tally of seven goals tonight.
This could be a big game in the grand scheme of things. While both teams are currently level, both will be under pressure tonight. With Spurs, there will always be lingering doubts that they have what it takes to challenge for the title and end their 12-year wait for silverware. Has Jose Mourinho managed to transform the Spurs mentality that has always seen them fall short when it matters most?
For Liverpool, the questions are more about the depth of their squad and ability to match last season’s intensity. Their injury problems continue to mount and without that extra motivation of a first title win in 30 years, this gruelling season could wear down a squad expected to give everything, every game.
Liverpool are the 10/11 favourites to win tonight, with Spurs at 11/4 and the draw at 27/10.
A Liverpool win with BTTS is 11/5, or if you expect a Mourinho counter-attacking masterclass, you can back a Spurs win with under 2.5 goals at 17/2.
Both Naby Keita and Joel Matip could miss out for Liverpool tonight, joining the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, James Milner, Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara and Xherdan Shaqiri on the sidelines.
Tottenham’s injury list is more modest with only Japhet Tanganga and Erik Lamela absent.
Mo Salah is 7/2 to score first tonight, 23/20 anytime, or 11/2 to score two or more.
For Tottenham, Harry Kane leads the way at 4/1 to score first or 7/5 to find the net anytime.
