Stoke v Arsenal Tip

Given all the negative headlines surrounding Arsenal recently it’s very tempting to become reactionary and simply take the 5/2 (Labrokes) on Stoke winning on Sunday to compound Wenger’s misery. However, that would be to ignore the Potters’ own slump going back to the end of last season. If you’re looking for a scoreline bet here, the one that screams out at you is 1-1 at best odds of 6/1 with BetFred.

The trend for 1-1 is pretty hard to escape. That was the result when these sides met at the Britannia Stadium last campaign and all of Stoke’s last five matches, including pre-season, have ended that way. Tony Pulis will have been tearing his hair out last weekend as his side yet again failed to register a clean sheet, conceding a late penalty to Reading. The defence will continue to get edgy until the shutouts start coming again.

Not that the Gunners look well-primed to take full advantage - the fallout from Van Persie’s exit doesn’t need to take up anymore column inches. They fired a blank at home to Sunderland and goals may continue to be a problem against sides who put 10 men behind the ball.

That said, we shouldn’t start over-reacting and thinking that Arsenal will never score. The likes of Cazorla, Podolski and Walcott will certainly have their moments against opponents who haven’t won in seven league outings. All things considered, a score draw at the Potteries might even be regarded as satisfactory by both managers. It certainly looks highly likely.