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Premiership

Gunners should win this but they may leave it late

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"Mystical" Mike Norman looks into his crystal ball to find the best bets on offer on Betfair as unpredictable Middlesbrough visit the Emirates

Arsenal entertain Middlesbrough later today, desperate to get their assault on the Premiership back on track after some disappointing results of late. By the time the game kicks off, Manchester United will undoubtedly have moved above the Gunners by securing a victory at Derby County, and with just nine games to go, Arsenal have to start turning draws into wins.

Arsenal can be backed at [4.3] to win the Premiership, having been matched at odds of [1.73] just a few weeks ago. United are the strong favourites at [1.74], while Chelsea can't be dismissed and are available at [5.2] if you think Avram Grant's men can regain the title.

History & Current Form

Arsenal and Middlesbrough have met 115 times in the league, with the Gunners securing almost double the amount of wins as their opponents (57 to 29), while 29 have also finished in a draw. Surprisingly, the last ten meetings between these two teams have been much closer, with Boro coming out on top four times, Arsenal four times, and two ending all square.

Arsene Wenger's men have now gone three Premiership games without a win, though their victory in Milan just ten days ago shows they can still be as good as any team in Europe on their day. Arsenal remain unbeaten at the Emirates however, and worryingly for Boro is the fact that Adebayor & Co have scored in every Premiership game this season in front of their own fans.

Middlesbrough remain as unpredictable as ever, and face Arsenal on the back of two embarrassing home defeats to Reading and Cardiff City in which they performed very poorly. But Boro being Boro, they upped their game considerably at Villa Park in mid-week and were full value for the point that they earned, and were arguably unlucky not to secure all three.

Team/Transfer News

With Eduardo a long term injury casualty and Theo Walcott struggling to shake of a thigh strain, now might be the time for Robin van Persie to put a disappointing season behind him and return to the first team. Both Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are back in contention for a start, though Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby are still sidelined.

Jeremy Aliadiere returns to the Boro squad after his four match ban for 'assaulting' Javier Mascherano, and Alfonso Alves has recovered from the bug that saw him miss the mid-week clash against Villa. Gareth Southgate has virtually a fully fit squad to choose from, though the term 'fully fit' might not be the correct description when you look at the size of Mido and Rochemback's waistline.

Betfair Markets

It's impossible to look beyond Arsenal in the match odds market, but with Boro being as unpredictable as they are, only the brave will go in big at odds of [1.35]. Middlesbrough can be backed at [12.5] to cause the surprise of the day, while the draw is available at [5.5].

With Arsenal scoring in every Premiership game this season at the Emirates, it's easy to see why the odds on Boro keeping a clean sheet are so large - currently [8.8]. An Arsenal clean sheet is far more likely at [1.89], but with Boro boasting some talented players in attack, I'd be a layer rather than a backer.

Arsenal's most popular winning score in the league this season has been 2-0 and 3-1, and I think both those scorelines are worth an interest at odds of [6.8] and [14.5] respectively. I'm not totally confident about predicting the amount of goals in this game, though I'd be more inclined to back 'Over 2.5 Goals' at [1.85] than 'Under 2.5 Goals' at [2.14] - 'Over 3.5 Goals' is available at [3.2], while if you fancy a goal fest, then 'Over 4.5 Goals' might be the way to go at a tasty looking [6.8].

Emmanuel Adebayor is the favourite to get the first goal of the game at odds of [4.7], but I would be interested in backing Van Persie at [5.2] if he is confirmed as a starter. Alfonso Alves is Middlesbrough's shortest priced player to score first, and he can be backed at [14.5] if you think the Teesside club can get off to a good start.

My heart says Boro can get something from this game, but my head tells me otherwise - though with Arsenal stuttering of late, I'm hopeful we can hold on until at least half time. For that reason, backing 'Draw-Arsenal' at [4.7] might recover some of the Cheltenham losses.