The in-play guide to Stoke City vs Arsenal
There are three Premier League matches being televised within the space of around six hours for the second Sunday running. We've looked at ways to make money in-play from the 2.05pm tie between Stoke and Arsenal...
Beware of the Stoke second-half rally
Realistically, Arsenal will be wanting to make sure that they are ahead by half-time and ideally by two goals or more to provide themselves with the best possible chance of victory at the Britannia Stadium as Stoke have been the fifth most successful second-half team in the division this season, only being outscored after the interval on eight occasions in 35 games. A flutter on the draw if the visitors lead at the break or a home win if the game is level is therefore worth considering.
Arsenal aren't exactly comeback kings
If Arsenal do have the misfortune of conceding the first goal in the Potteries on Sunday then there's plenty of justification for piling in on the hosts. The Gunners have only come from behind to win twice in the Premier League all season, and have battled back to draw three times, meaning that they have only recovered nine points from losing positions, compared for example to 19 for the team directly above them Chelsea and 26 for the division's comeback kings West Brom.
Beware of late drama if betting on over/unders
Each of the three collisions between Stoke and Arsenal that have taken place in Staffordshire this century have featured late goals, with a total of four strikes coming in the closing five minutes of the encounters, so if you have a wager on over or under 2.5 goals, be sure to secure your position before any late action. For example, if you've backed unders and the scoreline is 2-0 approaching the 86th minute, it's best to play safe and trade out rather than hold out in hope of no late twists.
Click here for a pre-match punt, or to suss out how the markets are shaping up...
Published: 6 May 2011
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