Burnley v Arsenal: Rice looks tasty in assists market

• Set-piece switch has already paid Rice dividends

• Gabriel has 4 goals in his last 8 PL games

• Back Bet Builder at 41/1 - it landed last week

• Read about Betfair's 90 Minute Payout offer here

Burnley v Arsenal
Saturday 17 February, 15:00

If you like a chunky-priced Bet Builder, then today's football props column is one for you.

It's a pretty simple theory too.

Leg 1: Declan Rice anytime assist

During Arsenal mid-winter break, Mikel Arteta opted to make Declan Rice his main set-piece taker.

Since making that switch, Rice has delivered three assists in four games, two of them coming at West Ham last Sunday when two of his set-pieces were headed home.

Asked about the move, Arteta said Rice had "been excellent because he's got the consistency and the quality with his deliveries".

The Gunners have now scored a league-high 16 goals from set-plays this season and that's bad news for Burnley, given only Nottingham Forest have conceded more from such situations.

It certainly sets the alarm bells ringing ahead of a game Arsenal are expected to dominate - they are just 3/10 for victory, while they are odds-on for at least seven corners.

In short, Rice will likely get several chances to whip his devilish deliveries into the danger area and I'm more than happy to put him down for another assist at 9/25.50.

Leg 2: Gabriel Magalhaes to score

The man most likely to end on the end of a Rice set-piece is Gabriel Magalhaes.

After heading in a Rice free kick at West Ham, the centre-back has now scored four goals in his last eight games.

He's Arsenal's biggest threat from these situations and is certainly someone who should make life difficult for the home defence in this contest.

Rice to assist and Gabriel to score is a Bet Builder which pays north of 41/142.00 and that looks worth chancing given the circumstances.

However, having also seen Rice assist Arsenal's other centre-back, William Saliba, last week, I'm going to have a saver on the Rice assist-Saliba goal bet at a slightly bigger price.

I'd be gutted to see Saliba head home a Rice ball in, rather than Gabriel. Given what happened at the London Stadium - and the fact that Saliba scored in the reverse fixture at the Emirates in November - then this looks a safety net worth having.

The staking plan therefore is two-thirds on the main Rice-Gabriel bet and one-third on Rice-Saliba.

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