Premier League Betting - Arsenal vs. Wigan Athletic

Arsenal suffered a 4:2 loss at Manchester City last week but bounced back with a 3:2 win over Standard de Liege mid-week in Champions League action. Arsenal will now be looking to return to winning form when they welcome Wigan Athletic on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.

Wigan Athletic on the other hand snapped a three-match losing streak when they took the 1:0 triumph over West Ham United last week. They will aim to extend their winning form at the expense of Arsenal.

Soccer Betting Line:

Arsenal -1½ -120 -450 3 O +105 U -125 Draw +475
Wigan Athletic +1½ Ev +1100 3 O +105 U -125 Draw +475

Match Time: 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time Saturday 19, 2009

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Soccer Betting Verdict: The bookies fancy a home win and many goals in this match as Arsenal are conspicuously favoured at -450 to win outright and the totals are listed at 3 goals over/under.

The Gunners have only played one match at home thus far, a 4:1 victory over Portsmouth. They are 2-0-2 overall in four cycles in Premier League action. The two losses came to Manchester United and Man City and were a revealing sign of the inherent weakness of the Arsenal bench that is riddled with injuries.

They recently snapped the two-match losing streak when they beat Standard de Liege in European action, coming back from two-goals down to win 3:2. The comeback win will be a huge confidence boost for Arsene Wenger’s men. Another positive is the return of Tomas Rosicky. The Czech midfielder has been sidelined for a long time with injury, but was seen playing for most of the Champions League match and his return to full action will be a much-needed boost for the Gunners.

Wigan Athletic are struggling right now in Premier League action but their plight is hardly surprising. They are under new stewardship with Roberto Martinez and the team is currently in the re-building phase after losing several key players during the summer transfer window. That they returned to winning ways over a solid West Ham United is encouraging, but not enough to convince bookies they are ready to take the victory on the away.

Soccer Free Picks: Arsenal is a young team with much to learn about winning big games but they should have no problems beating middleweights like Wigan Athletic. Wigan are in transition and they will be so for some time. Arsenal for the outright win is a good play if not an enticing one. The better value in this match is found in the overs. Take Over 3 goals at +105.