Will Arsenal Continue to Roll on the Road? Three Plays from Today’s (9/12) EPL Slate
Written by: BettingThePitch
Published: Sat Sep 12, 2026, 7:00 am ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
EPL
Another profitable article last time out, and we're continuing to roll right now!
The Champions League was very good to us midweek. However, it's time to shift gears and turn our attention back to Europe's top league.
We have another loaded Premier League slate ahead of us today.
There are plenty of plays I like, but three spots stand out above the rest. So, let's dive right into them!
Head over to our Soccer Picks Page for our expert's soccer analysis, or read my best bets below.
Featured Plays
- Aston Villa Team Total Over 1.5 Goals (+125)
- Liverpool vs. Fulham Over 3 Goals (-145)
- Arsenal Moneyline + Under 3.5 Goals (+100)
Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest
Can McGinn and Villa continue their upward trend at home today?
This is a pure value play for me.
I really like the direction Aston Villa are heading after a rough start to the season. Following that embarrassing 4-0 opening defeat, they've looked better with each match.
However, their midweek Champions League performance is what finally brought me over the line.
Villa went on the road against a very difficult Club Brugge side and completely controlled the match. They finished with 3.22 expected goals, 21 shots, and nine attempts on target.
Now, I know Sommer wasn't at his best for Brugge.
Still, Villa did more than enough going forward to grab my attention.
They're creating better chances, playing with more confidence, and starting to look like the team we kind of saw last season.
Additionally, Nottingham Forest have historically struggled when traveling to Villa Park.
Forest haven't won a Premier League match at Villa Park since 1994. However, there is an interesting managerial angle that initially gave me some hesitation.
Oliver Glasner has had Unai Emery's number in their previous meetings.
While managing Crystal Palace, Glasner faced Emery seven times and finished with five wins and two draws. Naturally, I expect him to use some of those same ideas against Villa today.
However, I went back and looked deeper into those matches.
Emery's sides still created plenty of chances and probably deserved better results in several of those meetings. That makes me much less concerned about the head-to-head record.
More importantly, I think this current Villa attack is beginning to find its rhythm at the perfect time.
At plus money, I simply think this number is too good to pass up.
Give me Villa to find the back of the net at least twice at home.
Play: Aston Villa Team Total Over 1.5 Goals (+125)
Liverpool vs. Fulham
Liverpool will need Isak to stay in form if they're going to grab a home win today.
I'm willing to pay the extra juice here to get push protection at exactly three goals.
There's a very realistic scenario where Liverpool score three or more themselves and clear this total without much help.
Fulham have yet to keep a clean sheet this season. Additionally, they've already conceded at least three goals twice, doing so against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
That's not ideal when traveling to Anfield.
I've really liked what I've seen from Liverpool's attack so far this season.
Alexander Isak and company have looked dangerous going forward, and they're consistently finding quality opportunities. Even if Bradley Barcola can't go, I don't think Rio filling in would be the worst thing in the world.
However, Liverpool's problems remain in the midfield and back line.
I do think the midfield has improved slightly, but I still don't trust this defense. Virgil van Dijk and that back four have given opponents too many opportunities for my liking.
That's important because Fulham's attacking numbers are actually better than their goal total suggests.
They've scored four goals this season despite producing 5.8 expected goals. Therefore, some positive regression should eventually come if they continue creating chances at this rate.
Liverpool should get their opportunities.
However, I also think Fulham have enough going forward to contribute and help us get over this number.
With three goals giving us our money back, I'm willing to pay the price.
Play: Liverpool vs. Fulham Over 3 Goals (-145)
Sunderland vs. Arsenal
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
"Operation Fade Sunderland" continues, and I'm also going right back to the well with Arsenal.
The Gunners went into Naples midweek and absolutely dominated Napoli.
They only won 1-0, but that scoreline doesn't tell the full story. Arsenal easily could have walked away with a 3-0 or 4-0 victory.
Their midfield is controlling matches at an incredibly high level right now.
Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard is off to an unbelievable start this season. Playing in that attacking midfield role has suited him perfectly, and he's making everything click.
Right now, Arsenal look like the best team in Europe to me.
They're going to be extremely difficult to beat this season because they can control matches in so many different ways.
Of course, there is always some concern about tired legs after a midweek Champions League trip.
There's also the possibility of a slight drop in focus against a lesser opponent. However, Arsenal are simply too talented and too deep for me to make that my main concern.
They rotated a little during the week and can afford to do the same here.
Even with a few changes, Arsenal are miles ahead of this Sunderland side in terms of quality.
Sunderland will likely try to make this physical and disrupt Arsenal's rhythm.
However, the Gunners move the ball so quickly that I'm not sure the hosts can consistently get close enough.
Arsenal also don't need this match to become a shootout.
Once they get ahead, I expect them to control possession, limit Sunderland's chances, and see out the result.
That's why I prefer combining the Arsenal moneyline with Under 3.5 rather than laying a bigger number.
Give me the visitors to grab a professional 1-0 or 2-0 road victory and move on to the next one.
Play: Arsenal Moneyline + Under 3.5 Goals (+100)
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