Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Sunday, April 9:
TOP PLAY
The play: English Premier League, Arsenal money line over Liverpool
The odds: +150
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 11:30 a.m. (Peacock)
Our take: Anfield has been a bogey ground for Arsenal in recent years. The Gunners haven’t won in the red half of Merseyside in the Premier League since 2012. In fact, Mikel Arteta’s side hasn’t fared well against Jurgen Klopp and Co. in general over the last few years.
Arsenal’s 3-2 win at the Emirates in October was their first over the Reds since the COVID-restart period (July 2020). Before then, you’d have to go back to 2015 to find the last time the Gunners picked up three points in the league and the 2009/10 season to find the last time they did a league double over Liverpool.
All of that being said, I don’t believe it’s a stretch by any imagination to say this is the best Arsenal side since Arsene Wenger’s heydey. Artets has the Gunners rolling as they’re in the driver’s seat en route to a Premier League title with nine games to play. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s sat eighth — level on points with Brentford — and playing miserable football at the moment.
Arsenal is enjoying a historic season. The Gunners are flying high and a win at Anfield today would take them one step closer to cementing their place in history. This team — specifically goalscoring threats like Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka — has what it takes to take the Reds’ crowd out of it early and cruise during a title-defining performance.
BACKING BOSTON TO MAKE HOCKEY HISTORY
The play: NHL, Boston Bruins -1.5 over Philadelphia Flyers
The odds: -102
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 6 p.m. (TNT)
Our take: We’ve struggled with our daily best bets over the last few days. What do you do when nothing is going your way? Change your playing patterns and back a favorite or two to get back to winning ways.
It’s by no means risky to bet on the Boston Bruins. They will be going for history tonight as they look to pass the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning for the most single-season wins in NHL history.
While Boston won’t be in front of a home crowd at TD Garden, it has dominated the struggling Philadelphia Flyers this season. The only meeting between the two this season ended in a 6-0 Bruins victory, unless you count the 4-0 Boston win this preseason. The Flyers are also one of the worst teams in the entire NHL.
The potential to rewrite hockey history alone should be enough to lift this talented team past Philadelphia, never mind the clear talent gap. Take the Bruins puck line, sit back and witness history.
HOW WE’VE FARED
UFC 287: Israel Adesanya over Alex Pereira (WON)
MLB: Astros money line over Twins (LOST)
Saturday’s record: 1-1
Total for the week: 5-6, 1 pending
Total for April: 6-9, 1 pending
Total for 2023: 71-79, 1 pending
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).