After a midweek full of European action for English sides, and plenty of talking points, the Premier League returns.
Our football betting expert looks at the fixtures across the weekend and gives you his predictions.
Main Selections
Norwich and Arsenal to draw at 3/1
Bournemouth to beat Tottenham at 7/1
Newcastle Vs. Manchester City
Manchester City look to close the nine-point gap that has opened from title rivals Liverpool as they travel north to face Newcastle with the hosts looking for back-to-back victories against City in the Premier League for the first time since 2003.
I think City will come out very strong at the weekend have enough to see off Newcastle however, I don’t see it being a big scoreline in favour of City. A 2-0 Man City win can be backed at 11/2.
Burnley Vs. Crystal Palace
High flying Burnley, who currently sit above Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United, host Crystal Palace this weekend.
Sean Dyche’s men have made a great start this season with only Leicester (six) keeping more clean sheets than them (five).
Palace have had a tough last five fixtures losing against Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester and Manchester City but did manage to salvage a point against Arsenal.
This is a very hard game to call and I’d have to back the draw at 23/10.
Chelsea Vs. West Ham
Frank Lampard’s side suffered their first defeat in six games against Manchester City last weekend, and they were held to a 2-2 draw in the Champions League in midweek at Valencia. New signing Christian Pulisic has been in fine form for Lampard’s blues having five goals and two assists this campaign and he’s 7/5 to add to that tally.
West Ham are scarily close to the relegation zone and Manuel Pellegrini’s job seems to be in jeopardy and the loss to Tottenham last weekend only added pressure to the Chilean.
I can’t see this changing much; Chelsea have been different class this season and I expect to see them return to winning ways with a home win to nil available at 29/20.
Liverpool Vs. Brighton
Liverpool have entered game week 14 with a flawless record so far. However, after their draw to Napoli on Wednesday means that they have now gone 11 games without a clean sheet. This means that they are on their worst run for keeping clean sheets since 1998.
Brighton, under Graham Potter, have had a solid start, but I still cannot see anything but a home win.
The bet that stands out to me is Liverpool to win and both teams to score at 33/20.
Tottenham Vs. Bournemouth
Tottenham have two wins since ‘The Special One’ took charge and will look to continue their rise back to the top end of the table. Jose Mourinho has breathed life into Dele Alli, who is showing shades of his former self, has been instrumental in Spurs’ last two victories.
I haven’t been completely convinced by the Mourinho party that is taking place in North London. Yes, they have won, but going 2-0 down to Olympiacos and only just surviving a late surge from West Ham points to more of the same. I can see Bournemouth winning in the shock result of the weekend. At 7/1, there is certainly value.
Southampton Vs. Watford
What looks to be two relegation candidates meet at St. Mary’s with both managers feeling the pressure. Southampton were unlucky to not get a win against Arsenal last time out and instead had to settle with a point.
A win against Norwich was positive for Watford, but just as though it looked like their fortunes changed Burnley brought them crashing back down to earth.
This is a hard one to call but I think Southampton just have the edge at 11/10.
Norwich Vs. Arsenal
Norwich seemed to have lost their way after a flying start and found themselves bottom up until last week. A fantastic win against Everton was much needed and could be a vital turning point in their season.
Unai Emery is no longer the man at the helm following a poor run with the Gunners, including Thursday’s Europa League defeat. This game would usually seem like an easy win for the visitors but the latest goings-on at the Emirates will still be causing a few issues and interim boss Freddie Ljungberg may get some reaction, but I feel the draw is the best bet at 3/1.
Wolves Vs. Sheffield United
Sheffield United have been the surprise package of the Premier League so far and currently sit in sixth position. The Blades have been notoriously hard to break down this season, only conceding 12, and have taken points off the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Man Utd.
Wolves are on a surge having not lost in their last 8 games and this game will be tightly contested, but I can see Wolves winning by a small margin. I’m backing the hosts to win and under 2.5 goals at 14/5.
Leicester Vs. Everton
Leicester have been absolutely flying this season with star striker Jamie Vardy leading the race for the golden boot with 12 goals. Brendan Rodgers has built a team that looks full of confidence as they will look to continue that impressive run against an Everton side at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Everton have probably been one of the biggest disappointments this season. With such a busy summer transfer window, they were tipped to battle it out for European places. Instead, they are fighting to stay out of the relegation zone and manager Marco Silva is fighting for his job.
I expect nothing other than a Leicester win here but will go with the home win and both teams to score at 5/2.
Manchester United Vs. Aston Villa
Man United continue to struggle and despite sending a young side to Astana in the Europa League, they would have expected to come away with a win.
That wasn’t the case, and after last week’s draw at Sheffield United, there will be even more pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer here.
Villa are still settling into life back into the Premier League, with Dean Smith’s men four points clear of the relegation zone. Jack Grealish and John McGinn have been in stellar form and a 2-0 victory over Newcastle would have certainly boosted confidence last weekend
Despite this, I believe it’s a step too far for Villa and United will pinch this. Expect a scrappy game and United to win 2-1 at 7/1.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.