The Premier League returns this weekend as we near the home stretch of the 2017/18 season. Manchester City’s title still looks just a formality now with a 16 point lead with the battle for top 4 well and truly on. This weekend’s matches are crucial for the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United who will be battling it out. With Chelsea away to United, it also presents a huge opportunity for Tottenham to push into the top 4 if they beat Crystal Palace. At the other end of the table, West Brom’s season of woe continues as they now sit 5 points off 19th and 7 points off safety with 11 games to go. They need to get cracking if they are to survive, starting with a win over Huddersfield this weekend.
Week 28 Best Bet: Watford vs Everton – BTTS – Yes at $1.8
Week 28 Best Value Bet: Leicester beat Stoke to Nil at $2.88
Week 28 Head to Head Multi Bet: Liverpool Win ($1.2), Leicester Win ($1.67), Tottenham Win ($1.45), Watford/Everton Draw ($3.3) = $9.58
**Odds from Sportsbet.com.au as of 23rd February
Headline Fixtures
Manchester United vs Chelsea
Neither of these sides have looked particularly convincing of late with both winning just 1 of their last 3 matches. With Mourinho still calling the shots at United we’re likely to continue seeing some defensive focused football and with that we should be in for a low scoring contest. United have only conceded 5 goals in 13 home games this season so Chelsea will have their work cut out to break through. The Blues also have had some challenges in the striker department though Morata could return up front this weekend which would give them a much needed focal point that they’ve missed in recent weeks. If this was a Chelsea home game then the edge would be given to Chelsea but the fact this is at Old Trafford and we’re likely to see a pretty defensive game from United, a draw looks a likely result.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.7
Best Value Bet: Half-Time Draw at $2
Remaining Fixtures
Leicester vs Stoke
Leicester have only lost 1 of their last 6 at home whilst Stoke have still only won 1 match on the road all season. They have the worst away record in the league and the worst defensive record on the road to go with it. There may be some flashes of fight but Leicester will win this.
Predicted Result: Leicester 2-0
Best Bet: Leicester to win at $1.67
Best Value Bet: Leicester to win to Nil at $2.88
Liverpool vs West Ham
There’s still an element of doubt about Liverpool in terms of consistency but they are yet to lose at home this season and they shouldn’t have their first loss at home this season to West Ham. With that said, they have drawn 6 of their 13 home games which is where some of the doubt creeps in but West Ham don’t have the defence to keep Liverpool’s attack at bay.
Predicted Result: Liverpool 4-1
Best Bet: Over 3.5 goals at $2.09
Best Value Bet: Over 4.5 goals at $3.45
West Brom vs Huddersfield
This is a must win for West Brom considering their position at the bottom of the table and luckily for them they actually have an ok home record in the sense they have only lost 4 times. The challenge has really been their ability to produce goals this season with just 21 thus far from 27 matches. Huddersfield will be a test but they haven’t really done much on the road this season losing 9 of 13. This is West Brom’s best chance of making it win number 4 and restoring some belief in their survival fight.
Predicted Result: West Brom 2-0
Best Bet: West Brom to win at $1.91
Best Value Bet: West Brom to win to Nil at $2.7
Bournemouth vs Newcastle
The Cherries have won their last 3 at home and are well placed for Newcastle’s visit this weekend. Benitez’s side have been competitive enough on the road in recent weeks though that should make this a pretty good contest but it’s difficult to go past the home side in this one.
Predicted Result: Bournemouth 2-1
Best Bet: Bournemouth to win either half at $1.55
Best Value Bet: Bournemouth to score 2 or more goals at $2
Brighton vs Swansea
Swansea are on fire at the moment having now gone undefeated in their last 5 matches winning 3. What should make this a really good contest though is the fact that Brighton are pretty difficult to beat at home. They’ve lost just once in their last 5 at home so despite Swansea’s resurgence, a win away here won’t be easy.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: BTTS – Yes at $2.1
Best Value Bet: Draw at $3.1
Burnley vs Southampton
Southampton are struggling in the relegation zone but they had been on a 4 game unbeaten run before their home loss to Liverpool last time out. Burnley are a difficult side to beat at home and have been for a few seasons now so the Saints will really need to step up if they are to get anything here. Burnley have been on a pretty poor run though with just 2 points from their last 6 matches which may even things up a little.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.45
Best Value Bet: Burnley to win either half at $1.98
Watford vs Everton
Inconsistency has been evident for both of these sides but there is something about Watford when they play at home against some of the bigger clubs. They tend to take the game on a bit more and if they can produce something similar to their 4-1 win over Chelsea in their last home match then Everton will have a tough day. Everton’s away form has been very poor too this season. They’ve taken just 8 points on the road winning just once away to Newcastle. This will be a close match.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: BTTS – Yes at $1.8
Best Value Bet: Draw at $3.3
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham
Tottenham will be eager for a win here particulary given that points between Chelsea and Manchester United will be dropped when they play each other this weekend. They sit currently a point behind Chelsea in 5th so they have a really great chance of breaking into the top 4 this weekend. Palace’s injury list too is extensive with Zaha, Dann and Loftus-Cheek just a couple of their top players set to miss this one.
Predicted Result: Tottenham 3-0
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.7
Best Value Bet: Tottenham to score 3 or more goals at $2.8
