This weekend more or less marks a quarter point of the season and it’s clear at this early stage that t’s going to take a lot of work to catch the high-flying Manchester City. City currently enjoy a 5 point lead over Manchester United & Tottenham who are currently only separated by goal difference ahead of their meeting this weekend. It’s a fixture that promises a lot for the neutrals and it will be interesting to see how Mourinho approaches this one tactically with the goals slowing down in recent fixtures and the tendency to go all out defence against title rivals. All eyes may be on this fixture to open the weekend but there’s plenty more to be had in the remaining fixtures for the weekend. League leaders City will have a tricky trip to West Brom who can be defensively stubborn at times whilst the matchup between Leicester and Everton will be hard fought given the recent departure of Ronald Koeman as Everton Manager. As always though, expect the unexpected when it comes to the Premier League as it tends to deliver as such week in week out.
Week 10 Best Bet: Chelsea to beat Bournemouth at $1.62
Week 10 Best Value Bet: Manchester City to win both halves against West Brom at $2.63
Week 10 Head to Head Multi Bet: Liverpool Win ($1.22), Watford Win ($2), Manchester City Win ($1.25), Chelsea Win ($1.62) = $4.94
**Odds from Sportsbet.com.au as of 27th October
Headline Fixtures
Manchester United vs Tottenham
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Manchester United 3, Tottenham 2
Ahead of what sets up a massive weekend of EPL action, both Manchester United and Tottenham are under a little pressure thanks only to themselves. United suffered a shock away loss to Huddersfield last weekend whilst for Spurs they were brought back down to earth from their stunning 4-1 win over Liverpool to lose 3-2 at home to West Ham in a league Cup fixture. There’s also the chance that Harry Kane will miss this match due to a slight Hamstring strain sustained in the Liverpool win. If it does eventuate that he is unavailable, it’ll certainly put some pressure on Spurs team selection. Regardless of scoring avenues for both sides, this one does look likely to shape up as a match where chances will be hard to come by anyway. Mourinho does like the defensive game particularly against title rivals and so he won’t be letting Tottenham create a lot of chances. Tottenham themselves are a very tight unit having conceded just the 6 times compared to just 4 from United which may point to what is expected to be a low scoring game. It could go either way but both sides will need to be clinical if they’re to grab the 3 points.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.74
Best Value Bet: Half-Time Draw at $2
Liverpool vs Huddersfield
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): N/A – Club friendly in 2016 – Liverpool won 2-0
Both sides are coming off contrasting results last weekend with Huddersfield on a high after upsetting Manchester United whilst Liverpool will be eager to rebound after being humiliated by Tottenham 4-1. They weren’t without their chances against Tottenham, but Liverpool defensively need to shape up or they’ll continue to drop points and at times be punished for it. Huddersfield present an interesting test simply because they are on a high and have nothing to lose here. Liverpool will be confident and determined but they mustn’t be complacent or they could be in for a surprise. Given their defensive efforts, particularly from that of Lovren, were evident last weekend we should expect to see Gomez come in centrally in place of him. It does however seem to be getting to a point where it doesn’t matter how their opponent plays, they just look shaky at the back more often then not. Against Tottenham they struggled with their counter attacking which is something Huddersfield will be relying on this weekend simply because they are unlikely to see a lot of the ball. The problem for Huddersfield will be that so far Liverpool have been stingy at home where they’ve conceded just one goa in 4 matches. It may be a tight contest here on the scoreboard, but Liverpool should bounce back.
Predicted Result: Liverpool 1-0
Best Bet: Liverpool to lead at half-time at $1.57
Best Value Bet: Liverpool to win to Nil at $2
West Brom vs Manchester City
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Manchester City 5
The headline expectation for this match is simply just to see how many goals City will pump out. They’ve scored 32 times already in 9 matches which paints a scary picture for the Baggies. West Brom may have only conceded 3 times at home so far in the league but that record looks to be undone when City arrive. They may take some inspiration from Wolverhampton during the week though who managed to keep City scoreless for 120 minutes before penalties but it would truly need to be a backs to the wall performance for them to get anything here. Injuries are going to play a part also with Evans, McAuley and Dawson all defensive options that are expected to miss. City too may need to shuffle some of their starting XI with a Champions League fixture next week but regardless of what their XI looks like, City should be winning this with some degree of comfort.
Predicted Result: Manchester City 3-0
Best Bet: Manchester City -1 handicap at $1.67
Best Value Bet: Manchester City to win both halves at $2.63
Remaining Fixtures
Arsenal vs Swansea
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Arsenal 3, Swansea 2
Swansea have had their fair share of success over Arsenal in seasons gone by managing to win 2 of their last 3 visits to the Emirates. The Welsh side too have a good away record this season losing just the once and given Arsenal’s ups and downs so far this season, this could result in a tight contest. Arsenal have the quality to win it but it may not be as easy as they’d like.
Predicted Result: Arsenal 2-1
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.83
Best Value Bet: Arsenal to win and BTTS at $2.4
Crystal Palace vs West Ham
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): West Ham 3, Crystal Palace 1, Draws 1
Both of these sides are struggling but the Hammers will be on a high after coming from 2-0 down against Tottenham in their league cup fixture to win 3-2. It’ll be interesting to see who of that starting XI retains their place against Palace but it may matter little as the Hammers still have a lot of convincing to do if their to make it 2 on the trot. Palace will be keen to get win number 2 for the season and their home advantage will go a long way. It’s another derby though and with the Hammers getting a boost during the week, both may have to settle for a draw.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.72
Best Value Bet: Over 3.5 goals at $3.5
Watford vs Stoke
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Stoke 3, Watford 1
Watford have been ok at home but not great whilst Stoke have been really poor on the road claiming just 1 point from a possible 12. Having upset Arsenal last time out, Watford may have the momentum to edge this one.
Predicted Result: Watford 2-1
Best Bet: Watford to win either half at $1.51
Best Value Bet: Watford to score 2 or more goals at $1.91
Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Chelsea 3, Bournemouth 1
Chelsea have had an interesting season thus far and have been less than convincing at times. Bournemouth for the most part should be a formality and may have a tough time of it getting a win. Chelsea have only lost once on the road this season which was against Crystal Palace and it’d be highly unlikely they’ll suffer two shock results in the space of a few weeks.
Predicted Result: Chelsea 2-0
Best Bet: Chelsea to win at $1.62
Best Value Bet: Chelsea to win to Nil at $2.88
Brighton vs Southampton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Southampton 3, Brighton 1, Draws 1
A big away win for Brighton last time out beating West Ham 3-0 sets them up nicely ahead of their match against Southampton here. The Saints have been decent on the road without any real consistency besides being defensively tight. The high of last week’s win won’t last long but Southampton may find it difficult to beat a confident home side here.
Predicted Result: Draw 0-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.51
Best Value Bet: Half-Time Draw at $1.91
Leicester vs Everton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Leicester 3, Everton 2
Leicester have a new manager in Claude Puel and that could be an added boost as the players look to impress for a home win. Everton are in the dumps having given Koeman the flick and are now really up against it to start climbing back up the table. They have the payers to surge up they just need a confident performance or two to get them going. They’ll have their chances here but Leicester may just edge this one.
Predicted Result: Leicester 2-1
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.72
Best Value Bet: Leicester to win and BTTS at $4.2
Burnley vs Newcastle
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Newcastle 1, Burnley 1, Draws 3
Burnley have conceded just the 2 goals at home this season whilst Newcastle haven’t been exactly prolific on the road. Goals will just be simply hard to come by in this one but usually Burnley are well placed for home results as they make it difficult for visiting sides to break them down.
Predicted Result: Burnley 1-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.59
Best Value Bet: Burnley to score exactly 1 goal at $2.4
