The International break certainly brought forward some stumbling blocks for some sides as the likes of United had to settle for a draw away at Stoke whilst Liverpool were still right in the contest against Manchester City before losing 5-0 with Mane sent off. It just goes to show that you never know what this sport will throw up in terms of results but it’s of course one of the biggest reasons why it’s the biggest sport and league in the world. Heading into week 5, we have a table topped by the two Manchester clubs but the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham are building some form and confidence respectively. The other end of the table though, Crystal Palace have been quick to pull the trigger on De Boer and replace him with Hodgson after just 4 games. Perhaps that’ll spark them into life this week against Southampton at home but let’s see where the rest of the matches may fall.
Week 5 Best Bet: Chelsea to beat Arsenal at $1.8
Week 5 Best Value Bet: Liverpool to win to Nil at $2
Week 5 Head to Head Multi Bet: Chelsea win ($1.8), Manchester City win ($1.33), Newcastle/Stoke Draw ($3.25), Liverpool win ($1.25) = $9.72
**Odds from Sportsbet.com.au as of 13th September
Headline Fixtures
Watford vs Manchester City
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Manchester City 5
Watford have been in great form to start the season with 2 wins and 2 draws placing them in 4th position currently. Since their opening day 3-3 draw with Liverpool, they’re also yet to concede a goal and although the opposition has been at a much lower level than that of Manchester City, they’ll be able to take some confidence ahead of this home fixture. Recent history between these two though suggests that a home clean sheet will be a bit of stretch. Their 5 most recent meetings have seen 5 wins for Manchester City by an aggregate of 15-3 including a 5-0 result at Vicarage Road. City will be in a scoring mood too having got their eye in against Liverpool at the weekend with a 5-0 win, albeit against 10 men. Their defence still looks questionable though despite averaging the lowest shots conceded per game in the league and perhaps that’s really down to who they have played so far. Against Brighton & Bournemouth they had the majority of possession at 78% & 70% respectively whilst even against Everton they had 65% and against Liverpool 66% having gone down to 10 men. That’s naturally going to make it difficult for them to be tested which Liverpool certainly did early on. City may very well win, but Watford may well be tougher than previous meetings.
Predicted Result: Manchester City 2-1
Best Bet: Manchester City to lead at Half-Time at $1.72
Best Value Bet: First Half Goals – Exactly 1 at $2.59
Chelsea vs Arsenal
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Chelsea 2, Arsenal 2, Draws 1
Chelsea have found some form heading into this match having won their last 4 in all competitions since their opening day loss against Burnley. In the case of Arsenal, their win over Bournemouth last weekend really can’t be considered strongly ahead of this match given overall they have had a shocking start to the season and a win against Bournemouth is the minimum expectation. The last time these two played, Chelsea easily took care of the Gunners winning 3-1. It really does just feel like their 3-0 win over Bournemouth was a temporary stop to the turmoil that seems to be surrounding that club at the moment and unfortunately for them the reality of where they are at should be a reality once again this weekend. It’s going to be a tough few months ahead for Arsenal unless they build some unity not just within the team but also with the fans. There’s
Predicted Result: Chelsea 3-0
Best Bet: Chelsea to win at $1.8
Best Value Bet: Chelsea -1 Handicap at $3
Manchester United vs Everton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Manchester United 2, Draws 3
This looks to be a really good contest here not least because generally these matches have been close in recent times but also with the return of Rooney to Old Trafford. Everton had a tough time of it last week against Tottenham who played their best game of the season thus far and to be fair they have had a really tough opening round of fixtures against Stoke, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. This may have a different sort of feeling for Everton though with Rooney at the forefront of what should be an emotional match for him. Manchester United though will be expecting themselves to bounce back after a tough away draw at Stoke last weekend but they’ll have some momentum to build on after their 3-0 home win over Basel during the week. In the end though, regardless of the result, this will be tight, the last 3 matches at Old Trafford have resulted in just 1 home win and just 3 goals in total. United do though look the stronger side to push for the 3 points.
Predicted Result: Manchester United 1-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.94
Best Value Bet: Half-time result, Manchester United 1-0 at $3.1
Remaining Fixtures
Bournemouth vs Brighton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Bournemouth 3, Draws 2
Yet to get off the mark, Bournemouth do look a better side at home but Brighton have found some confidence with a draw against Watford and a win over West Brom either side of the International break. Perhaps though, they may be able to catch Brighton slightly off guard here and capture their first points of the season.
Predicted Result: Bournemouth 1-0
Best Bet: Bournemouth to win either half at $1.56
Best Value Bet: Bournemouth to win at $2.1
Crystal Palace vs Southampton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Southampton 3, Crystal Palace 2
The introduction of a new manager will likely lead to a resurgence to some sort of form for Palace and given they have the talent to play better than what they have, they should be able to produce a better result here, even if it’s just a draw. Southampton are struggling for goals but with Palace seemingly easy to score against and likely to push for a result this weekend, they should be able to break their drought. Palace should get a result for Hodgson though to open their account for the season.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Double Chance Crystal Palace at $1.53
Best Value Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.91
Huddersfield vs Leicester
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Leicester 3, Huddersfield 1, Draws 1
Leicester haven’t being playing that badly but a combination of bad luck and unkind fixtures sees them just above the relegation zone having conceded 8 times already this season. Huddersfield will be difficult and are yet to lose at home and so this too may have to settle for a draw.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Leicester to win either half at $1.77
Best Value Bet: Draw at $3.3
Liverpool vs Burnley
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Liverpool 4, Burnley 1
Liverpool generally get the results against Burnley but they’ll need to do so without the dangerous Mane this week after his 3 match suspension. Burnely surprisingly have had really good away form so far this season with a win over Chlesea and draw against Spurs after what was an almost impossible task for them in any away fixture last season. Liverpool’s attack though, even without Mane, looks far too strong.
Predicted Result: Liverpool 2-0
Best Bet: Liverpool to lead at Half-Time at $1.62
Best Value Bet: Liverpool to win to Nil at $2
Newcastle vs Stoke
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Stoke 3, Draws 2
This looks a difficult one to gauge. Newcastle have won their last two whilst Stoek are undefeated in their last 3 including a win over Arsenal and a draw with Manchester United. Trusting Stoke to win on the road though is a bit of a stretch but equally trusting Newcastle to get the 3 points and 3 straight wins looks equally a stretch.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.83
Best Value Bet: Draw and both teams to score at $4.33
West Brom vs West Ham
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): West Brom 2, West Ham 1, Draws 2
Contrasting results for both these sides last time out, but it’s difficult to trust West Ham to get the goods and particularly away from home. The Baggies have looked a better side so far this season, albeit some poor recent results which may point to a momentum shift into this one and one where West Ham may feel they can grab something from.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.59
Best Value Bet: Draw at $3.2
Tottenham vs Swansea
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Tottenham 4, Draws 1
Tottenham bounced back to some really good form against Everton away and perhaps that’s going to be the tale of their season if you believe the Wembley curse – They’ll play well away but you can’t bank on them at home. They should though be able to get a result here against a Swansea side still figuring themselves out a bit after all the offseason changes.
Predicted Result: Tottenham 3-0
Best Bet: Tottenham to lead at Half-time at $1.62
Best Value Bet: Tottenham to win to Ni $2
