Match Day 14 brings with it a clash from the top of the table with 3rd placed Manchester City hosting the current league leaders Chelsea. The Blues have had an excellent run of performances to this point with 10 wins which is in stark contrast to last season where they had just the 4 wins at the stage of the season. Manchester City though is perhaps their biggest test of the season and though they sit in 3rd, they are just the one point off top spot. And it makes for a great match to kick off this weekend’s proceedings. It’s also an opportunity for the likes of Liverpool & Arsenal to make some ground on their title rivals with a draw between City & Chelsea sure to mix things up at the top once again.

H to H Multi Bet: Stoke win ($1.61), Arsenal Win ($1.75), Liverpool win ($1.73), Middlesbrough win ($1.75) = $8.53

Match Day 14 Best Bet: Arsenal to beat West Ham at $1.75

**Odds from Sportsbet as at 3rd December

Manchester City vs Chelsea   

City have a big task on their hands as they need to stop a Chelsea side that has won 7 straight with just the one goal conceded. That one goal only came last week against Tottenham whilst the 19 goals they’ve scored in that period is nothing to sneeze at either. City haven’t had as much of a dream run as Chelsea of late, but they’ve only lost once this season and are undefeated at home. Don’t read too much into their home form though, 3 wins and 3 draws is solid enough but to this point they’ve relied on their superior away form to get them to where they are now. That perhaps lends to the fact that City have had less luck with injuries as compared to Chelsea who’ve enjoyed naming a consistent starting XI of late. This is sure to be a tight game and although Chelsea re the stronger of the two at the moment, City will step up their game for this and should see out a draw.

Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.57 (85%)
Next Best: Half-Time Draw at $2.1

Crystal Palace vs Southampton   

Palace can’t buy a win at the moment and their 6 game losing streak is building plenty of pressure on Pardew as well as the players. Southampton are tough opposition here too making it extra difficult for Palace to break their run of poor results. The Saints though, whilst they have had a much better recent run than Palace, have had a run of mixed results. Their last 6 has seen 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. Away from home they’ve also only won once this season so whilst Palace don’t look very backable, they do have a sniff of a chance here. The Saints are strong defensively but with Palace trying to come out positive, the Saints may need to match that enthusiasm which should see plenty of goals in this one.

Predicted score: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.99 (80%)
Next Best: Southampton to win either half at $1.99

Stoke vs Burnley

The away record of Burnley is not something that gives them much hope when they head to Stoke this weekend. With 4 losses and a draw, it could be another tough day at the office especially with Stoke looking a better side than the one that started the season. The Potters have 4 wins from their last 6 and look set to keep that trend up. Burnley don’t look a threat offensively and that’s even more evident away from home where they have just the 1 goal. They’ll try to keep it tight but away from home they look a much different side and this should be a Stoke win as a result.

Predicted score: Stoke 2-0
Best Bet: Stoke to win at $1.61 (85%)
Next Best: Stoke to win to Nil at $2.63

Sunderland vs Leicester    

The Black Cats are still rooted to the bottom of the table, but they aren’t as far down as they were a few weeks ago. Two straight wins before their respectable 2-0 away loss to Liverpool last time out has given them a mini revival and they’ll relish the chance to take on the reigning league champions at home this weekend. Leicester are no longer enjoying the stunning performances of last season and this looks a much more even fixture this season. True, Leicester have a higher quality about them, but away from home is where they have really faltered with just 1 point from 6 away games. In some ways this is a perfect match for Leicester to turn their own away form around, but Sunderland will still have some confidence about them from recent results. That confidence will even be there from their loss away to Liverpool who have been rampant in front of goal this season so to keep them to 2 goals was a good result.

Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.87 (80%)
Next Best: Half-time draw at $2.1

Tottenham vs Swansea   

They may have only lost one game this season, but there’s never been a more important time for them to win a match than this weekend. Despite the solitary loss, they need a boost and a win at home to Swansea will give them that. They could also do with some goals as they are well off the pace in that department in comparison to the top 4. They have 19 from their 13 games but the next lowest in the top 4 is 28 from Arsenal. Speaking of goals, Swansea piled them on last week against Palace with 5 and although they conceded 4 in process, they’ll be very happy for their 2nd win of the season. They’ll be looking to take some of that momentum into this weekend and knowing that Tottenham are a little down will certainly help their motivation. Problem is, Tottenham are still a very good side and played like it last week despite the loss to Chelsea. It might be a little ugly, but Tottenham should win here.

Predicted score: Tottenham 2-1
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.72 (75%)
Next Best: Over 2.5 goals at $1.51

West Brom vs Watford   

The Baggies have a chance to overtake their opponents this week when they host Watford. Both have been solid performers this season though Watford have some improvement in them after losing 2 of their last 3 matches. West Brom on the other hand look in a pretty strong position this weekend given they are undefeated in their last 3. These mid-table clashes can be tricky to pick but given the level of opposition and with West Brom a tough place to get points at times, this is at minimum looking like a home draw.

Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.61 (85%)
Next Best: Half-time draw at $1.91 

West Ham vs Arsenal    

Despite taking points off Manchester United last time out, West Ham look set to struggle for the foreseeable future. Sitting in 16th and with just 3 wins for the season after some promising seasons recently, the Hammers just haven’t been able to put it together this season. It’s fair to say there’s some transition happening with the move to the new Stadium and it may take a while to adjust, much like Tottenham have performed poorly at Wembley in the Champions League this season. Arsenal on the other hand are cruising comfortably in 4th place just 3 points off the top. They’ve had a few too many draws than what they would have liked lately but they should turn that around with a win here.

Predicted score: Arsenal 3-0
Best Bet: Arsenal to win at $1.75 (90%)
Next Best: Over 2.5 goals at $1.6

Bournemouth vs Liverpool    

Liverpool may have only scored twice last week, but they’re still looking the most potent side in the league. Their 32 goals from 13 games proves that and they’ll be looking to continue that trend away at Bournemouth this weekend. Bournemouth have slipped lately to 12th on the table on the back of 3 losses in their last 4. That’s not their biggest problem though with the arrival of Liverpool’s attack something that is sure to create more headaches. Bournemouth can at times be a stubborn side to score against and we may end up with a similar score line to last week. The winner won’t change though as Liverpool don’t look like losing this one.

Predicted score: Liverpool 3-1
Best Bet: Liverpool to win at $1.73 (85%)
Next Best: Over 3.5 goals at $2.53

Everton vs Manchester United    

Before the season started, the optimism around United was so high that many would have thought they would be much higher up the table. The reality is that so far things are just not working for them and the honeymoon of the big name signings is over. It’s not to say they aren’t going to be a good side, they’re just underperforming based on the personnel that they have at their disposal. Everton poses a difficult match up this weekend but lately they haven’t had great results either. The Toffees have won just once in their last 6 matches but they will be keen to take points away from United while they’re a little down. The flipside of United’s problems is that there may be a reaction to the home draw with West Ham last weekend. It’ll be interesting to see how they perform and maybe that performance last weekend will be enough to spark some life into them, but then again they’ve been in this situation a number of times so there’s not a lot of confidence in that.

Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.76 (75%)
Next Best: Everton to win either half at $2.24

Middlesbrough vs Hull   

Hull have one more win than their opponents this weekend yet sit below them purely on the fact that they have been consistently poor. Middlesbrough, at least in recent matches, have shown a level of consistency that has seen them take 6 points in their last 6 matches. Not a great return, but not the worst for a newly promoted side in such a tough league. These are the matches too that on paper look easier than most and a win is a big reward. A win for Middlesbrough gives them some good breathing space on the relegation zone but if they drop points then they’ll continue to hove just above it. Hull don’t look like being able to win or take points regularly so the edge has to go with Middlesbrough here with 3 points the obvious target.

Predicted score: Middlesbrough 2-1
Best Bet: Middlesbrough to win at $1.75 (80%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $2