Plenty of Premier league action continuing this weekend after some huge mid-week matches. Chelsea managed to stave off Manchester City to maintain their 7 point lead over 2nd placed Tottenham and are in a great position to keep that lead when they head away to Bournemouth this weekend. Equally for Tottenham, they’re in a good position to keep within that lead when they host Watford in the opening fixture in the weekend. They perhaps have the slight advantage for this weekend and next weekend in that they play their matches before Chelsea but as it stands, a 7 point gap looks too big still. Elsewhere on the table, Hull managed to push their way out of the relegation zone on the back of 3 wins in their last 4 with Swansea the unlucky ones to drop back into the relegation zone. There may yet be more swapping between these two as the seasons draws to a close whilst the likes of Middlesbrough and Sunderland look well out of the picture right now.
**Odds from Sportsbet as at 7th April
Tottenham vs Watford
Five wins straight for Tottenham keeps the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table but the 7 point gap leaves Spurs with only one choice – winning. They face Watford at home this weekend in the early Saturday kickoff and although Watford have won their last two, this one looks too much for them. Tottenham are still yet to lose a match at home this season whilst incredibly have conceded just 8 times from 15 matches whilst piling on 35 of their own. This could be a tough day for Watford here.
Predicted score: Tottenham 3-0
Best Bet: Tottenham to win to Nil at $1.91 (85%)
Next Best: Tottenham/Tottenham Half-Time/Full-Time at $1.72
West Brom vs Southampton
Predicted score: West Brom 1-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.66 (80%)
Next Best: West Brom Draw No Bet at $1.98
West Ham vs Swansea
Predicted score: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.8 (80%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.67
Manchester City vs Hull
They fell short at Chelsea and now have a fairly tricky home match against a fighting Hull side that has won 3 of their last 4 in their bid for Premier League survival. The tricky part for Hull, apart from playing Manchester City away, is that Manchester City have their own goals in staving off a fightback from Arsenal and Manchester United for a top 4 finish. One thing we will get here though is goals. Hull have nothing to lose so will be keenly pushing forward which of course leaves opportunities for Manchester City to exploit. That’s a dangerous approach but one they really do need to take with Swansea just 2 points behind in 18th.
Predicted score: Manchester City 3-2
Best Bet: 1st Half over 1.5 goals at $2.04 (85%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.83
Middlesbrough vs Burnley
Predicted score: Middlesbrough 1-0
Best Bet: Half-time Draw at $1.83 (90%)
Next Best: Middlesbrough to win at $2.37
Stoke vs Liverpool
Predicted score: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Both teams to score – yes at $1.72 (85%)
Next Best: Over 3.5 goals at $3.22
Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Tottenham fans will be hoping for an upset and whilst anything is possible, that result doesn’t seem all that likely in this one. Chelsea got back to winning ways during the week when they beat a Manchester City side that performed well themselves. They look like they’ll now just get back on the winning train that has been running most of the season and that should make for a tough day for Bournemouth. And whilst Bournemouth had a real positive in their mid-week match at Liverpool where they snatched a 2-2 draw, this is a completely different and much stronger opponent.
Predicted score: Chelsea 3-1
Best Bet: Chelsea to win at $1.57 (95%)
Next Best: Over 2.5 goals at $1.79
Sunderland vs Manchester United
Every match is crucial for Sunderland but a win here against a traditional big club in Manchester United would surely spark their survival bid even if they are 10 points off safety with a game in hand. They have done it before though and recently as well. Their last 3 meetings at the stadium of light in all competitions has seen 2 wins and a draw for the Black Cats. United’s form as well has been average at best with draws against West Brom and Everton in their last 2 matches. The Everton game they left it late with an injury time penalty giving them a much needed point. It could just be down to the fact that the likes of Ibrahimovic are a little rusty after suspension, but this match has danger signs. The unpredictable nature of football coupled with the unpredictability of a side fighting for survival could make this go either way. A Sunderland win still seems a stretch but a draw might not be exactly out of the question.
Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.93 (75%)
Next Best: Manchester United to lead at Half-Time at $1.83
Everton vs Leicester
Predicted score: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Double chance Leicester at $2.1 (90%)
Next Best: Over 2.5 goals at $1.83
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal
This makes for an interesting match given Palace had won 4 of their last 5 before dropping points at Southampton during the week whilst Arsenal are simply on a poor run claiming just their 2nd win in their last 7 league games during the week. With Palace still hunting points in their bid for survival, they’ll no doubt be pushing hard here and will take inspiration out of their 2-1 away win at Chelsea last weekend. Arsenal’s win over West Ham during the week though was big, and not just in terms of the 3-0 score-line but more so in the context of their bid for a top 4 finish. That win may spark some form and although Palace have been in good form themselves, they may find this one a little tougher to get through. In saying that, the fighting form of Palace should keep them in this and keep it pretty tight so overall whilst it might be an Arsenal win, it’ll be a close one.
Predicted score: Arsenal 2-1
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.67 (80%)
Next Best: Arsenal to win at $1.83
