Match Day 9 of the Premier League begins this weekend and there’s plenty on offer yet again. Tottenham head to Bournemouth first up as they seek 3 points after a disappointing draw last weekend. It was a result that robbed them the chance of top spot but there’s still a lot of football to be had. Manchester City at the top don’t look as sublime as they did in their opening 6 matches after a loos and a draw in their last 2. Add to that a thumping in the Champions League against Barcelona during the week and they suddenly look out of form ahead of their home match against Southampton. The form side is clearly Arsenal though who have won their last 6 straight after a poor opening 2 matches where they claimed just the 1 point. It leaves things well balanced for this next phase of the season with Liverpool & Chelsea not far off the pace either.
H to H Multi Bet: Stoke win ($2.5), West Ham win ($1.7), Tottenham win ($2), Manchester City win ($1.5) = $12.75
Match Day 8 Best Bet: Stoke Draw No Bet at $1.7
**Odds from Sportsbet as at 21st October
Bournemouth vs Tottenham
The draw against West Brom was disappointing but Tottenham will be keen to get a win after a follow up Champions League draw at Bayer Leverkusen during the week. Defensively Tottenham look very solid and are still yet to concede from open play which makes it a tough test for Bournemouth. Bournemouth did however score 6 in their last match though perhaps that was a bit of a blowout given Hull had conceded 14 in their previous 7. There’s some injury concerns for Spurs with Alderweireld in particular set to miss this one. That’s a blow defensively but with Dier set to deputise, they should have little trouble in claiming the 3 points and maintaining their defensive record.
Predicted score: Tottenham 2-0
Best Bet: Tottenham to win at $2 (90%)
Next Best: Tottenham to win to Nil at $3.4
Arsenal vs Middlesbrough
The Gunners are on fire at the moment after 6 straight wins and it looks pretty much a certainty that they’ll pick up another 3 this week. They host a Middlesbrough side that has struggled for points with just 6 taken from a possible 24. There was plenty of hope for them before the season given some of the quality they have and the additions they made but the lack of goals is hurting them. Arsenal won’t be easy to score against here and given their rampant form it’s difficult to see any other winner.
Predicted score: Arsenal 3-0
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.6 (90%)
Next Best: Arsenal to win both Halves at $2.63
Burnley vs Everton
After such a great start to the season, Everton have started to fall away a little bit after a winless last 3 matches. Defensively they still look good though and that’s what will make it difficult for Burnley to break through. Burnley have the equal lowest goal tally this season with Sunderland with just the 6 goals. Defensively they haven’t been terrible but if they don’t start scoring regularly they’re going to find it really difficult this season. In saying that, Everton’s recent form hasn’t been the most convincing and that gives Burnley a chance to at least be competitive in this one.
Predicted score: Everton 1-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.71 (75%)
Next Best: Everton to win at $1.67
Hull vs Stoke
This is either the perfect time for Stoke to claim their 2nd win of the season or the worst time. Hull are coming off a 6-1 loss to Bournemouth so they’ll either be fired up to bounce back or they’ll crumble from the damage caused last week. Stoke have started to build into some sort of form after 2 draws and a win in their last 3. A win here will take them out of the relegation zone but more importantly it will give them momentum that they’ve lacked for the majority of the season. Right now Hull will be not only carrying the scars of a 6-1 thumping but also the fact it is now 5 losses in their last 6 games.
Predicted score: Stoke 2-1
Best Bet: Stoke Draw No Bet at $1.7 (95%)
Next Best: Stoke to win at $2.5
Leicester vs Crystal Palace
The League Champions haven’t really been able to turn it on the league but in the Champions League it seems like no problem with 3 wins from 3. Perhaps the focus is solely on European competition or that there really is just no expectation to replicate last season other than making sure of their top flight status. They’ll be chasing their 3rd win of the season when they take on Crystal Palace but it won’t be easy. Their results last season suggest as much where it was 1-0 wins both times to Leicester. That’s in contrast to some of Leicester’s results this season where they’ve conceded 14 already in 8 games and 7 in their last 3. With Palace posing much more of an attacking threat this season through the additions such as Benteke. This should be close but unlike last season there should be goals.
Predicted score: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.72 (80%)
Next Best: Over 2.5 goals at $1.95
Swansea vs Watford
The season hasn’t been great for Swansea so far but there’s hope for them after a positive display at Arsenal last week despite losing 3-2. That should put them in good stead ahead of this home match against Watford who’ve been in decent form winning 3 of their last 5.They should come out a little more attacking in this one under their new managers first home game and although Watford will surely expect nothing less, Swansea are due for a win.
Predicted score: Swansea 2-1
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.91 (80%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.67
West Ham vs Sunderland
The Hammers have been disappointing this season but they have a favourable match this week against Sunderland. The Black Cats are languishing at the bottom of the table with just 2 points and it would be a shock result if they managed to beat West Ham even despite the hammers own poor form. Both sides have plenty of injuries but the Hammers still look the stronger and should really be taking the 3 points here. Sunderland will more likely than not look to play on the counter as West Ham’s defence still is a bit suspect after conceding 17 times already but improvement over their last 2 matches with just the 1 goal should see them through.
Predicted score: 2-1
Best Bet: West Ham to win at $1.7 (85%)
Next Best: West Ham to lead at Half-Time at $2.2
Liverpool vs West Brom
There’s been plenty of tight battles between these two in recent times with 4 of their last 5 ending in draws. Even when you look further back over their last 13 matches, West Brom have won 4 and Drawn 4 with the remaining 5 being wins to Liverpool. There’s no reason either that West Brom can’t pull off a similar result to recent times. They’ve been very difficult to beat this season losing just twice and just once in their last 6 whilst also only conceding 8 times this season with just 3 of those away from home. Liverpool have been looking in pretty good form as they sit 4th on the table. Goals don’t look a problem for them but defensively they are not without issues still. That’s where there’s a very real opportunity for an off result for them this weekend. This weekend though for Liverpool to have 2 draws in a row at home looks unlikely.
Predicted score: Liverpool 1-0
Best Bet: Half-Time Draw at $2.5 (75%)
Next Best: Under 2.5 goals at $2.3
Manchester City vs Southampton
Manchester City have had 4 winless results from their last 4 in in all competitions and they need to bounce back quickly if they want to maintain top spot. Back to their comfort zone at the Etihad Stadium though, they should get back to winning ways. For Southampton they’ve won just the once in their last 4 in all competitions and that run of form doesn’t point to obtaining a shock result here. City haven’t lost in their last 7 home games and it should make it to 8 here. The defeat to Barcelona should spark a response and unfortunately for Southampton they’ll be on the receiving end.
Predicted score: Manchester City 3-0
Best Bet: Manchester City to win at $1.5 (90%)
Next Best: Manchester City -1 Handicap at $2.25
Chelsea vs Manchester United
Difficult match to pinpoint here as neither side has been overly convincing this season. If anything, both have been underwhelming but perhaps this may spark both sides into some good football given it will be the return of Mourinho to Stamford Bridge. The problem though is that Mourinho will look for his side to stifle Chelsea’s attack and perhaps at the expense of their own attacking opportunities. Either way don’t expect a lot of goals in this one as it will be one of those matches where both sides are intent on not conceding. This should be a more exciting contest but often these sorts of clashes tend to disappoint.
Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.74 (80%)
Next Best: Half-Time Draw at $2
