There are some tantalising matchups this week beginning with the London derby between arch enemies Tottenham and Arsenal. Can Spurs get revenge for the come from behind thumping they received last season? Or will the Gunners continue their winning ways over Spurs? We also have the West Brom V Chelsea game to look forward to with both teams very impressive this far into the season. Will we see a wonder goal this weekend much like Ibrahimovic’s wonder bicycle kick against England? It’s certainly moments like those that keep us all on the edge of our seats and in awe of the talent in football.
Best Value bet: Everton looks good value at $1.87 and a safe option for a multi. West Ham is also good value at $2.1 to beat Stoke at home
Arsenal ($1.97) Versus Tottenham ($4.2), Draw ($3.85)
The derby between these two sides is always must watch game for any Arsenal or Tottenham fan. Last season the spoils were shared with both sides registering a win, however Arsenal will be feeling far more confident from their 5-2 come from behind win to break the hearts of all Tottenham fans. Arsenal have only won 2 of their past 6 whilst Spurs are sitting slightly better winning 3 of their last 6 but coming off two losses and the injury list growing, this could be another tough game for Spurs fans. Tottenham were admirable against Manchester City without being brilliant in their 2-1 loss. It’s clear the loss of Dembele due to injury from midfield has had an impact with a clear lack of creativity and passing flair. For the Gunners, new signing Giroud has stepped up after a slow start to his Arsenal career – he now has 4 goals in as many games. Arsenal was unlucky to not snatch the 3 points over Fulham last week due to Schwarzer’s fine penalty save in the final minutes. Spur’s best hopes here will be for a draw with Arsenal likely to snatch the win, though not convincingly as Spurs generally travel well. Look for Defoe to return to the starting line-up – he could be pivotal to Spurs chances.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Confidence: 70%
Betting Option: Over 2.5 goals at $1.66 – Last 10 games between these sides have seen an average of 4.5 goals scored per game. Over 3.5 goals at $2.60 is also tempting.
Liverpool ($1.49) Versus Wigan ($8), Draw ($4.8)
Liverpool haven’t set the world alight this season but it must be noted that they are undefeated in their past 6 league games which is impressive given their poor start to the year. As they host Wigan they will be wary of their recent strong form with wins over Spurs and West Ham and a close loss to West Brom due to an own goal. With Suarez in fine form of late, he’ll cause plenty of problems for the Wigan defence and with 3 goals in his last 3 league games he’s not short on confidence. Wigan will take confidence from their last visit to Anfield when they got the 3 points with a 2-1 win. Given this was their only win at Anfield, Liverpool should be able to get over the line in this one in what should be a close encounter with Wigan them all the way. Look for Raheem Sterling to be bursting with confidence after his debut for England against Sweeden this week.
Predicted Result: Liverpool 1-0
Confidence: 75%
Betting Option: Liverpool to win at $1.49.
Manchester City ($1.22) Versus Aston Villa ($17), Draw ($7.6)
Manchester City sure do know how to get a win from behind largely thanks to super sub Dzeko. Hosting the admirable Aston Villa who were unlucky to not get the 3 points over Manchester United, City look to be far too strong for Villa in this one. City is also the only undefeated team in the Premier league so far with 7 wins and 4 draws. Villa are at the opposite end with only 2 wins this season and are now looking destined to be in a relegation battle if they don’t improve quickly. City have won their past 5 at home to Villa with their most recent encounter ending 4-1. This is perhaps a game where City may have the opportunity to break the shackles in terms of scoring. Villa will certainly create chances here but will struggle to topple the Champions.
Predicted Result: City 3-1
Confidence: 90%
Betting Option: Over 2.5 goals at $1.48 looks better value than the City win at $1.22
Newcastle United ($1.97) Versus Swansea ($4.3), Draw ($3.7)
Newcastle has been poor recently. With the amount of talent and attacking options they have they should be getting better results. They host a Swansea side that has been relatively poor away from home after their superb start to the season. Both sides have only 1 win in their last 6 with that win coming at home so they are clearly struggling to find that killer instinct. Swansea managed a draw here against Newcastle last season and would be hoping for a similar result here. Given that both of these sides are better when playing at home and Swansea poor away from home, Newcastle should have the edge here. It’ll be a tight contest with probably the one goal to a get a result here. Demba Ba should be in fine form again here.
Predicted Result: Newcastle 1-0
Confidence: 70%
Betting Option: Lay Swansea at $4.3
QPR ($2) Versus Southampton ($4.1), Draw ($3.75)
Is this the moment? Is it? Will QPR finally get that elusive first win this season? And the final question – Will Hughes be sacked if QPR fail to win? We sure think so. As a result, QPR should come out firing to support their manager. With Southampton yet to get a win away from home their chances here rely on QPR continuing their horror run in front of goal at home – QPR have only scored 3 goals at home which is appalling. Equally appalling is Southampton’s record in front of goal away from home with 5 goals. Given that both sides have conceded the most goals in the Premier league (QPR 20, Southampton 29) we could see a very open game here with both teams attacking. Taking into account that Southampton has also conceded 18 goals in away games, we should finally see a QPR win here.
Predicted Result: QPR 2-1
Confidence: 70%
Betting Option: None
Reading ($4.6) Versus Everton ($1.87), Draw ($3.9)
Reading hosts a strong Everton side that is sitting 4th on the table and are not looking to slow down anytime soon. Everton were back on the winner’s list last week after 4 consecutive Premier league draws. Fellaini was in fine form for Everton against Sunderland with a goal whilst imposing himself in midfield. Look for him to be just as dominant if not more so against Reading. Reading has been admirable in their past 6 matches with 5 draws though they are still searching for that elusive first win. Everton will be clearly too strong in this one and look a very good option to have in a multi this week.
Predicted Result: Everton 2-0
Confidence: 85%
Betting Option: Everton to win at $1.87
West Brom ($4) Versus Chelsea ($2.02), Draw ($3.75)
West Brom are such an impressive unit this season that it makes this matchup against Chelsea or the more difficult to predict. Coming off two wins compared to Chelsea coming off two lacklustre draws it’s looking like Chelsea have hit that pre-Christmas rut that some teams tend to get into after strong starts to the season. West Brom has only lost once at home in 6 games having also conceded only 4 goals (5 wins) which will be surely in Chelsea’s thought processes as they build to this game. Interestingly the last game here at the Hawthorns resulted in a 1-0 win to West Brom which will add to their confidence. Chelsea will be relying on their attacking trio of Hazard, Mata and Oscar to fire them to victory in this one, but against a stubborn and organised defensive unit they will have a tough time. Odemwingie is in fine form and if he continues his run he could cause Chelsea’s Terry-less defence some concern. It’s also a good sign to see the goal scoring load being shared at WBA with Lukaku, Morrison, Long and Odemwingie all contributing 3 goals thus far which highlights their attacking depth. A tough one to call, we feel this one is headed for a draw.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Confidence: 70%
Betting Option: Over 2.5 goals at $1.76 – Though Chelsea looks good value at $2.02, they were similar odds last week versus Liverpool who have been much poorer than WBA.
Norwich ($8) Versus Manchester United ($1.48), Draw ($4.8)
Norwich entertains Manchester United this week and will be hoping to emulate Aston Villa’s strong start against United last week. United will see this game as a great opportunity to maintain their lead at the top of the table. They have somewhat flown under the radar a little this season given their injuries to their defence and the minnow sides that have caused them plenty of concern to go with it. Having only lost once at Home Norwich will be relatively confident as always, but after seeing Villa drop a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 thanks to super sub Hernandez, there will be doubt in their minds. It’s hard to see Norwich troubling United too much in this one with Manchester United winning comfortably to add to their current 5 game winning streak. It’s also hard to ignore United’s 15 goals in their past 5 games.
Predicted Result: Manchester United to win 3-0
Confidence: 90%
Betting Option: Manchester United to win at $1.48
Fulham ($1.77) Versus Sunderland ($5.3), Draw ($3.95)
Fulham are coming off an inspiring draw against Arsenal and will look to consolidate that inspiration with a win here against Sunderland. It’s safe to say Sunderland is struggling – 2 goals in their past 5 games to go with 3 losses and two draws are not the results they would have wanted. As a comparison, Fulham have scored 10 goals in their past 5 and are undefeated (4 draws, 1 win). Berbatov will be the key here. Since his move from Manchester United, he has 7 goals of which 2 came in last week’s game against Arsenal so he’s definitely looking in good touch at the moment. Yet to win a game away from home and languishing near the bottom of the table it looks like for this week at least they’ll be staying there.
Predicted Result: Fulham 2-0
Confidence: 80%
Betting Option: Fulham to win at $1.76
West Ham ($2.1) Versus Stoke ($4.1), Draw ($3.45)
West Ham will be flying after their strong performance that saw them win away at Newcastle last week. Hosting Stoke however will be another tough task as they have conceded the equal least amount of goals this season (10) – Interestingly though, 9 of these goals have been conceded in away games. Kevin Nolan is in cracking form for West Ham this season and the midfielder has already scored 5. The last time these two played at Upton Park, West Ham ran away 3-0 winners, and although Stoke overall have been strong defensively it’s not out of the question for West Ham to score a couple here. Look for West Ham to attack from the outset with Stoke looking for the counter attack. Once West Ham gets on the board, expect them to get the 3 points from there.
Predicted Result: West Ham 2-0
Confidence: 80%
Betting Option: West Ham to win at $2.1 – looks good value here.
Please Note:
All of the above are the opinions of the author and are not recommendations or advice. Bet at your own risk.
All of our information is provided free. Thanks.
Please Gamble Responsibly!
