Last week was an intriguing one in the Premier League. Arsenal and Manchester City claimed wins, but Manchester United were held at home by Southampton, Liverpool lost at Bournemouth and Newcastle grabbed a very important home win over Wolves.
Chelsea grabbed a big win, as did Everton at home to Brentford, a result which moved the Toffees out of the drop zone and dropped Leeds United back into it.
Then in midweek we had two games as Southampton faced Brentford in desperate need of points, while Brighton and Crystal Palace locked horns in one of the more unusual rivalries in the Premier league at the AMEX Stadium on the south coast.
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Let’s now take a look at how the games went over the past week or so before we take a look at this week’s games.
These results see Arsenal and Manchester City extend their lead over Manchester United, with the Red Devils 16 points behind Arsenal and 11 behind Man City with one game in hand. Newcastle moved into the top four with their win and Liverpool’s loss.
At the foot of the table, despite their win, Bournemouth remain in the drop zone a point ahead of Leeds and they are a point ahead of Southampton who remain rock bottom of the table.
Let’s now take a look at the games being played in this slightly abbreviated Premier League matchday.
Forest may have thought their improved form of a few weeks ago had taken them out of the relegation battle, but with just two points from their last 15, they are now just two points outside the drop zone, albeit in 14th place in the table.
Newcastle come into the game on the back of a very important win over Wolves and that should signal a real push from Eddie Howe’s men for the top four. I think Forest may do enough to grab a goal here, but I am expecting Newcastle to score a couple in reply to claim the victory.
Tip – Newcastle United to win and both teams to score – 3/1
Bournemouth picked up a huge win at home against Liverpool last weekend, while Villa were held to a draw by West Ham but what was notable was that the in-form Ollie Watkins grabbed yet another goal and he is certainly a player to watch here.
That’s partly because Bournemouth do concede a lot of goals (51 – the most conceded in the Premier League) and while Villa’s goals record isn’t great, they have won two of their last three drawing the other and I think they will score here and if that is the case, Watkins is the man to back to do that.
Tip – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) to score at any time – 13/8
What can you make of Leicester City? I think I have backed them to win more often than any other Premier League team this season and they continually let me down. I don’t really understand what has happened at the club this season but they are well off the pace and have lost their last four.
Brentford on the other hand have lost just one of the last five, winning two of their last three including a midweek win over Southampton. At home, the Bees are strong and as such, I am backing them to score at least a couple which means Ivan Toney as an anytime scorer is a great bet to back.
Tip – Ivan Toney to score anytime – 11/8
After losing in midweek to Brentford, Southampton’s plight gets worse and their dismal home form will be put to the test here by a Tottenham team that has lost its last four away games, but which is very much in the hunt for a Champions League place come the end of the season.
There’s no real surprise for Southampton to spring here. They simply have to start winning home games if they are to avoid relegation but I can’t see them doing that here. I do feel they will score a goal, but I can see Spurs getting back to winning ways on the road by landing a 2-1 or 3-1 victory here.
Tip – Tottenham to win and both teams to score – 3/1
This is now very much a six-pointer for both teams in their battle against the drop and while a win for Wolves would move them clear of the melee at the. bottom, should Leeds win then Wolves would certainly be dragged back into it.
However, the chances of a Leeds win look small as they haven’ really hit great form since appointing Javi Gracia as their new manager with just four points from their last 15 available seeing them drop into the relegation zone. This could be another tough day here as I feel Wolves will land the win here by a narrow margin.
Tip – Correct Score – Wolves 1-0 Leeds United – 13/2
After struggling for form since taking over as manager at the club, Graham Potter has finally seen some consistency from his team as Chelsea have won both their last two Premier League games, plus staged a fine comeback in Europe to defeat Borussia Dortmund and progress into the Champions League quarterfinals.
Everton have picked up four valuable points in their last two games too and Sean Dyche will be pleased to see the Toffees out of the drop zone, but they have a very tough run of fixtures coming up and in truth, it is hard to see them getting anything from this game.
Tip – Chelsea to win and both teams to score – No – 11/10
Can Arsenal take an eight-point lead over Manchester City? They face a Crystal Palace team out of sorts this Sunday and on the back of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta will know this is a great opportunity for his team to take a potentially decisive lead in the title race.
With Arsenal having some tough away games still to come over the last few weeks of the season, this is a must win game for the Gunners and with Palace’s form being what it is, it is a game that I think the home side should win well, although I do feel Palace may grab a rare goal.
Tip– Arsenal to win and both teams to score – No – 5/6
*Kick off times 3pm unless otherwise stated. All odds shown were correct at the time of writing with bet365 Sport, but may have changed in the meantime.
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