Premier League Predictions > Feb 17th - 23rd

[StevieDay1983]

[StevieDay1983]

The Premier League offers us an extended week of action here with games running from Wednesday night of this week until Tuesday night of next week as teams play catch-up fixtures. Take a look at the odds and ratings above then tell us your chosen bets for these games coming up! 

[neilovan]

Burnley v Fulham    and 

Fulham v Sheffield United 

 

Sheffield United and WBA look to be heading to the Championship next season. The gap is too big to pull back. WBA just defend badly, and they simply need 2 or more goals to win every match. This is not the Allerdyce way. Sheffield United just need to play Man United every week ☺️, but they only get them twice a year.

Fulham look good. They have been getting better game after game, and the win at Everton was no fluke. Now they have two games that will determine their season. They gotta be feeling great after collecting all three points at Everton, so confidence will be high.

I don't expect them to win both these games, but 4 points would be a solid haul. Can they win one of these two games? Absolutely. 2 would be brilliant for them. If I was going for the Fulham win here, I would bet both games separately, for the same stake. I just need one winner out of the two games and I am a winner. If Fulham can go and dominate Everton and find the win, they could have more than enough for Burnley, and way too much for Sheffield United.

Prediction: Fulham win both games (taken as 2 separate, equal bets).

If they win both, then a nice win. If they win 1 you have a decent winner.

[StevieDay1983]

Burnley vs Fulham

The Premier League starts early this week with a couple of games tonight. As @neilovan points out, the relegation battle is realistically down to one last final spot now. Sheffield United and West Brom are staring a return to the Championship in the face leaving one spot in the bottom three left up for grabs. Burnley will host Fulham at 6pm GMT at Turf Moor with pressure on the away team to close the 7 point gap to safety.

Burnley are in 16th place and 8 points ahead of their opponents for tonight's game. You have to say that a win would be a big step towards securing safety for Sean Dyche's men. The Clarets have drawn and won their last two league matches. Captain Ben Mee has been ruled out with concussion for this game and that will be a big blow for the home side. Scoring goals remains a problem for Burnley with the team's 17 league goals the lowest tally in the top four divisions of English football. Burnley also don't have the best of records against newly promoted sides having won just 1 of their last 7 fixtures against such teams. If you want an anytime scorer bet then Jay Rodriguez has bagged 6 goals in his last 3 appearances against Fulham across all competitions.

Fulham come into this game brimming with confidence after that shock 2-0 win away to Everton. Scott Parker's side are still in the bottom three but now only 7 points behind 17th placed Newcastle with a game in hand on the Tynesiders. If the Cottagers win this game then it'll be the first time since 2011 that they would have won back-to-back league games in the same top flight campaign. The team is unbeaten in 5 away matches and if they avoid defeat here then it'll equal the club record. Parker's team will feel they can take something from this game having managed to go undefeated against other sides in the bottom six of the table this season. Interestingly, 5 of those encounters did end in a draw though.

These two sides did meet as recently as 24th January in the FA Cup 4th Round when Burnley prevailed as 3-0 winners at Craven Cottage. I'm worried for Burnley with Mee missing. He's an influential figure at the back and they miss his presence when he's not there. Fulham are gaining in confidence and, as much as I hate to say it, they're starting to look a lot more competitive now. I still feel they've left themselves too much to do and lack the quality to stay up but I can see them picking up points in games like this.

Fulham Draw No Bet @ 1.88 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.67 with Betfair

[StevieDay1983]

Everton vs Manchester City

The second Premier League game taking place on Wednesday night is an 8:15pm GMT kick-off between a faltering Everton side and a relentless Manchester City team at Goodison Park. It's hard to see how this game can end in anything other than an away win given the respective form of these two sides but will the hosts be aiming to get a reaction after their result last time out?

Everton are currently experiencing a dodgy spell of results that has seen them win just 1 of their last 5 league games. The Toffees are now down in 7th as a result and their hopes of qualifying for European competition this season are in danger of fading away unless they can start notching up some victories again. Carlo Ancelotti will be without his top scorer and talisman Dominic Calvert-Lewin once again. Allan could make a welcome return to action after being out since mid-December. Defensive performances at home remain a problem for Everton with the team only managing to keep 1 clean sheet in their last 15 league games at home. Only 4 of their 11 league wins this season have come at home as well. Ancelotti himself could well be dreading this game having lost 4 of his 5 competitive games against Manchester City as a manager. It is the worst record he has against any club he has managed against.

Manchester City are top of the table and flying high at the moment. Pep Guardiola's men are 7 points clear of 2nd placed Manchester United with a game in hand. It's now 23 competitive matches without defeat for the Citizens. That is a run that includes 16 wins in a row in all competitions and 11 straight victories in the league. Their defensive performances have become the stuff of legend with City only conceding 6 goals in their last 23 matches. One player who will be looking to haunt Everton is Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian might not have scored as many as Guardiola would have liked this season but he's scored in each one of his last 5 appearances against the Merseyside club.

I'm not sure how we can do anything other than back a clean sheet win for Manchester City here. The potential absence of Ilkay Gundogan could be a blow but City are about more than one player right now. They face an Everton side that only managed 7 shots without failing to score against Fulham on the weekend. Anything other than a 1-0 or 2-0 win for City would be a surprise.

Manchester City to Win to Nil @ 2.15 with 888Sport

Anytime Scorer: Gabriel Jesus @ 2.80 with SBK

[malabgd]

Wolverhampton vs Leeds United

 

 

Wolverhampton

Doubtful:

Out (injuries/other): Daniel Podence (18/3 m), Willy Boly (16/1 d), Raul Jimenez (10/4 f, top scorer)

Suspended: -

 

Leeds United

Doubtful:

Out (injuries/other): Kalvin Phillips (18/0 m, captain), Rodrigo (18/3 f), Ian Poveda-Ocampo (10/0 m), Robin Koch (11/0 d), Adam Forshaw (0/0 m), Gaetano Berardi (0/0 d)

Suspended: -

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more then 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

 

Overall Stats
Wolverhampton 12 home games	Leeds United 12 away games

1.2	Goals scored per game	2.0
1.2	Goals conceded per game	2.2
25%	Clean sheets	33%
83%	Team scored	92%
33%	Team scored twice	58%
8%	Scored in both halves	42%
42%	Goal in both halves	75%

[StevieDay1983]

Wolves vs Leeds

The Premier League weekend action kicks off at 8pm GMT tonight when two sides struggling to find some kind of consistency meet up as Wolves play Leeds at Molineux. Both of these teams are comfortably positioned in mid-table but could a victory spark a late push for the European qualification spots? The big question is which team will have enough to take all 3 points?

Wolves have generally had a season to forget. The injury to Raul Jimenez and lack of effective additions to the squad have seen Nuno Espirito Santo's team struggle to build up a run of positive results. Wanderers are in 12th place and with just 1 defeat in their last 5 league matches including remaining unbeaten for their previous 3 league games shows the team are starting to improve their performances again. Willy Boly and Daniel Prodence remain sidelined but are close to a return. Ruben Neves could be one player you'll want to keep an eye on for an anytime scorer bet having scored 4 goals in 7 appearances during the 2021 calendar year.

Leeds are in a similar situation to their opponents for today's game. Marcelo Bielsa's men are in 11th place and 2 points ahead of Wolves with a game in hand but are also struggling to find some consistency this season. The Whites will be without inspirational central midfielder Kalvin Phillips and having lost their last 4 league games when Phillips hasn't played there's a feeling this could be a difficult game for them. Defence remains a concern for Bielsa with the team only keeping 1 clean sheet in their last 7 league games. There is reason for Leeds fans to be optimistic though. The club have won 6 of their last 7 top flight away games that have been played outside of London. Patrick Bamford also loves playing on a Friday night having scored 6 goals in his last 5 matches played on this day.

This is a very tough one to call. Two sides that are experiencing very similar seasons although the stark difference is that one team are struggling to score whilst the other team can't stop scoring. I am concerned about how Leeds will handle the game without Phillips available and with Wolves showing obvious signs of improvement I think this could be a tough match for the visitors. The fact Wolves are unbeaten at home in the top flight in their last 8 meetings with Leeds adds weight to my feeling that we could see a home win.

Wolves to Win @ 2.45 with Novibet

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.98 with SBK

[StefanBB]

Southampton vs Chelsea

The hosts have been one of the bigger overachievers in the Premier League until recently, but their form severely declined. The Saints’ slump started after a 2:0 defeat away to Leicester City in mid-January. Since then, Southampton lost six times in a row in the domestic championship. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side managed to find the back of the net just once during that run. Danny Ings and the lads need to improve their finishing to avoid getting in the danger zone. The home side is ten points ahead of struggling Fulham, but they need to break the losing streak. Southampton has played pretty well at home until recently, but they suffered three straight defeats at St. Mary’s Stadium. On the other hand, they are doing well in the FA Cup, and the hosts should apply the same recipe.

Since Thomas Tuchel took over the bench, Chelsea entered an excellent run. After a goalless draw against Wolves, the Blues booked four straight wins in the Premier League. If we consider all competitions, the away side missed the chance to celebrate only once in the previous seven matches. Jorginho and the lads seem much more confident at the moment, and that run saw them climbing to the top four. Chelsea also improved its away displays, and the visitors managed to get back home with a win three times from the last four outings. They conceded only once in the past six fixtures, and the Blues want to keep up where they left off. Chelsea should be looking forward to continuing their streak to remain in the Champions League zone.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

The visitors are in a much better momentum, and their confidence is sky-high. We believe Chelsea should get back home with another three points.

Goals Market Prediction

Chelsea has been pretty disciplined lately, while Southampton struggles to score in the past few weeks. Therefore, we think the Blues should be capable of keeping their net intact.

Chelsea to win @ 1.75

BTTS No @ 1.95

Correct score 0:2 @ 9.00

[StefanBB]

Liverpool vs Everton

Liverpool managed to break its losing streak after celebrating a 2:0 win over RB Leipzig. The hosts are on a good track for advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals, but they need to improve on the domestic stage as well. The reds slipped out from the top four after a very poor run in the English top flight. Jurgen Klopp’s side sits in 6^th place, being two points behind Chelsea. Mo Salah and the lads should try to get back on the winning track in the Premier League as well and get back to the CL zone. Before spilling two points against West Brom at Anfield in the Boxing Day round, the hosts had a perfect home record. However, they haven’t celebrated in their backyard since then. Liverpool lost three home games in a row, and it is pretty clear they won’t defend the title. However, the Reds should fight for the Champions League place and don’t have the right for any more mistakes.

Everton cannot be proud of its form either. The away side picked up just a point from the previous three Premier League fixtures. Nevertheless, they are three points behind their upcoming rivals and with one game in hand. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side needs to get back on a winning track to keep challenging continental spots. The visitors should tighten up their defense slightly, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and his teammates should continue being productive. The Toffees put excellent performances on the road this season. They managed to get back home with a win seven times from 11 outings so far in the campaign. Everton missed the chance to win only once when playing away from home on the previous five occasions. They are highly motivated to provide another kick in the teeth to their fiercest opponents.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Both teams have been pretty inconsistent lately. Despite Liverpool’s poor home run and Everton’s unbeatable away streak, we believe the hosts will celebrate in the Merseyside Derby.

Goals Market Prediction

Neither of the sides has been defensively solid recently. We expect to see an attractive match in which both teams should be able to find the back of the net.

Liverpool to win @ 1.45

BTTS Yes @ 1.70

Correct score 2:1 @ 9.00

[betcatalog]

Southampton are definitely capable of making it a difficult afternoon for Chelsea despite the fact that they are out of form at the moment. The Blues are on a winning streak right now, and we expect them to earn another three points to establish themselves in the top four of the league.
SOUTHAMPTON vs CHELSEA @@ CHELSEA, odds 1.80

[ALEXXXXXXXX]

Southampton 

After beating Liverpool with a narrow win at the beginning of January, they could not get a win then when against Leicester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Wolves, and even suffered 6 losses in a row. Now they slipped out of top 10 on League table.

 

Chelsea

Chelsea host Newcastle United in last home game and won with 2:0 easily, getting 5 wins in a row. Now they have been back to top 4 on scoreboard. Since the lead of Thomas Tuchel, they kept unbeaten and even got 6W-1D, showing excellent offenses and defenses.

 

Betting Verdict:

Chelsea took upper hand in overall forms. And the 1X2 first odd is 4.20-3.60-1.83, tending to the away side. So Chelsea will be trustworthy in this round.

 

Southampton VS Chelsea

1X2 Pick: 2

[StevieDay1983]

Southampton vs Chelsea

The Premier League has a full schedule this weekend and we can all look forward to a packed Saturday line-up with the action starting at 12:30pm GMT as Southampton play Chelsea at St Mary's Stadium. These two teams are currently experiencing periods of completely contrasting form so will the result follow the form book or could we see a surprise outcome?

Southampton are now lost 6 league games in a row and the situation is beginning to look a little depressing for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side. The Saints are down to 13th in the table and even though they remain 10 points clear of the relegation zone there is a fear that the longer that next win takes to arrive, the more desperate their predicament could become. The team has already conceded 20 goals in their 7 league games played this calendar year. It's also interesting to see that no club has dropped more points from winning positions in the division this season than Southampton.

Chelsea look like a re-invigorated team under Thomas Tuchel. The new head coach bounce is clearly working with the team having won their last 4 league games. Defensive solidity returning to the heart of the Blues' philosophy has been key with Chelsea keeping 5 clean sheets in their 6 competitive games under Tuchel's management thus far. There is an opportunity here for Tuchel to become the first Chelsea head coach to win his first three away league games since Carlo Ancelotti managed the feat back in 2009. It was also pleasing to see Timo Werner end his goal drought for the club in the 2-0 win over Newcastle. He has now been involved in more league goals this season than any player at the club with 5 goals and 5 assists. So maybe he hasn't been under-performing as much as some people have suggested.

If there wasn't much hope in the recent form of these two clubs for Southampton fans then the head-to-head meetings won't provide much reassure. Chelsea have won the last 5 away fixtures at Southampton in the league. Southampton have also won just 1 of the last 11 meetings between these two clubs. I'm not sure what is wrong with the Saints at the moment but they are shot. The sensible money is to back another solid Chelsea win as the Tuchel era is set to continue on a positive footing.

Chelsea to Win @ 1.79 with Unibet

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.93 with Sporting Index

[StevieDay1983]

Burnley vs West Brom

The Premier League relegation picture could become even more of a formality on Saturday afternoon when Burnley host West Brom in a 3pm GMT kick-off at Turf Moor. The home side have managed to drag themselves out of the quagmire somehow but their recent form is patchy. Can a desperate travelling team keep their slim hopes alive by earning a shock win?

Burnley head into this game in 15th place but they're only 8 points clear of relegation. It's a fair margin but that gap could change in the space of a couple of games. Sean Dyche's men have only won 1 of their last 5 league games but are undefeated in their last 3 outings. The Clarets are set to be boosted by the return to fitness of captain Ben Mee. Home form remains a problem for Burnley with the team having only won 1 of their last 8 league games against promoted sides with no victories coming in their last 3 at Turf Moor. Only 24 goals have been scored at Turf Moor in the league this season. That's the lowest in the top flight so we can certainly expect a low-scoring affair.

West Brom are definitely looking like a team doomed for the Championship next season. The gamble on bringing in Sam Allardyce doesn't look like working. The Baggies are in 19th place and 12 points adrift of safety with just 14 league games to play. It's just 1 win in their 11 league games under Allardyce and it's no win in their last 6 league games. If you want some more dour statistics for West Brom then no team has had fewer than 16 points at this stage of a Premier League season and gone on to survive. The 55 goals conceded by West Brom so far is the worst defensive record in the top flight of the five major European leagues. Only Barnsley possessed a worse Premier League defensive record at this stage of the season and that was back in 1997/98.

Right, so I hope I haven't demoralised any West Brom fans too much out there but the long and short of it seems to be that you're screwed. Burnley have a big opportunity to extend their undefeated league run here and I think they'll take it. I just can't bring myself to back West Brom to win any game at the moment and with just 1 win from their 12 away league games this season it seems this is Burnley's game to mess up!

Burnley to Win @ 2.14 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.67 with SportNation

[StevieDay1983]

Liverpool vs Everton

The Merseyside Derby takes centre stage in the Premier League at 5:30pm GMT at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. It's Liverpool versus Everton in what is set to be an intriguing encounter at the very least. Can the reigning champions build on their midweek success in Europe to inflict another win on their arch rivals or will the blue side of the city be celebrating an underdog victory?

Liverpool answered a lot of critics against RB Leipzig during the week. Jurgen Klopp has faced a lot of doubters over recent weeks but they were firmly given the middle finger on Tuesday night. The Reds are still struggling for solid form in the league though. Just 2 wins from their last 10 league games including losing the last 3 league matches in a row have seen the defending champions drop to 6th in the table. They're now 16 points behind league leaders Manchester City but not only have hopes of retaining the title gone but their aspirations to qualify for the Champions League are now in doubt. The most concerning statistic is the fact the once daunting Anfield is now a venue of open season for visiting sides. Liverpool haven't won any of their last 5 league games there and have lost the most recent 3 league games. Only managing to score 1 goal in their last 4 home league games is also a concern.

Everton come into this game feeling they could get a rare win over their neighbours. The Toffees might have only won 1 of their last 6 league games but they have top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin back fit and they are unbeaten against Liverpool in their last two meetings that have ended in draws. Unfortunately, the recent record isn't great with the last victory over Liverpool coming back on 17th October, 2010. Away form is the saving grace though. Everton are undefeated in their last 7 away league games. The club have only managed an average of 1 point per game during 2021 though and that's the reason why they're now down in 7th place and 5 points outside the top four.

I know neither side is exactly in a rich vein of form right now but there were signs in midweek that Liverpool might be coming out the other side of this awful run of form. The title is realistically gone but if they can perform well in the Champions League and qualify for next season's competition then it won't have been an entirely bad season. Everton just look like they're lacking something and even with Calvert-Lewin back I can see the home team getting the win.

Liverpool to Win & BTTS @ 3.05 with SBK

Liverpool HT/FT @ 2.26 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Fulham vs Sheffield United

The Premier League relegation battle could well be given further clarity this evening with Fulham hosting Sheffield United in an 8pm GMT kick-off on Saturday at Craven Cottage. Both of these two teams are embroiled in a relegation dogfight and currently occupy two of the three spots in the drop zone. Can either team come away with all 3 points in this one?

Fulham are doing their best to just about cling onto life in the top flight. Scott Parker's side have only lost 3 of their last 13 league games. That recent form might sound less emphatic when you consider 9 of those matches have ended in draws but it's kept the Cottagers in 18th place and they're now just 6 points behind 17th placed Newcastle. The team will have to cope without influential pair Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tom Cairney for this game. Home form continues to be troublesome for Fulham with the club having gone 8 league matches at home without a win. They have also only scored 1 goal in their last 7 competitive home games. However, the encouraging news for their fans is that they're unbeaten against teams that are currently positioned in the bottom six.

Sheffield United are having a season to forget and even though their performances aren't as bad as the points tally suggests it's still grim reading. Chris Wilder's men are still rock bottom of the division with just 11 points earned so far. The Blades lost 10 of their 12 away matches in the league. If they lose this game then they'll become the first top flight side to lose 20 of their opening 25 league games. The last team to achieve that unwanted record in any of the top four divisions of English football was Southport back in 1975/76 in the fourth tier. It's also 17 away league games since United last kept a clean sheet and with John Egan sidelined for 8 weeks I have a feeling that defensive curse might not be broken here.

The wins were starting to come for Sheffield United but they've dried up again. Back-to-back defeats have left the players demoralised and the gap to safety now looks an unrealistic 14 points. Fulham are still fighting away but I still feel they will fall short. I can see this ending in a dour draw with neither side getting the win they so desperately need right now.

Draw @ 3.35 with Sporting Index

BTTS @ 2.05 with SportNation

[StevieDay1983]

West Ham vs Tottenham

The Premier League starts on Sunday afternoon with a midday GMT kick-off between two London rivals in West Ham and Tottenham at the London Stadium. These two sides are vying to qualify for the Champions League next season and with nothing separating the two teams in their previous encounter that ended in a 3-3 draw will we see a similar exciting affair here?

West Ham are continuing to stun the pundits and fans alike with their performances this season. David Moyes has rolled back the years to construct a side that has moved up into 5th place and only outside the top four on goal difference. The Hammers have only lost 1 of their last 10 league matches and have also won 6 of their last 8 league games. Moyes will have a boost with the potential return of both Michail Antonio and Fabian Balbuena for this game. To sum up how well this season is going for West Ham, they have already earned more points this season than they did for the whole of last season and their points total of 42 so far is their best in the top flight after 24 games since 1985/86.

Tottenham will be keen to improve their form with Harry Kane returning to full fitness after his injury spell. Jose Mourinho's side come into this match in 9th place and 6 points behind the pace of the top four. It's a disappointing situation given how well their season started. Spurs have lost 4 of their last 5 league games which shows how much they missed Kane when he was out. The team has also won just 1 of their last 7 away league games. If you want a cheeky bet on an anytime scorer then Son Heung-min has bagged 3 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 appearances against West Ham.

OK, so the one point I haven't covered yet is that Moyes has yet to defeat Mourinho in 15 matches as a manager. It's his worst record against any manager. This could be the first time that Tottenham fail to beat West Ham in a season since 2013/14. I feel this game will see both teams play out a close-knit affair because even though West Ham are arguably the better-performing side, I think this is the sort of game where Tottenham will get at least a point and could even snatch a win.

Tottenham Draw No Bet @ 1.94 with SBK

BTTS @ 1.78 with Matchbook

[thfc]

4 hours ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Tottenham Draw No Bet @ 1.94 with SBK

You are braver than me!  Spurs are in no real form at the moment, although did play well away in the Europa League on Thursday.  West Ham are a really tough team to predict this year other than I think it's fair to say they are definitely overachieving, so are perhaps due a downturn in form sooner or later.

Another point to note is this is like West Ham's cup final because they hate spurs (we don't really care about them!).  I know there is no crowd so perhaps not as relevant this year, but thought i'd mention it.

 

[StefanBB]

West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

The home side enjoys a very good run that helped them advance to the 5^th spot. Actually, the Hammers have the same number of points as the fourth-placed Chelsea. David Moyes’s side booked two victories in the last three rounds, and they want to remain in the continental battle. West Ham improved its defense lately, as they conceded only once in the previous three Premier League rounds. Tomas Soucek and the lads improved their finishing as well, and they play very well at home. They only defeat at Olympic Stadium over the past five games West Ham suffered against Liverpool. The hosts want to continue their good streak and keep up the pace in the top-four race.

On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur struggles lately, and the away side slipped to 9^th place. Jose Mourinho’s side lost four times on the last five domestic occasions, and they need an improvement to secure the continental qualification. Still, the Spurs are six points behind their rivals and with one game in hand. It’s still not too late to get back in the battle for the Champions League ticket. Tottenham heads to this match after beating the Austrian side Wolfsberger AC in the Europa League. Heung-Min Son and the lads were pretty confident, and they search for the repetition in Premier League as well. However, they celebrated just once in the last five outings. Tottenham needs to stabilize its game, otherwise, this campaign will be a total failure.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

It is going to be a pretty interesting game in which both sides have the chance to win. We won’t be surprised if these two rivals split points in this clash.

Goals Market Prediction

Both teams will enter this game with an attacking mentality and searching for points. Therefore, we don’t expect to see one of the sides managing to keep the clean sheet.

Draw @ 3.40

BTTS Yes @ 1.75

Correct score 1:1 @ 7.00

[StefanBB]

Arsenal vs Manchester City

It has been another disappointing campaign for Arsenal, as the hosts sit in 10^th place. Nevertheless, they ended their winless run in the last round after beating Leeds United 4:2. The Gunners still raise hopes for qualifying for the Europa League next season as they are six points behind Liverpool. But to do that, Arsenal needs to be consistent and more productive. Mikel Arteta’s side secured a positive result in the Europa League first-leg match against Benfica, which should encourage the home fans. Pierre Aubameyang and the lads improved their displays at Emirates Stadium, where they haven’t suffered a defeat on the previous five occasions. Still, Arsenal needs to be very disciplined if they want to keep that run going.

Manchester City has been unstoppable lately, and the victory against Everton was their 17^th in a row. Despite the slow start into the season, Pep Guardiola’s side rose to the top spot. The Citizens are ten points ahead of Manchester United and are on a good track to win the title. Kevin de Bruyne and the lads netted at least three times per match on the last four occasions. On the other hand, they are excellent in the back, as City hasn’t conceded more than a goal 24 times in a row. Manchester City managed to get back home with a win from the last ten straight outings. Indeed, they are currently the best team in Europe and seem to be unbeatable. We will see if Arsenal is capable of providing them some damage.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Interestingly, we haven’t seen a draw in their last ten head-to-head clashes. During that period, Manchester City celebrated nine times, and we believe they will win once again.

Goals Market Prediction

The visitors have been very productive lately, and although Ilkay Gundogan might skip this game, we expect to see an efficient match. This one should go over a 2.5 margin.

Manchester City to win @ 1.50

Over 2.5 FT @ 1.75

Correct score 1:3 @ 13.00

[StevieDay1983]

Aston Villa vs Leicester

The second game in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon is a 2:05pm GMT kick-off at Villa Park where Aston Villa will host Leicester. Both of these teams are enjoying positive seasons so far and as we enter the latter period of the campaign this is a big test to see which of the two clubs can continue to push on and achieve their ambitions come the final game.

Aston Villa head into this game in 8th place but with a couple of games in hand on the teams around them. Dean Smith has done an incredible job of turning a relegation battling side into potential European qualification challengers. The Lions have struggled to find consistency over the last couple of months with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in the league during this calendar year. A key factor in the club's improvement in form on last season has been their defensive performances. Villa have kept 12 clean sheets in their opening 22 league matches of a campaign for the first time ever. One statistic that doesn't bode well for Villa is the fact that they have only beaten a side in the top three at kick-off once in their last 20 encounters. That was the bizarre 7-2 win over Liverpool back in October.

Leicester are still a team that are fighting the good fight. Brendan Rodgers has got his players playing some lovely attractive attacking football whilst also leading them to 3rd in the table. The Foxes have only lost 1 of their last 11 league matches and are unbeaten in their last 3 league games. Away form has been key to Leicester's fine effort this season with the club unbeaten in their last 7 league games on the road. If Leicester fans wanted even more optimism ahead of this game then Rodgers has won each of his five away games against Aston Villa as a manager.

What a game this could be! Aston Villa will be looking for a big reaction after the 0-0 draw away to Brighton last week but they face a Leicester side who really come alive away from home. Only 1 of Villa's 11 league victories this season have come without keeping a clean sheet and I don't think they can keep a clean sheet here. Therefore, I'm backing a Leicester win. A team that is so good away from home has to be backed.

Leicester to Win @ 2.26 with Novibet

BTTS @ 1.70 with SBK

[harry_rag]

West Ham v Spurs: 15 points on a Son assist at 4/1 with PP

Hadn’t looked at the game but was flagged by someone I know (who is banging the winners in at the moment) and I have to agree he shouldn’t be that big against “big 6” opponents.

[StevieDay1983]

Interesting to hear that Jack Grealish isn't involved for Aston Villa today which makes me feel even more confident about Leicester winning that one.

[StevieDay1983]

Arsenal vs Manchester City

The headline game of the day in the Premier League on Sunday comes at 4:30pm GMT at the Emirates Stadium when Arsenal look to build on their win last week against an irresistible Manchester City team that looks destined to regain the league title this season. It's the apprentice versus the master as Mikel Arteta goes head-to-head with Pep Guardiola. Who will come out on top?

Arsenal fans don't know whether they're coming or going this season. Pre-season expectations after last season's FA Cup win were high and their start to the campaign didn't exactly dampen those hopes. A poor run came and went followed by some decent results but they've endured another tough spell in the New Year. However, the 4-2 win over Leeds last weekend showed what they can do. The Gunners are down in 10th but with the top four just 9 points away they will still feel they can gate crash the Champions League qualification spots. It was a decent draw against Benfica in midweek and the return of Kieran Tierney will be a great welcome. It is also 6 league games unbeaten at home for Arsenal. Unfortunately, they have lost 9 of their last 10 meetings with their opponents for today's game and have failed to even score in 7 of the last 9 encounters.

Manchester City look well set to earn back the Premier League title they lost to Liverpool last season. Guardiola's men are top of the league table and hold a 10 point lead over 2nd placed Manchester United. The Citizens are now unbeaten in 24 competitive matches and made it 17 competitive wins in a row in midweek with the 3-1 win away to Everton. That victory at Goodison Park also saw City become the first Premier League team to win their first 10 matches of a calendar year. A win here would see the team equal a club record of 11 straight away wins across all competitions. The team has also kept an astonishing 22 clean sheets this season which is more than any team in the top five major European top flights and any team in the top four English divisions.

You have to say that based on a number of factors including current form, quality of players, managerial experience, and head-to-head record that it's almost impossible to see how Arsenal can get anything from this game. Manchester City are rampant right now and you'd have to back them to beat anyone at the moment. Especially an inconsistent Arsenal side. For me, it's just how convincing the victory will be that's the big question.

Manchester City to Win to Nil @ 2.55 with BetVictor

Manchester City HT/FT @ 2.40 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Manchester United vs Newcastle

OK, whilst I'm just digesting how on earth Tottenham didn't get at least a draw against West Ham in that game just now, I'll crack on with the preview for the 7pm GMT kick-off between Manchester United and Newcastle that's set to take place at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. Can the title challengers keep up their faint pressure on league leaders Manchester City or will a relegation threatened away side get a much-needed shock win?

Manchester United are enjoying a positive season with the club currently situated in 2nd place. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men might be unbeaten in their last 4 league games and only lost 1 of their previous 18 league matches but they've dropped 9 points in their last 5 league matches to see them drop off the pace of rivals City. A concern that continues is the club's home form with all 4 of their league defeats coming at home this season. They have also won just 1 of their last 3 home league matches. However, the Red Devils have an incredible record against Newcastle at Old Trafford with the away side only taking 1 win from their last 37 visits to the Theatre of Dreams.

Newcastle find themselves in a woeful position yet again. Steve Bruce's side had feared getting dragged into a relegation dog fight but that's the situation they are now in. The Magpies are down in 17th place and just 3 points ahead of 18th placed Fulham after the Cottagers earned a narrow 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday evening. It's now 9 defeats in their last 13 league games and the club also boasts one of the worst away records in the division with just 3 wins in 12 away league matches this season. Star striker Callum Wilson is still out injured and the team has lost all three games without even scoring in his absence.

I feel this could be yet another sad day for Newcastle fans. Manchester United might not be in the best of nick right now but I think this is another Toon Army side looking set to be embroiled in another relegation battle until the final day of the season. The absence of Wilson is a huge blow and I just can't see anything other than a solid United victory in this game.

Manchester United HT/FT @ 1.95 with SBK

Manchester United -1 @ 1.80 with SportNation

[StevieDay1983]

Brighton vs Crystal Palace

The Monday night football game in the Premier League is the M23 Derby between Brighton and Crystal Palace at 8pm GMT at the Amex Stadium. This might be one of the less high-profile derby matches in English football but it certainly doesn't lack any competitiveness. We only need to ask @Tiffy and @Mindfulness about that. What are your thoughts guys?

Brighton might well have been putting in decent performances this season but the fact remains that the club are down in 16th place and only 4 points above the relegation zone. The Seagulls are unbeaten in 6 league matches now so it's fortunate that they've started to get the results that match their displays. The most impressive stat from this club record unbeaten Premier League run is the 5 clean sheets that they have kept. However, they have only scored 4 goals in that spell so their clinical nature in the final third is still questionable. Getting wins at home has also been a problem recently with the team drawing 3 of the last 4 home league matches. One monkey the club will need to get off its shoulder is their failure to ever win a Premier League game on a Monday in 8 attempts.

Crystal Palace come into this game with talisman Wilfried Zaha still ruled out with injury. The Eagles are in 14th place and just 7 points above the drop zone. Back-to-back defeats in the league has left Roy Hodgson's team floundering and the fact that they have failed to even score in both of those games shows how fruitless their attack is right now without Zaha. This profligacy in front of goal is summed up by the statistic showing their failure to score in 4 of their last 5 away league matches. If the Brighton win ratio on a Monday was bad then at least it's equalled by Palace's record on a Monday under Hodgson that has also failed to deliver a win in the Premier League.

I love a derby game and, as long term members will understand, I'm usually keen to favour a draw in such games. This one is different. I feel we have the home side on the way up and the away side on the way down. If Crystal Palace had Zaha fit and ready then I'd be willing to give them more backing but Brighton are looking well set to keep their unbeaten run going and I wouldn't be surprised if they did it with a 1-0 victory.

Brighton to Win @ 1.81 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 1.5 @ 3.09 with Unibet

[Mindfulness]

7 minutes ago, StevieDay1983 said:

We only need to ask @Tiffy and @Mindfulness about that. What are your thoughts guys?

Uggghhhh, not looking forward to this one @StevieDay1983

Palace probably have the strongest squad of players in their entire history this season (2 decent players for every position) but this has led to a ridiculous amount of rotation. The back four in particular has been laughable, would be interested if someone could tell me the last time Palace started the same back four; two league games in a row?!?! This has led to Palace having the 4th worst defence in the Premier League at the time of writing this (42 goals conceded from 24 games). Must Hodgson take some of the blame for said rotation? It's hard to say because you don't know what goes on behind the scenes with fatigue and niggling injuries. I will say that it is very difficult for the team to generate a cohesion and understanding between players when they start one week and are dropped the next. This has now affected confidence in a noticeable way and Palace have played poorly in their last two games.

What about Brighton? Who knows, even if fans were allowed in the stadium they would probably only defect to Torquay or the Scilly Isles within minutes where the clackers come cheap and the song sheets are free. Don't ask @Tiffy about the game, I've heard he's at Jamaica Inn negotiating a hostile takeover of Rye Rovers with his Peruvian business associates.

[harry_rag]

Hills offering 7/2 “flash odds” (so be quick if it appeals) for Brighton to score in both halves. On the one hand it is a huge standout compared to the general price but Brighton don’t often cross the >1.5 line.

[StevieDay1983]

Leeds vs Southampton

Well, last night showed exactly why Brighton are down where they are having dominated the game and coming away with nothing. We look to go again in this Tuesday night clash between mid-table sides Leeds and Southampton in a 6pm GMT kick-off from Elland Road. Neither team is in great form right now but will have their reasons for feeling they can take something from this game.

Leeds are in 12th place and now closer to the relegation zone than the current European qualification spots. Back-to-back defeats on the road have hit the Whites hard but returning to their own patch could give them the inspiration they need to get back to winning ways. Marcelo Bielsa will be able to welcome back centre back Diego Llorente but the club is still without six first team players including Kalvin Phillips. The team has lost the last 5 games in which Phillips has been absent. Just 1 clean sheets in their last 8 league matches shows where their vulnerabilities lie. However, a positive stat is that they have won 7 of their last 9 league games against teams positioned lower than them in the table.

Southampton ended a run of 6 straight league defeats with a dogged 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea on the weekend. Ralph Hasenhuttl's side are down in 14th place and only 8 points above the drop zone so it was a welcome point. It is still only 4 points earned in the league during 2021 for the Saints. There is encouragement in the statistics though with Southampton having won 9 of their last 10 league matches against newly promoted teams. A problem for Southampton this season has been holding onto leads with the team dropping a division high 18 points from winning positions. Not the best stat you want to possess when you're coming up against a Leeds side that never know when they're beaten.

This will be the first encounter between these two teams since October 2012 when they met in an EFL Cup clash. Leeds came out as 3-0 winners that day. Both clubs are in completely different, and arguably healthier, positions now though. Southampton have won the last 3 league meetings but Leeds have lost just 1 of the last 12 league encounters with Southampton in the top flight. If I was pushed into a corner then I'd have to back a home win but I do feel like these two sides could battle out a draw.

Draw @ 3.60 with BetVictor

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.71 with SBK

[Tiffy]

On 2/22/2021 at 12:09 PM, Mindfulness said:

Uggghhhh, not looking forward to this one @StevieDay1983

Palace probably have the strongest squad of players in their entire history this season (2 decent players for every position) but this has led to a ridiculous amount of rotation. The back four in particular has been laughable, would be interested if someone could tell me the last time Palace started the same back four; two league games in a row?!?! This has led to Palace having the 4th worst defence in the Premier League at the time of writing this (42 goals conceded from 24 games). Must Hodgson take some of the blame for said rotation? It's hard to say because you don't know what goes on behind the scenes with fatigue and niggling injuries. I will say that it is very difficult for the team to generate a cohesion and understanding between players when they start one week and are dropped the next. This has now affected confidence in a noticeable way and Palace have played poorly in their last two games.

What about Brighton? Who knows, even if fans were allowed in the stadium they would probably only defect to Torquay or the Scilly Isles within minutes where the clackers come cheap and the song sheets are free. Don't ask @Tiffy about the game, I've heard he's at Jamaica Inn negotiating a hostile takeover of Rye Rovers with his Peruvian business associates.

The wheels have fallen right off. I feel for Potter, he can't do anymore than he has. The players are letting him down and the finishing is dreadful. I still Don't know how we haven't got at least a point from the last 2 games. 

Weather is nice here in Peru though, and I've asked the local Junta to do a job on *Woy the boy* next time they visir relatives In  Cwoydon. 

[Mindfulness]

3 minutes ago, Tiffy said:

The wheels have fallen right off. I feel for Potter, he can't do anymore than he has. The players are letting him down and the finishing is dreadful. I still Don't know how we haven't got at least a point from the last 2 games. 

Weather is nice here in Peru though, and I've asked the local Junta to do a job on *Woy the boy* next time they visir relatives In  Cwoydon. 

Sometimes you get these weird anomalies in football. Brighton XG is very good but they don't score the goals their play deserves. It may have become a psychological issue at the moment. Don't loose heart though mate, Brighton can still survive, they've proved capable of putting winning runs together in recent weeks. I remember the days when you were scrapping with Hull City to stay in the football league! Things are looking much better for the seaweeds these days. Battling it out with the mighty Palace amongst the elite of world football. Let's face it, we're living the dream compared to the days of Goldberg and Goldstone.

For years Burnley had a weird situation going with XG against, opponents would create loads of chances against Burnley but not convert many. At the start of every EPL season people would claim that this would be the year Burnley get relegated due to their appauling XG against record. Apparently what was happening in reality is that Burnley would be adept at blocking shots to each side of their goal which forced opponents to shoot centrally which allowed Pope or Heaton to deal with the shot relatively easily. So Burnley would be conceeding lots of 'dangerous' shots but in reality the keepers were usually in a good position to deal with them.

On a side note, this whole Lee Mason situation is hilarious when you take into account Espirito Santo's comments about him a few weeks back. My favourite quotes include:

"The referee (Mason) doesn't have quality to whistle a game on a premier league"

"The players get nervous, too much voices, he whistles by the voices"

"He doesn't have quality to whistle the game"

"I hope he doesn't whistle a game of ours again"

PS

Glad you are enjoying Peru but please leave Roy out of this. It would be better if the junta got Mamadou Sakho off the payroll by persuading him to play for Sporting Cristal or one of the other Peruvian giants. Many thanks.