Premier League Predictions > Apr 16th - 22nd

[StevieDay1983]

[StevieDay1983]

The next round of Premier League matches are coming up over the course of next week. The FA Cup games on the weekend mean the fixtures are spread out over a number of days. Check out the odds and ratings shown above and then give us your bets for these matches! 

[ALEXXXXXXXX]

Everton

They are sitting the eighth in the table of the league with 48 points. Although there are only six points separating them from the fifth, they have difficulty in closing the gap as they are not in form, which have been winless for six matches.

 

Tottenham Hotspur

They are in poor state recently, getting 1W-1D-3L. And they even have been knocked out of UEFA Europa League. It is not surprising that they lose to Manchester United at 3-1 with one goal lead in the beginning.

 

Verdict:

They have met each other for twice this season. Everton have never been defeated by Tottenham Hotspur this season. There is no big gap between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham Hotspur are the seventh in League table and Everton are the eighth. So the result of the game is suggested to be a draw.

 

Everton VS Tottenham Hotspur

Prediction: 0-0, 1-1

[malabgd]

Everton vs Tottenham

 

 

Everton

Doubtful: -

Out (injuries/other): Dominic Calvert-Lewin (26/14 f, top scorer), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (1/0 m), Yerry Mina (21/2 d), Bernard (9/1 m), Abdoulaye Doucoure (25/2 m), Fabian Delph (5/0 m)

Suspended: -

 

Tottenham

Doubtful: -

Out (injuries/other): Dane Scarlett (1/0 f), Ben Davies (20/0 d), Matt Doherty (15/0 d)

Suspended: -

 

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

 

Over/Under Goals
Everton 15 home games	Tottenham 16 away games

73%	Over 1.5 goals	69%
47%	Over 2.5 goals	50%
33%	Over 3.5 goals	25%
13%	Over 4.5 goals	13%
13%	Over 5.5 goals	13%
27%	Under 1.5 goals	31%
53%	Under 2.5 goals	50%
67%	Over 0.5 goals at half-time	81%
47%	Over 1.5 goals at half-time	38%
33%	Over 2.5 goals at half-time	13%

[StefanBB]

Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur

The hosts cannot be happy with their recent form as they failed to win in the last five matches in all competitions. Everton got knocked out from the FA Cup while slipping to the 8^th spot in the Premier League. Carlo Ancelotti’s side drew in the previous two rounds, and they need to get back on the winning track to keep their chances of securing the ticket for continental competitions. However, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the lads haven’t been efficient enough lately, as they netted only twice on the previous five occasions. The Toffees celebrated only once in the last five matches at Goodison Park, and they spilled too many points at home. Nevertheless, Everton is six points behind the fifth-placed Chelsea, and with one game in hand. The home side needs a confident finish of the campaign to try advancing on the table.

Tottenham Hotspur has also been pretty inconsistent lately, as they booked only two wins in the previous five rounds. They are only one point ahead of their upcoming rivals, and a defeat in this clash could mean another decline in the standings. Jose Mourinho’s side heads to this match after losing against Manchester United at home last weekend. Harry Kane and the lads have been quite efficient this season, but they haven’t been tight enough in the back. The Spurs have been decent on the road this season, managing to get back home with a win seven times from 16 outings. However, the visitors are far from challenging the Champions League spot through the Premier League, while they got knocked out in the Europa League. The away side should significantly improve to get a chance to play in European cups next season.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Neither side has been impressive lately, and this game could go either way. Everton surprised their upcoming opponents in the opening round of the season but will miss several vital players in this match. We think both sides are capable of getting at least a point, and we won’t be surprised if the encounter ends in a draw.

Goals Market Prediction

Both teams have been vulnerable in the back lately, and despite Everton being inefficient in the past few games, they can find the back of the net in this one. Their recent clashes at Goodison Park have been very exciting, and we expect to see both sides scoring in this game.

Draw @ 3.50

BTTS Yes @ 1.80

Correct score 1:1 @ 7.00

[StevieDay1983]

Everton vs Tottenham

The Premier League action starts early on the Friday night this week with an 8pm BST kick-off between European qualification chasing Everton and Tottenham at Goodison Park. Both of these teams started their respective campaigns so well but their seasons have tailed off. There is still a strong chance of European football next season if they can end on a high but can either team win here?

Everton will feel it is now or never for them to get back to winning ways otherwise they could end up sinking into a mid-table finish without a fight. Carlo Ancelotti's men are in 8th place and still just 7 points off the top four with a game in hand on the teams above them. However, it's now 4 league matches without a win for the Toffees and 6 games where the team has failed to score more than a single goal in a game. It's mixed news on the injury front for Ancelotti with Allan, Andre Gomes, Josh King, and Jordan Pickford all back in contention but the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina, and Fabian Delph all still out. Home form is still a problem for Everton with only Fulham and Liverpool earning less points in the league at home in 2021. Perhaps the most concerning statistic is that Everton have only won 25% of their league games with Calvert-Lewin missing compared to 50% when he has played.

Tottenham are another team that are slightly struggling in their final stages of the season. Jose Mourinho has once again come under criticism for his conservative tactics. Spurs lost 3-1 at home to Manchester United last weekend leaving the team down in 7th place but only 6 points off the pace of the Champions League qualification spots. It is just 1 win in their last 4 league matches though. Mourinho attempting to close games out has been detrimental to his team's points tally with the club dropping 18 points from winning positions. Scoring goals on the road has been a problem for Tottenham this season with the club only managing 15 goals in their last 14 away league matches. Spurs do still have a game-changer in Harry Kane though and not only could he become just the fourth player in Premier League history to score at least 20 goals in five different seasons (Sergio Aguero, Alan Shearer, and Thierry Henry being the three others) but he's also bagged 10 goals in 11 games against Everton.

I had to make an early prediction on this for the main page yesterday and I backed a draw but the more I think about it the more I feel that Tottenham could sneak the win here. Everton had full strength are a team that will cause problems for anyone but an Everton side that is weakened including without their top scorer are a far weaker proposition. I feel this could be one of those games where Kane bails Tottenham out.

Tottenham to Win @ 2.30 with SportNation

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 2.04 with SBK

 

[harry_rag]

Everton v Spurs: 20 points on Son to have an assist at 18/5 with Uni, 20 on Kane to have a shot on target in both halves at 11/4 with PP and 10 on Kane, Son and Richarlison all to have a shot on target at 11/4 with Hills.

Son an old favourite and one of the few players I'd trust to back (rather than lay or sell) in the assists market. Not a huge fan of shots related markets but the Kane price looks generous to me compared to the basic shot on targets prices and the other selection is one of those Hills doubled "Flash Odds" that strikes me as value.

 

[harry_rag]

3 hours ago, harry_rag said:

Not a huge fan of shots related markets but the Kane price looks generous to me compared to the basic shot on targets prices and the other selection is one of those Hills doubled "Flash Odds" that strikes me as value.

Both of those bets landed so a profit from the 3 bets. No assist for Son, in fact no assist awarded for either Kane goal. With one of the Everton goals being a penalty that means there was only one assist out of 4 goals. Quite a stark reminder of why it’s a market to only be backed in very selectively.

[StevieDay1983]

Newcastle vs West Ham

The Premier League sees an early kick-off at 12:30pm BST on Saturday afternoon when relegation battling Newcastle host high-flying West Ham at St James' Park. The matches are spread over the whole week so this is only one of two league games being played today. Is a win for the away team already written in the stars or can the home team further ease their drop zone worries?

Newcastle took a big step towards securing their safety this season with a 2-1 win away to Burnley last weekend. That victory made it just 1 defeat in their last 6 league games and the Magpies are now 6 points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand on 18th placed Fulham. You could even argue that 19th placed West Brom are now the team Newcastle should be more worried about. Steve Bruce will have been delighted with the performance of Allain Saint-Maximin and will give him hope that the club can stay up this season now. Callum Wilson is also set to be involved after a long spell out. The former Bournemouth striker has scored 8 goals against West Ham down the years. Newcastle come into this game unbeaten in their last 4 home league games and Bruce himself loves managing against West Ham having tasted victory against them as manager of Newcastle, Hull, Sunderland, Wigan, and Birmingham.

West Ham are on the brink of achieving something special this season. David Moyes has led his team to 4th in the table and they are 1 point inside the Champions League qualification places with just 7 league games remaining. The Hammers pulled off an impressive 3-2 win over Leicester last weekend to extend their unbeaten run to 3 league games. The only defeat West Ham have suffered this season against teams outside of the "established top six" was against Newcastle back in September but Moyes has only lost 1 of his last 6 away league games against Newcastle as a manager. Jesse Lingard did the business for us again as an anytime scorer last week so do we look for the hat trick? Of course we bloody do!

There is pressure on both of these teams for this game but for different reasons. Newcastle will want the win to further ease their relegation troubles. West Ham want the win to ensure they stay in those lucrative top four places. This game is tougher for West Ham now than it would've been a few weeks back with Saint-Maximin and Wilson both back. I still feel you can't afford to bet against West Ham at the moment. The result last week showed how ruthless they can be even against the top sides. If they get going here then they should seal another 3 points.

West Ham to Win @ 2.31 with Novibet

Anytime Scorer: Jesse Lingard @ 2.86 with Sporting Index

[StevieDay1983]

Wolves vs Sheffield United

The evening game in the Premier League on Saturday is a big one with Wolves playing Sheffield United at Molineux in an 8:15pm BST kick-off. The situation is simple. If the away side lose this game then they will have their relegation back to the Championship confirmed. It certainly feels that there is a sense of inevitability about it anyway but seeing it in black and white would make it a reality for United fans.

Wolves plod on with their disappointing season with the club down in 12th place. Nuno Espirito Santo will be feeling his team have done enough to stay up with 38 points but a victory here would further strengthen that feeling. The 1-0 victory away to Fulham ended a winless run of 5 league games for Wanderers. You have to think that with Wolves winning 8 of their 10 victories in the league this season by a single goal that this will be a tight one. They have lost their last two league games at home though but the opposition was Liverpool and West Ham.

Sheffield United will be going all out to avoid defeat in order to keep confirmed relegation at bay for as long as possible. Paul Heckingbottom has seen the team lose all 4 of his matches in charge and they have only managed to score 1 goal during that time. The Blades are rock bottom of the Premier League as they have been for most of this season. It's incredible to think that 15 of their 25 defeats in the league this season have been by a single goal. Those are the fine margins you deal with in the top flight of English football. It's now 8 losses from their last 9 league games and you wouldn't be confident in backing them to overturn that poor record here.

The writing is on the wall for Sheffield United and it has been for some time. It's a shame. The departure of Chris Wilder gives you the sense that the club is entering a difficult period of transition and there is plenty more hurt left to come for this club yet before things improve. Wolves might be struggling to meet the expectations set at the start of the season but they remain a solid unit and I can see them notching up another narrow one goal win here.

Wolves to Win @ 1.84 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.65 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Arsenal vs Fulham

It's an all-London affair to start the Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with mid-table Arsenal looking to keep their fading European qualification chances alive when they take on relegation-threatened Fulham in a 1:30pm BST kick-off at the Emirates Stadium. Time is running out for both of these teams to achieve their goals so pressure will be huge for this encounter.

Arsenal have endured a campaign that has been plagued by inconsistency. Mikel Arteta's side earned a morale-boosting win in midweek to eliminate Slavia Prague and progress to the Europa League Semi-Finals. The Gunners have also started to produce more consistent results in the league with the club losing just 1 of their last 6 league games leaving them 9th in the table. Arteta will be without a number of key players including Kieran Tierney, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and David Luiz but with Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka doing the business on the pitch recently then it seems the team are well-prepared without those individuals. Home form is a problem for Arsenal though with the club losing 8 games at home in all competitions this season for the first time since 1929/30. However, Arsenal have only lost 1 of their last 42 home league games against sides that start the game in the relegation zone... but that single defeat did come in their last such fixture against Burnley.

Fulham know that they are running out of games to save their Premier League life. Scott Parker's side are down in 18th place and 7 points adrift of safety with just 6 league games to play. Sheffield United's relegation was confirmed last night after their 1-0 loss away to Wolves so the reality is creeping up on the Cottagers too. It's now 4 defeats on the bounce for Fulham in the league and you get the impression that they have had the wind taken out of their sails slightly. The club come into this game having failed to win a London derby game in their last 22 fixtures in the league. If Parker has any sense or is superstitious then he won't start Aleksandar Mitrovic because the Serbian striker has played in 16 London derbies without tasting victory. That's the most of any player that has played in that fixture.

I said yesterday that the writing was on the wall for Sheffield United and there's a similar feeling here for Fulham. The team looks shot and bereft of any self belief. Back when they lost just 3 of their 12 league games but drew 9 of those matches I questioned whether they'd regret not being bolder and pushing for a couple of wins in those draws. It certainly looks like it's going to cost them. I think you'd have to be mad to back Fulham to win a game right now and even though the odds on an Arsenal win are far from attractive I don't think any punter can bring themselves to go for the away win here.

Arsenal to Win @ 1.88 with Novibet

Anytime Scorer: Alexandre Lacazette @ 2.30 with Sporting Index

[StevieDay1983]

Manchester United vs Burnley

The second and final game in the Premier League on Sunday is a 4pm BST kick-off where Champions League chasing Manchester United host relegation outsiders Burnley at Old Trafford. There could be a huge amount of pressure on the away side if Fulham beat Arsenal in the earlier kick-off so it'll be interesting to see how both teams shape up coming into this one.

Manchester United are enjoying a solid enough campaign that they can come away from it satisfied but still feeling there is progress to be made. The fact that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has guided them to 2nd place in the league and a likely spot in next season's Champions League will be a minimum expectation met but he is still yet to come close to winning a trophy for the Red Devils. Will that change this season after they moved into the Europa League Semi-Finals in midweek after eliminating Granada. It's just 1 loss in the last 25 league games for United. You could argue the league title isn't gone yet with league leaders Manchester City only 11 points ahead having played a game more than United. Stranger things have happened. They have won their last 4 league games in a row so have momentum on their side.

Burnley know that they still need to earn more points to secure their place in the top flight of English football next season. Sean Dyche's men are in 17th place and just 7 points clear of 18th placed Fulham. That gap could be reduced to 4 points by kick-off if Fulham beat Arsenal in the 1:30pm BST start. The Clarets only have themselves to blame having failed to win any of their opening 7 league games and now only notching up 1 win in their previous 8 league games. They have now failed to score in the second half of any of their previous 7 league games. Which doesn't bode well when playing a United team that appear to grow into matches. Chris Wood has scored on his previous two visits to Old Trafford and could become the first Burnley player to score in three straight away league games in the top division since Ray Hankin who managed it in 1976.

Both of these teams have their own motivations for this game. Manchester United fans might not admit it but they'll be looking at Manchester City's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi-Final and 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds in their last league game and they will be wondering what could be. Burnley simply need to get a win or two to stay safe. I think they should stay up but I'd be amazed if they took any points here.

Manchester United to Win & BTTS @ 3.10 with Betfair

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.73 with SBK

[StefanBB]

Leeds United vs Liverpool

The home side’s primary goal was to secure survival this season since they returned to the Premier League after many years. Marcelo Bielsa’s side achieved what they were aiming for, as they sit in 10^th place, being very far from the relegation battle. The Whites are enjoying an excellent run during which they celebrated three times in a row. They shocked Manchester City on the road last weekend and booked a 2:1 victory, despite Liam Cooper’s red card at the end of the first half. Patrick Bamford and the lads have been pretty productive in the final third, although their defense wasn’t too tight. Leeds United booked six victories at Elland Road this season while they were excellent away from home. The hosts need another superb performance to continue their winning streak.

Liverpool managed to get back in the top-four race, as they booked three straight victories. The Reds sit in the 6^th spot, being three points behind the fourth-placed West Ham and with one game in hand. Jurgen Klopp’s side ended its Champions League campaign in the quarter-finals after a 3:1 aggregate defeat against Real Madrid and may focus on securing another ticket for the top continental competition. Mohamed Salah and the lads improved their attacking work recently, while their injury-troubled defense conceded too many times this season. The visitors have been excellent on the road lately since they managed to get back home with a win four times from their last five outings. They need to continue that streak if they want to end the campaign among the top four.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Leeds United has been very unpredictable this season, and they know how to surprise the best Premier League clubs. Liverpool will have a challenging task to get back home with all three points from Elland Road. Their clash at Anfield in the opening round ended 4:3, and the Whites could have easily earned at least a point. Even if the Reds win this game, we don’t think Leeds will lose by more than one goal.

Goals Market Prediction

Their head-to-head clashes have usually been very efficient, while the hosts have been involved in many high-scoring matches. The home side showed that it could score against any team, while Liverpool has solid attacking potential. Therefore, we don’t think either side will manage to keep the clean sheet.

Leeds United AH +1 @ 1.80

BTTS Yes @ 1.60

Correct score 1:1 @ 9.50

[StevieDay1983]

Leeds vs Liverpool

The extended week of Premier League action continues on Monday night when mid-table Leeds look to end their season on a high as they take on reigning champions Liverpool in an 8pm BST kick-off at Elland Road. Two of the biggest clubs in British football go head-to-head on a day when the reputation of this very sport has been brought into disrepute by the greedy few.

Leeds will come into this as the people's champions after the events of the past 24 hours. Marcelo Bielsa's men have slowly become everyone's favourite second team and every football fan with a shred of dignity will want them to turn over Liverpool in this game. The Whites are in 10th place and you may want to whisper it but European qualification isn't entirely out of the question. The team could potentially be without the trio of captain Liam Cooper, Raphinha, and Rodrigo. The 2-1 win away to Manchester City last week will give these players the belief that they can get something from this game.

Liverpool are one of the teams listed as a founding member of The Super League. Needless to say, you'll have seen the uproar this announcement has made. The Reds sit in 6th place and 3 points outside the Champions League qualification spots which makes a mockery of them claiming to be a leading European team. Jurgen Klopp's expressed his clear opposition to this format in the past so it'll be interesting to see what he has to say on this subject. On the pitch, it's 3 league wins in a row for Liverpool including back-to-back victories on the road. They might have exited the Champions League in the Quarter-Finals to Real Madrid during the week but on the domestic front it's beginning to feel like the Liverpool of old is returning... which is ironic given recent events.

The head-to-head readings aren't very pretty for Leeds fans with the club winning just 1 of their last 11 home games against Liverpool. You can expect goals because Liverpool won 4-3 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and Leeds have only kept 1 clean sheet in their previous 21 competitive games against Liverpool. I can see a frenetic affair but Liverpool should have enough to get past Leeds. Especially if Leeds are weakened by certain player absences. I still do question how much The Super League chat with affect Klopp's preparations and the mindset of the players.

Liverpool to Win & BTTS @ 2.90 with Betway

Total Goals Scored Over 3.5 @ 2.40 with SBK

[harry_rag]

Incoming mug bet klaxon! (Given all I've been saying about backing player assists.) Sometimes though you see a big price and feel you'd rather back it and lose than swerve it and risk seeing it land. And I think I can make at least a half decent case.

Leeds v Liverpool: 8.5 points on Bamford to assist a goal at 10/1 with Sky Bet or Betway

Bear in mind he's no bigger than 9/4 to score tonight. Bamford has scored 14 of Leeds' 49 goals this season and assisted 7 of them (in 31 appearances). Since the turn of the year, he's only scored 4 of their 19 goals in 15 games but has assisted 5 of them (including 2 in one game). He also got an assist in their final game of last year, the other coming back in September.

Even allowing for the quality of tonight's opponents, you could make a case for 10/1 being ok based on 7 assists in 6 out of his 31 games. 6 in 5 of his last 16 games only makes it look more appealing. Maybe he's turned provider more in response to teams trying harder to stop him scoring after his prolific start to the season.

[harry_rag]

I meant to add, I couldn't resist 1 point on him getting 2 or more assists at 200/1 with Sky Bet! 

[StevieDay1983]

Chelsea vs Brighton

The next Premier League game up in the battle between The Super League snakes and the people is Champions League qualification chasing (not that it matters!) Chelsea and relegation threatened Brighton in an 8pm BST kick-off on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge. News from the past few days has certainly left a sour taste in the mouth but there's still plenty of business to be done in this league yet.

Chelsea are sat in 5th place and just 1 point off the pace of the top four with a game in hand on 4th placed West Ham. Head coach Thomas Tuchel has seen his team lose just 1 of their 12 league games under his management. The Blues are at risk of losing back-to-back home league games for just the third time since owner Roman Abramovich took over at the club back in 2004. Defensive performances have been key throughout this season though and the club have kept 14 clean sheets in Tuchel's 19 matches in charge across all competitions.

Brighton just can't seem to pull themselves away from a relegation battle in the top flight of English football. Head coach Graham Potter will feel his team's position of 16th place and just 6 points above the relegation zone is precarious but they do have two games in hand on 18th placed Fulham. The Seagulls have only won 2 of their last 9 league games but have shown some encouraging performances on the road in recent months. Victory here would give Brighton a club record 6th top flight away win of the season. The defence has been key for Brighton to pick up points since the turn of the year with 7 of their 10 league clean sheets coming in 2021. Despite starting matches well, Brighton have dropped 20 points from winning positions which is a joint-league high with Tottenham.

If Brighton fans are looking for something positive in the head-to-head meetings then they will be disappointed. It's now 14 games unbeaten for Chelsea in this fixture and the last time Brighton tasted victory was back in 1933. Chelsea have won all 6 of their home league matches against Brighton and I have to say that I can only see a similar outcome here.

Chelsea to Win to Nil @ 2.42 with Sporting Index

Draw HT/ Chelsea FT @ 4.70 with SBK

[betcatalog]

An immediate win for the new manager would give the Spurs fans the opportunity to dream of winning the cup under fresh technical management, but Mason needs to focus on the task against Southampton first and foremost. However, the Saints realistically have only for their pride to play and will travel to the capital out of shape and disappointed, so we expect Tottenham to start the season after Mourinho in a perfect way with all three points.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs SOUTHAMPTON @@ TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, odds 1.80  

[StevieDay1983]

Tottenham vs Southampton

The week-long Premier League schedule goes on and on Wednesday night it's the turn of Champions League chasing (can we say that again now?!) Tottenham and relegation outsiders Southampton in a 6pm BST kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Well, now all that crazy stuff has happened over the past 48 hours we can get back to focusing on what matters. The football.

Tottenham come into this game as a first encounter without manager Jose Mourinho at the helm. Ryan Mason has been handed the reigns as interim head coach so it'll be interesting to see what formation and line-up the 29 year old goes with. Spurs are in 7th place and 5 points off the pace of the top four but also have the EFL Cup Final with league leaders Manchester City this weekend to think about. Harry Kane is an expected absentee so that will hamper Mason's plans. It's been a season that promised so much for Tottenham who led the table after 12 games but have only won 7 of their 20 league games since. The team has dropped a division-high 18 points from winning positions. Had they held onto those leads and won they'd still be in a tight title race with Manchester City. A very disconcerting statistic for Tottenham fans is that the team have only taken 1 point from their last 5 league games that Kane hasn't played in.

Southampton know this is a massive chance to realistically secure their safety in the top flight of English football. Ralph Hasenhuttl's side are still down in 14th place and 9 points above the relegation zone but they do have 2 league games in hand on 18th positioned Fulham so it's looking relatively OK for the Saints even before kick-off. Will Fulham or West Brom reach 36 points this season? I doubt it. Still, who can tell?! Southampton have lost 11 of their last 14 league games and 7 of their previous 8 away matches. They have the worst record in the division for this calendar year with even already-relegated Sheffield United earning 2 more points in 2021. Danny Ings could be the difference maker here with the former Burnley striker having scored 5 goals in 5 appearances against Tottenham.

This is a very tough one to call. It's hardly ideal preparation for Tottenham with the inexperienced Mason put in charge and their talisman Kane missing. Southampton are just woeful though. They basically no showed to their FA Cup Semi-Final on the weekend so will we see a reaction to that or is that simply the performance levels that are par for the course now littered with the odd decent showing? I can't decide a winner here so I have to go for the draw.

Draw @ 3.85 with SBK

BTTS @ 1.71 with RedZone

[StevieDay1983]

Aston Villa vs Manchester City

The penultimate game from the midweek Premier League fixtures once again focuses on one of the "breakaway six" with European qualification outsiders Aston Villa entertaining league leaders Manchester City in an 8:15pm BST kick-off at Villa Park on Wednesday night. It's now or never for the home side to gatecrash the Europa League qualification spots but can they stop an away side who appear to be on the verge of regaining their league title?

Aston Villa were top of the table back in the dizzy days of October. 4 wins from their first 4 league games including smashing reigning league champions Liverpool 7-2 had their fans dreaming of the impossible. Alas, a repeat of Leicester's miracle title win of 2015/16 was not to be. Dean Smith's side have still done just enough to remain in contention for European football next season but the club are now down in 11th place and 6 points off the pace of the current Europa League qualification places. The Lions have lost half of their league games played in 2021 and have managed just 1 win in their last 6 league games. Their record against league leaders isn't very encouraging either having lost 8 of their last 10 such encounters.

Manchester City might well have been at the centre of a controversial storm over the past few days but there's no denying they have earned their position at the top of the table. Pep Guardiola's men are 8 points clear of 2nd placed Manchester United and this is one of those crucial games where the result could have a big say on the title race. Win and City are 11 points clear with only 18 points left for United to play for. Lose and United could close the gap to just 5 points with 5 league games remaining. An injury to Kevin De Bruyne is a blow and the severity of that injury has not yet been confirmed. City have scored 83 Premier League goals against Aston Villa which is the most they have scored against any opponent at this level. This is a chance for City to also earn a 10th straight away league win and are currently unbeaten in 19 away games across all competitions.

It's hard to see how this is going to go any other way than a Manchester City win. Aston Villa appear to be running out of steam and confidence. The absence of Jack Grealish has been a huge spanner in the works for the club and shows how reliant on him they've become. City need just 11 points from their final 6 league games to secure the league title. I think it'll be 8 points from 5 league matches after tonight.

Manchester City to Win to Nil @ 2.21 with Sporting Index

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.80 with SBK

[harry_rag]

Spurs v Southampton: 20 points on a Son assist at 7/2 with Lads.

Waited for line ups, he starts as expected and no Kane, also as expected. I was probably going to back him but a nice drift in the price beyond 3/1 made my mind up for me.

[StevieDay1983]

Leicester vs West Brom

The Premier League offers up a rare Thursday night kick-off when Champions League qualification contenders Leicester will look to add to the relegation worries of West Brom in an 8pm BST kick-off from the King Power Stadium. It's that dodgy time of the season where clubs at opposite ends of the table are both fighting with all they have to achieve their goals and the results start to become a little less consistent.

Leicester are on the brink of a season to remember. The club is currently sat in 3rd place and 1 point within the top four with a game in hand on the teams around them. Brendan Rodgers also saw his side confirm their place in the FA Cup Final for the first time in 52 years last weekend. The Foxes have lost back-to-back league games so they'll be keen to bounce back to winning ways here. Striker Jamie Vardy is on a bit of a goal drought but fellow front man Kelechi Iheanacho has bagged 12 goals in his last 12 appearances for the club. Worryingly, 7 of their 9 defeats in the league this season have come at home. However, in Rodgers they have a manager who has won 3 of his 4 home Premier League games against West Brom.

West Brom are staring down the barrel at the moment. The Baggies are in 19th place and 9 points adrift of safety. That said, they do boast 1-2 games in hand on the teams around them so if they can pick up a win here then their situation becomes a little more hopeful. Sam Allardyce has seen his team win back-to-back league games against Chelsea and Southampton scoring 8 goals in the process. There is bad news in the history books though. Allardyce has only managed 1 win from 6 Premier League games against Rodgers.

Head-to-head records between the managers suggest this is only ending one way but when you look at the head-to-head statistics between the actual teams then it becomes a little less clear. Leicester did win the reverse match by a 3-0 score but have failed to beat West Brom in their last 9 encounters at home in all competitions. There is further doubt when you see that all 8 points gained by West Brom in this fixture in the Premier League have been earned away. I'm going to back West Brom to get something here.

West Brom Double Chance @ 2.50 with SportNation

BTTS @ 1.95 with RedZone