Premier League actions returns this weekend following last weekend’s third-round FA Cup fixtures. There were a couple of Premier League casualties with Brighton, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Everton all dumped out of the competition with several top-flight outfits facing replays.
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Friday 10 January
Sheffield United 17/20
Draw 51/20
West Ham 33/10
League action returns on Friday night at Bramall Lane where Sheffield United will be looking to kick on from their positive start to the first half of the season when they host West Ham United. The visitors got off to a dream start under David Moyes beating struggling Bournemouth 4-0 on New Years Day. Sheffield United have lost two games on the bounce, albeit against Manchester City and Liverpool away from home. Those happened to be the Blades’ first two defeats on the road this term. With that new manager bounce still in effect for West Ham, I’m backing them to claim maximum points at a valuable 33/10.
Saturday 11 January
Crystal Palace 28/10
Draw 28/10
Arsenal 9/10
Mikel Arteta will look for a second victory on the spin when Arsenal visit Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace. Three league games in and already the signs are there that Arteta will be a success, despite not always getting the results the club would hope for. After a full week’s rest, the players will have a bit more time time to familiarise themselves with Arteta’s style. Palace are unbeaten in three league matches, drawing at Norwich and Southampton before beating West Ham in their last encounter on home soil. Despite that run, Arteta has shown plenty of positive signs since being appointed as head coach, put your money on the Gunners at 9/10.
Everton 17/20
Draw 26/10
Brighton 32/10
Carlo Ancelotti suffered his first defeat as Everton boss last time out against Manchester City, but there were plenty of positives to take into the next game for the Toffees after improving toward the back end of the match. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been excellent for Everton, while Moise Kean looks to be finding his feet under the tutelage of the Italian mentor. Brighton, however, will be no pushovers and have found some form in recent matches, beating Bournemouth 2-0 and drawing 1-1 against Chelsea. Those two impressive results did come at the Amex Stadium, though, with the Seagulls’ away not looking positive ahead of their trip to Merseyside. Back the home win here at 17/20.
Leicester City 11/20
Draw 34/10
Southampton 5/1
Leicester City and Southampton square off at the King Power Stadium this Saturday with the Foxes no doubt keen to inflict another heavy defeat on the Saints. Earlier in the campaign, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were reduced to 10 men after Ryan Bertrand received a red card as they paid for the price for it with Leicester claiming a record-breaking 9-0 victory at St. Mary’s. After winning their last two games, both on the road, Leicester return to the KP and will welcome back Jamie Vardy who missed the last two league games. At all costs, get on the Foxes here.
Manchester United 3/10
Draw 47/10
Norwich City 17/2
Manchester United seek a return to winning ways when they host Norwich City at Old Trafford. Failure to break down the lesser clubs in the league has been United’s biggest problem this season. That said, United’s counter-attacking style may well work against Norwich. The Canaries have shown that they will stick to their philosophy, no matter the opposition or the venue. Their style of play has guaranteed beautiful football, but Norwich still lie rock bottom, winning just once on the road. Manchester United to Win & Both Teams to Score seems the way to go at 31/20.
Chelsea 7/20
Draw 17/4
Burnley 8/1
Chelsea and Burnley lock horns at Stamford Bridge in what should be an interesting tie. The reverse fixture ended 4-2 in favour of the Blues, but a scoreline of that nature seems highly unlikely this time around. In 10 home matches, Chelsea have scored just 11 times, whilst conceding 10 goals. In fact, Chelsea have lost three of their last four games at the Bridge without finding the back of the net. Not for the first time this campaign, Burnley have lost three games in a row and have found themselves dragged back into a relegation dog fight. There have been very few goals scored at Stamford Bridge this season. Put your money on Under 2.5 Goals at a valuable 5/4.
Wolves 5/10
Draw 32/10
Newcastle United 6/1
Wolves and Newcastle round off the 5pm kick-offs in the Premier League this weekend as both sides look to return to winning ways. The hosts were beaten by a resurgent Watford side last time out, while Newcastle were battered 3-0 on home soil by Leicester City. This will be Wolves’ first game at the Molineux since their emphatic 3-2 comeback victory over Manchester City. Newcastle have conceded 21 goals away from home this term – only Aston Villa have conceded more on the road. The home win is definitely worth backing at 5/10.
Tottenham 33/10
Draw 32/10
Liverpool 7/10
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Sunday 12 January
Bournemouth 15/10
Draw 49/20
Watford 18/10
Sunday’s action kicks off with a massive six-pointer as Bournemouth and Watford lock horns at the Vitality Stadium, with both teams going into the weekend in the relegation zone. The Cherries are winless in four games, losing three times and failing to score in each defeat. They’ve also won just two of their last 15 league encounters, which justifies their position on the standings. Watford continued their resurgence under Nigel Pearson last time out in the league when they ousted Wolves 2-1 despite having a player sent off in the game for a second consecutive week. That made it three wins in four matches for the Hornets who look to be on the right track for survival. At 5/10, put your money on the Away Double Chance.
Aston Villa 10/1
Draw 6/1
Manchester City 2/9
The weekend concludes at Villa Park where Dean Smith’s Aston Villa welcome Manchester City to town. With hope of claiming three successive titles now all but over, Manchester City will look to console themselves by getting as close to Liverpool as possible – and in order to achieve that, City need as many wins as possible. Aston Villa have struggled for consistency this term and suffered a huge blow with the news of Wesley and Tom Heaton being ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury. As if beating Man City wasn’t hard enough of a task, Villa now have to do it without their star striker and goalkeeper. Take the visitors on the (-1) Handicap here at 11/20.
Treble tipped at 8/1
Arsenal Win 9/10
Everton Win 17/20
Man United Win & BTTS 31/20
Written by Jesse Nagel for SBN and Hollywoodbets.
