We preview gameweek 27 of the 2017/18 English Premier League season which is set to get underway on Saturday 10 February.
Manchester City look to have the Premier League wrapped up with 12 rounds still to play, but despite the one-horse title race, we can still expect the weeks to get more and more exciting as the big guns fight to finish in the top four while the strugglers battle to stay in the top-flight.
Gameweek 27 has some cracking matchups lined up, starting with a mouth-watering clash between Tottenham and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Saturday 10 February
Tottenham 21/20
Draw 11/4
Arsenal 23/10
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Everton 31/20
Draw 43/20
Crystal Palace 37/20
Everton will be desperate to put last weekend’s humiliating 5-1 defeat at Arsenal behind them when they host Crystal Palace. Sam Allardyce’s men were absolutely dreadful with many Toffees fans leaving after seeing their side go down 4-0 at half-time. It was a miserable homecoming for Theo Walcott – who previously scored both goals in a 2-1 home win over Leicester – and a horrific debut for Eliaquim Mangala. Everton will be desperate to bounce back with a win in front of their fans.
Crystal Palace were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle and will hope to return to winning ways. Roy Hodgson’s side have lost just once in their last seven travels in the Premier League – they were also thumped by the Gunners, 4-1 at the Emirates. However, they managed just two victories in that run. The Eagles have scored in each of their last five away games and I’m going for Both Teams to Score at 17/20.
Stoke City 12/10
Draw 43/20
Brighton 5/2
Stoke City suffered a 2-1 loss away to Bournemouth last Saturday, despite Xherdan Shaqiri heading the Potters in front after five minutes. The defeat – Paul Lambert’s first in three matches in charge – saw them drop into the relegation zone, with a worse goal difference than Newcastle in 16th and Swansea in 17th.
Brighton are unbeaten in their last three matches played. The Seagulls recorded a 1-0 FA Cup win at Middlesbrough and beat West Ham 3-1 at home in between a 1-1 draw at Southampton. However, their draw against the Saints was the first time they scored in seven matches on the road. Take Stoke to score the first goal at 8/10.
Swansea 15/10
Draw 19/10
Burnley 43/20
Swansea moved out of the Premier League relegation zone after earning a 1-1 draw against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Carlos Carvalhal has done a fine job since taking over Paul Clement, collecting 11 points from a possible 18. The Swans defied huge odds, beating Liverpool 1-0 and Arsenal 3-1 in their last matches at the Liberty Stadium. Carvalhal’s men will be hoping for a third straight win on their ground as they aim to move further away from the drop zone.
Burnley did extremely well to hold Manchester City to a 1-1 draw on their turf, but their winless run stretched to 10 matches. I’m backing Swansea to claim all three points.
West Ham 13/10
Draw 9/4
Watford 21/10
West Ham’s winless run in the Premier League stretched to three matches as they were beaten 3-1 at Brighton. Prior to that game, the Hammers had drawn back-to-back home games against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.
Their opponents, Watford, come into this game high on confidence after Javi Gracia guided his new side to a stunning 4-1 home win over Chelsea. That was only the Hornets’ second Premier League win in 13 games. The visitors are winless in their last six away games, losing five times. I’m predicting that the sides to share the spoils.
Manchester City 2/9
Draw 11/2
Leicester City 10/1
Manchester City will be eager to return to winning ways after being held at Burnley last weekend and the runaway leaders will be confident of doing so, especially with Riyad Mahrez on strike after Leicester refused to let him join Pep Guardiola’s side on deadline day. The Citizens are unbeaten at home this season, winning 12 of their 13 matches, scoring 45 goals while conceding nine.
Claude Puel’s men, who come off a 1-1 draw at home to Swansea, are winless in their last four travels with three defeats. Guardiola’s side recorded a 2-0 victory over the Foxes in November and they’re tipped to complete the double. Take the hosts on the (-1) Handicap at 6/10.
Sunday 11 February
Huddersfield 43/20
Draw 21/10
Bournemouth 14/10
Huddersfield dropped into the relegation zone after they were beaten 2-0 away to Manchester United. That was their fifth straight league defeat which stretched their winless run to eight matches in the Premier League. David Wagner will be desperate to stop the rot but his side face a tough test against Bournemouth.
Eddie Howe’s side are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches, winning four times. The Cherries come into this game off a 2-1 victory at home to Stoke and before that, they thrashed Chelsea 3-0 in their own backyard. The away win is the way to go at 14/10.
Newcastle 47/20
Draw 29/10
Manchester United 6/10
Newcastle dropped two places down to 16th on the Premier League table after their 1-1 stalemate at Crystal Palace. That was their third 1-1 draw from their last four matches and Rafael Benitez’s strugglers face another tough afternoon against Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho’s men bounced back from their 2-0 defeat against Tottenham at Wembley by claiming a 2-0 win at home to Huddersfield. That was United’s sixth victory in their last seven games in all competitions. Mourinho’s men comfortably beat the Magpies 4-1 in November and they’re tipped to come away with maximum points.
Southampton 7/2
Draw 28/10
Liverpool 15/20
Southampton picked up three huge points in a 3-2 win at West Brom last Saturday. That was their first league victory in 13 games which lifted them into 15th in the Premier League. However, Mauricio Pellegrino’s side are just two points above the bottom three.
Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw with Tottenham after a dramatic finish at Anfield. Mohamed Salah looked to have won it for the Reds when he scored in the 90th minute only for Harry Kane to equalise from the penalty spot in stoppage time. Jurgen Klopp’s side will look to get back to winning ways as they aim to stay in the top four. The Reds beat the Saints 3-0 in November and I’m backing them to win comfortably.
Sunday 11 February
Chelsea 3/10
Draw 17/4
West Brom 17/2
Pressure on under-fire Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has intensified after the Blues suffered a second straight heavy defeat. After the humiliating 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth, last season’s Premier League champions were thrashed 4-1 at Watford. Tiemoue Bakayoko was by far Chelsea’s worst player against the Hornets and the French midfielder will miss the tie after being sent off in that game.
West Brom lost 3-2 at home to Southampton last Saturday in a damaging defeat that left them four points adrift at the bottom of the table. The Baggies have recorded just one win on the road this season, suffering eight defeats from 13 games. It’s a must-win game for the Blues and with either Olivier Giroud or Alvaro Morata likely to start – and Bakayoko suspended – Conte’s men are tipped to bounce back strongly.
TREBLE @ 5/1
Everton vs Crystal Palace BTTS 17/20
Stoke to Score First 8/10
Liverpool Win 15/20
