Our writer previews matchday 11 of the English Premier League.
The final gameweek before the mid-November international break has some thrilling encounters in store. The highlighting match of this week sees arch-rivals Arsenal and Tottenham settle scores in the heated North London Derby on Sunday. Another big match will see Everton travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Antonio Conte’s in-form Chelsea.
Saturday 5 November
Bournemouth 13/20 | Draw 29/10 | Sunderland 4/1
Bournemouth’s four-game unbeaten run came to an end as they were beaten 2-0 away to Middlesbrough last Saturday. The Cherries are without a win on their travels this season, which needs to improve, but they’ve been very impressive at home. Eddie Howe’s side are unbeaten in four matches at the Vitality Stadium with three wins, scoring eight goals while conceding once.
Sunderland suffered their eighth loss of the season as they were thumped 4-1 at home to Arsenal. That defeat left the Black Cats with two points from 10 league games, equalling the lowest ever total at that stage of the season. The home win is tipped confidently.
Burnley 2/1 | Draw 22/10 | Crystal Palace 27/20
Goalkeeper Tom Heaton’s Man of the Match display helped Burnley sneak a goalless draw at his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford. United had 37 shots on goal, but found Heaton in impenetrable form as he made 11 saves. The pick of the saves was when he stuck out his arms and legs to deny Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a stop reminiscent of Peter Schmeichel. Michael Keane and Ben Mee were also rocks in defence. Sean Dyche’s side are unbeaten in two matches and will return to Turf Moor – where they beat Everton 2-1 last time – feeling pretty good.
Crystal Palace’s 4-2 defeat – their third in a row – at home to Liverpool extended their winless run to four matches. They’ve conceded seven goals in their last two games which is a concern for Alan Pardew. I’m going for the home win at 2/1.
Manchester City 2/9 | Draw 52/10 | Middlesbrough 12/1
Manchester City finally returned to winning ways as Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan scored two goals apiece in an emphatic 4-0 victory away to West Brom, ending Pep Guardiola’s worst run in management. The win saw City remain at the top of the table – ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool on goal difference. Guardiola’s side will be confident of building on that result with Aguero looking back to his deadly best, while playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has recovered from injury.
Middlesbrough pulled clear of the relegation places after beating Bournemouth 2-0 through a memorable Gaston Ramirez solo goal and a Stewart Downing strike. Prior to that, Aitor Karanka’s side held Arsenal to a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium. Although Boro have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, City should prove too strong. Back Guardiola’s side on the (-1) Handicap at 6/10.
West Ham 21/20 | Draw 5/2 | Stoke City 49/20
West Ham slipped to a 2-0 loss away to Everton last Sunday and Slaven Bilic will be hoping for an improved performance against Stoke City. Prior to that defeat, the Hammers were unbeaten in four games with three wins on the spin, including a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the EFL Cup. They’ll be looking to return to winning ways, but they’ll face a tough test against Mark Hughes’s men.
After a dreadful start to the season where they lost four from their opening five matches, the Potters have turned their form around and are now five games unbeaten with three straight wins. Joe Allen has been superb for Stoke, scoring four goals with two assists, while Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Arnautovic and Wilfried Bony have all been in top form. A tight affair is expected with the teams tipped to share the spoils at 5/2.
Chelsea 11/20 | Draw 32/10 | Everton 47/10
Chelsea will be targeting a fifth straight league win when they host Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues are on 22 points, just four ahead of the Toffees who are in sixth-place. Everton are unbeaten in three meetings against Chelsea, winning twice.
However, they haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 1994. Antonio Conte’s side are the league’s in-form team and it’s going to take something special for Ronald Koeman’s men to leave west London with a point, let alone three.
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Sunday 6 November
Arsenal 1/1 | Draw 51/20 | Tottenham 26/10
Arsenal and Tottenham lock horns this weekend in what is arguably London’s biggest footballing rivalry. In the league last season, the Gunners pipped Spurs on the final day to finish second behind Leicester City, adding more banter to the rivalry. Arsenal fans even celebrate St. Totteringham’s day, which is the day in the season when Spurs cannot mathematically finish above Arsenal on the league table.
This season, though, the Lilywhites are the only undefeated team in the Premier League and have been formidable from the start. The Gunners suffered an opening day defeat to Liverpool, but have gone on a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League since then and now lead the way, alongside Manchester City and Liverpool. Theo Walcott and Harry Kane are the highest goalscorers in the North London derby from the current squad, both with four goals each to their name. The duo are both deemed as a doubt by their respective managers, but will be itching to get back to full fitness in time for the clash. This promises to be a spectacular matchup, with both teams in full throttle this season.
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Hull City 9/2 | Draw 28/10 | Southampton 13/20
Hull City suffered their sixth straight league defeat as they conceded a late own-goal against Watford at Vicarage Road. The Tigers are in 18th-place and without a league win since 20 August. In their six straight defeats, they’ve scored only three goals, while shipping 20.
Southampton’s five-match unbeaten run in the league came to an end as Claude Puel’s side were outclassed 2-0 at home to in-form Chelsea last Sunday. The Saints dominated possession, but they only managed one shot on target in the entire game. Puel will be confident his side can bounce back strongly against Hull as they have won their last six meetings between them. The visitors are tipped to come away with maximum points.
Liverpool 1/4 | Draw 47/10 | Watford 9/1
Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in the league to eight matches with a 4-2 victory away to Crystal Palace, their second straight win. The Reds are blowing teams away this season with 31 goals scored so far. Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football seems to be in full swing at Anfield and it’s going to take something special to beat them.
Their opponents, Watford, are riding a four-game unbeaten streak and come off a 1-0 win over Hull City thanks to an own goal from Michael Dawson. Walter Mazzarri’s side have lost just once in seven league games, which shows how tough they are to beat. However, Liverpool should have enough to beat them, but they haven’t kept clean sheets in any of their league wins. Back the Reds Win + Both Teams To Score at 23/20.
Swansea 17/4 | Draw 3/1 | Manchester United 6/10
Swansea have been awful this season and their 3-1 defeat at Stoke on Monday extended their winless run to nine matches. In those games, they’ve suffered seven defeats with manager Bob Bradley picking up just a point from his three in charge. The Swans are down in 19th place, five points from safety which is a worryingly large gap. They’ll host United at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, hoping to beat the Red Devils for the third successive home meeting.
Jose Mourinho’s side went the entire month of October without a league win, drawing with Stoke City, Liverpool and Burnley before their 4-0 thrashing by Chelsea. United have the quality to bounce back and surely they should beat a struggling Swansea side. Back the away win at 6/10.
Leicester City 15/20 | Draw 51/20 | West Brom 37/10
Leicester deservedly earned their first away point of the season by holding Tottenham to a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane last Saturday. The Foxes rode their luck at times, with Spurs twice hitting the bar, but they were resilient, clinical and far more focused than on previous away days. Claudio Ranieri’s side will be happy to be back at the King Power Stadium where they are unbeaten this season.
West Brom are winless in five matches following their 4-0 home defeat to Manchester City. That was their second straight loss and they should struggle against the league champions. Back the home win at 15/20.
TREBLE @ 37/10
Bournemouth Win 13/20
Southampton Win 13/20
Leicester Win 15/20
Written by Chadley Nagel @Hollywoodbets
