EPL MATCH DAY 8 PREDICTIONS, BETTING TIPS AND MATCH PREVIEWS
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Venue: Anfield
Time: 12:30pm Saturday
Liverpool fans had high hopes for the 2017/18 campaign with the return of the injured Sadio Mane and the arrival of Mohamed Salah, not to mention them holding on to the in demand Phillipe Coutinho. So far their high hopes haven’t been met though, and it’s already looking like another sub-par Premier League performance is on the horizon.
Before the international break they played out a 1-1 draw away to Newcastle to continue their patch of poor form. The Anfield outfit have now won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions, drawing four times and losing twice. Overall this season they have won five, drawn five, and lost two and find themselves out of the League Cup and in a poor position in their Champions League group.
To make matters worse, Sadio Mane has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury sustained on international duty, putting a lot of pressure on the likes of Countinho, Salah, and Firmino to fill his boots.
Manchester United will be relishing the opportunity to take pip this one. The visitors have notched a huge 32 goals in their ten competitive games so far this season, failing to score in none of them and winning all but one of them.
Admittedly their fixture list hasn’t been filled with tough matches, but it’s been a very impressive start to the season which has left them 2nd in the Premier League and top of their Champions League group.
Prediction
As far as the overall match goes though, we’re not expecting the visitors to keep Liverpool at bay. They have been solid at the back this season, but Stoke exposed their vulnerabilities at the bet365 Stadium to draw 2-2 and their other opponents haven’t exactly been attack minded sides. Liverpool have scored 12 goals in their five games at Anfield this season and are yet to fail to find the net, but given their defensive frailties they are unlikely to keep the rampant visitors at bay as well. Backing Both Teams to Score looks the best choice in this situation.
Manchester City Vs Stoke City
Venue: The Etihad
Time:3pm Saturday
With all their summer spending and their already world class squad of players Manchester City were touted as pre-season favourites for the Premier League title, but doubt crept into more than a few minds as they were frustrated by Brighton before sealing the three points and then failed to beat Everton at home in their opening two matches, before requiring a last minute winner at Bournemouth.
However, that doubt started to subside when they hammered Liverpool 5-0 at The Etihad, and since then they haven’t missed a beat in any of their competitions. Their 1-0 win away to reigning champions Chelsea before the international break made it eight wins on the bounce in all competitions, and even without the injured Sergio Aguero, they have been able to rely on wonder-kid Gabriel Jesus and the swathes of attacking talent behind him.
Even more surprising than the 30 goals they have scored in their ten competitive matches is their newfound defensive stability. They have only conceded three goals this season and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four league matches, banishing the suspicions of their defensive fragility.
Stoke did manage to end their five match winless streak in their last outing with a 2-1 win against Southampton, but their 4-0 loss at Chelsea the week before will undoubtedly have them fearing a trip to The Etihad on Saturday.
Prediction
Backing Manchester City to Win to Nil at looks good value for money.
Tottenham Vs Bournemouth
Venue: Wembley
Time: 3pm Saturday
Tottenham fans have been dreading the move to Wembley after their shambolic performances there in the Champions League last season, and so far their fears are proving to be well founded. They are yet to win a league game at their temporary home, although they have managed an impressive win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League there.
Despite their Premier League failures at home Spurs are still in fine form overall. They hammered Huddersfield 4-0 before the international break as Harry Kane continued to dominate the scoring charts in September, and that win made it eight games unbeaten and four wins in a row in all competitions.
The Cherries have shown clear signs of improvement recently to be fair. They were dismal as they lost their opening four league games but looked a lot brighter in wins over Brighton and their unfortunate loss away to Everton. A draw against Leicester is nothing to be ashamed of either, and so early in the season Bournemouth will feel that they have a good chance of recovering from their early disappointments.
Prediction
Bournemouth attacking capabilities should be enough to get them on the scoresheet. They have scored in nine of their last 13 away games in the Premier League too, and given Spurs’ frail nature at home at the moment they should be able to find the net, so backing Both Teams to Score at looks the best option here.
Swansea Vs Huddersfield
Venue: London Stadium
Time: 3pm
Swansea were among the frontrunners in the relegation market at the beginning of this Premier League season, and those fears look to have been well founded on current evidence. They sit in the bottom three with just five points from their opening seven matches.
The loss of their star duo of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente undoubtedly hit them hard, and whilst new recruits such as Wilfried Bony, Roque Mesa, Tammy Abraham, and Renato Sanches are promising acquisitions, they are taking quite a while to settle in to life at the Liberty Stadium.
Before the international break Paul Clement saw his side lose 1-0 at West Ham, following on from an equally disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to the surprisingly good Watford. They haven’t won any of their last four league matches, although their goalless draw away to Tottenham did show a lot of determination.
Huddersfield last outing was a 4-0 thrashing at home to Tottenham to extend their winless streak to five matches in the Premier League. Three of these have been very respectable draws, but their lack of action up front is beginning to turn into a concern. They have scored just one goal in their last five games, and star striker Steve Mounie is expected to miss out through injury on Saturday.
Prediction
This game has bore draw written all over it. These two sides have just eight goals between them in their combined 14 Premier League matches, and both of them have already played out two goalless draws this season. Another stalemate looks on the cards, so we’re backing a Draw.
Burnley Vs WestHam
Venue: Turf Moore
Time: 3pm Saturday
Burnley’s fantastic performances at Turf Moor last season were somewhat overshadowed by their torrid away record that saw them dragged into a bit of a relegation battle towards the end of the campaign. Fortunately for them, Sean Dyche seems to have found a way to remedy that away curse.
This lifting of the curse came in the most unexpected way, as they beat Premier League champions Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the season. They did follow that with a 1-0 loss against West Brom, but since then it’s been a very promising run of form from The Clarets.
Before the international break they picked up another excellent three points away to Everton to make it three wins, three draws, and just one defeat in their opening seven Premier League matches. This includes some very tough fixtures as well, but they have managed to take points from Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, and Everton so far.
Now they face the undoubtedly easier task of hosting West Ham, although their visitors have started to perform slightly better of late. Before the break they beat Swansea 1-0 at home to pick up their second league win of the season, but defeats to Spurs, Newcastle, Southampton, and Manchester United will still weigh heavily on their minds.
The Hammers have problems all over the pitch if truth be told. Away from home they have conceded 11 goals in just four league games this season, but have still failed to find the net in three of those games and now come up against a defensively resolute Burnley side. The hosts have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four Premier League outings.
Prediction
Despite Burnley’s success this season they are only slight favourites over West Ham to get the win. They have lost just one league game this season and face a West Ham side who have lost four of their seven games and won just twice, both of which came on home soil. Backing Burnley Draw No Bet looks a very attractive proposition.
Crystal Palace Vs Chelsea
Venue: Selhurst Park
Time: 3pm Saturday
It may only be seven games into the new Premier League season, but Crystal Palace look destined for the relegation zone at the moment. They have set a few unwanted records already this season, and given that they’re coming up against the reigning Premier League champions on Saturday, you wouldn’t expect their misery to end here.
Before the international break The Eagles were hammered 4-0 away to Manchester United under new boss Roy Hodgson. That makes it seven defeats from their seven league outings, and even more worrying is the fact they are yet to score a league goal this season and remain without the injured Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha.
Chelsea side are likely to be without the injured Alvaro Morata. N’Golo Kante is also absent, but Antonio Conte will be eager to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at home to Manchester City in their last outing.
To be honest, Chelsea haven’t looked like title contenders this season. They lost 3-2 in their opener against Burnley and have since played out a goalless draw at home to Arsenal and lost against Manchester City, leaving them five points adrift of the top two already.
Prediction
Despite their faltering start to their title defence they will still be very confident coming up against Palace. The Blues may have struggled against the top teams recently but when faced with the likes of Stoke, Leicester, Everton, and Qarabag they have been dominant and their 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid was a huge result. Given that they have kept a clean sheet in three of their last five league games and Crystal Palace are yet to score, backing Chelsea Win to Nil looks a great bet.
Watford Vs Arsenal.
Venue: Vicarage Road.
Time: 5:30pm Saturday
Watford have enjoyed an excellent start to the new Premier League season under the guidance of Marco Silva, who has taken them from pre-season relegation candidates to potential top half finishers in the space of just a few months.
However, they have shown some glaring flaws at times this season, which happen to be in the defensive area. Their opener was a respectable and thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool, but conceding three goals at home is always a disappointment and they re-enacted that disappointment with a 3-2 defeat against Bristol City in the League Cup. They also conceded six against a rampant Manchester City at Vicarage Road, so there are definite improvements that can be made.
Arsene Wenger has unsurprisingly come under some scrutiny from the Arsenal fans already this season, and after losing two of their opening three Premier League games, you can’t blame them. However, he has bounced back with a vengeance since then, and their 2-0 win over Brighton before the international break makes it six wins and one draw from their last seven matches in all competitions.
Prediction:
On the balance of things, the visitors look heavy favourites to us. So, backing Arsenal to Win looks by far the best choice.
Brighton Vs Everton
Venue: The Amex
Time: 1:30pm Sunday
Brighton’s long awaited return to the top flight has been fairly respectable so far, and if they can continue on the same path for the remainder of the season they should feel quietly confident about avoiding the drop back to the Championship.
Their last outing was an expected 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal before the international break, leaving them with two wins from their seven Premier League matches so far, with an additional draw giving them seven points and putting them 14th in the table.
All of these positive results have come in their last five games as well, and both victories have come on home soil. Add to that the fact they have already played Manchester City, Leicester, and Arsenal and their future starts to look brighter.
Everton’s future, on the other hand, is in turmoil at the moment. They lost 1-0 at home to Burnley before the international break to leave themselves 16th in the table, and Ronald Koeman’s job is coming under an increasing amount of pressure after such a torrid start to the campaign.
Everton’s issues lie all over the pitch. They have scored just four league goals so far and failed to score in four of their last five, but that lack of attacking mentality hasn’t helped their defensive stance and they have shipped ten goals in these five matches.
Prediction
We’re not expecting a high scoring affair though. We’re going for a Everton's Win and Under 2.5 Goals prediction.
Southampton Vs Newcastle
Venue: St. Mary
Time: 4pm Sunday
Southampton’s poor start to the new Premier League season continued before the international break as they lost 2-1 at Stoke, although the fact they actually managed to get a goal will provide some relief to the despairing fans of The Saints.
This defeat makes it four defeats, one draw, and one win in their last six outings in all competitions, putting them out of the League Cup and 12th in the Premier League table. Their position belies how fragile they look though, and a defeat could send them tumbling into the bottom three on Sunday.
Things are even worse for them at St Mary’s as well. The hosts have failed to score in a huge eight of their last nine home Premier League games, and with their fairly solid defensive setup this has resulted in an unfortunate amount of rather boring games. All but two of these nine matches have seen fewer than three goals, and they have lost five times.
This will provide a boost in confidence for a Newcastle side who have improved significantly since their torrid start to the campaign. Rafa Benitez’ side looked destined for a swift return to the Championship as they put in lacklustre performances against Spurs and Huddersfield in August, but since then they have won three of their five league games and lost just once.
Prediction
The Magpies 1-1 draw against Liverpool last time out is testament to their improving defence, but they also struggle creating chances at times so we could be looking at a rather flat affair on Sunday. Five of their seven league games this season have seen fewer than three goals, and with Southampton harbouring the same record of low scoring games and their shocking attacking efforts at home backing Under 2.5 Goals looks great value for money.
Comments
Post a Comment