Spurs v Brentford and Manchester United v Arsenal are the games in focus in the English Premier League on Thursday night and we have goals markets and goalscorer betting tips courtesy of @Olimp_SA
English Premier League Round 14, Thursday 2 December
Tottenham vs. Brentford, 21:30
Spurs should be well rested going into their clash with Brentford on Thursday after their clash with Burnley over the weekend was postponed due to bad weather. Since the introduction of Antonio Conte as manager there has been a slight improvement in the Tottenham camp, but they still have a considerable way to go before they will be contenders for the Top 5 again. Since coming to London Conte has managed a goalless draw at Everton and a 2-1 win at home to Leeds which are positive results for the club, but with Spurs barely hanging on to a Top 10 spot the Italian still needs to prove that he can turn the club around from their horror start to the season. Two goals in their last clash against Leeds was certainly a step in the right direction, but Spurs will need to find the net more before they can move higher up on the table.
Disappointingly they have managed to only score 11 goals this season and are now the second lowest scoring team in the league after Norwich. Until their goalscoring problem gets rectified I can’t see them getting anywhere near the Top 5 this season. They have an opportunity to stretch their undefeated run to three matches when they take on Brentford and will need to put in a much more convincing performance that can hopefully spark a turnaround in the camp before it’s too late to save their season.
A penalty is all that was required for Brentford to take three points off of Everton in the Bees’ last clash on Saturday. It wasn’t a very convincing win, but they got the job done and now find themselves in 11th place on the table with 16 points. This was the first win for the Bees in five EPL clashes and also the first time in nine EPL clashes that they have managed to keep a clean sheet. Their win against Everton will certainly go along way and they will be hoping that it signals the start of a much-needed turnaround in their form. After a dream start to the season which saw them pull off some big results against teams like Arsenal, Wolves, Liverpool and West Ham their form has fizzled out somewhat and they have given up a lot of cheap points in their recent clashes.
Their defense have let their guard down as of late and with 10 goals let in in their last five clashes they are largely to blame for this. This comes after conceding just seven goals in their first eight clashes. Keeping Everton scoreless on Saturday was a positive sign for the club, but they will need more top performances from their defense in their upcoming games if they are to return to the top half of the table.
Spurs and Brentford have never met in the EPL, but they did face-off in an EFL Cup clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in January this year. Spurs won the match 2-0 with Hueng-Min Son featuring on the score sheet for the home team. Obviously clashes between the two teams are not that frequent, but it’s interesting to note that Spurs have not lost to Brentford since 1948 in FA Cup and EFL Cup ties so history is firmly on their side. However, Tottenham have not been doing too well in their recent London Derbies and they look to avoid losing their sixth consecutive London Derby for the first time since the 2003/04 season.
Prediction
Although Spurs have a solid history against Brentford I don’t see this being a walkover for them. For me Conte’s men are still struggling and they will need to first put together a few more wins before I can consider them being back to their top form. A win in their last clash with Leeds was positive, but the shock 2-1 loss to Slovenian side Mura that followed later that week in the Conference League shows that there is still a long way to go.
On the other hand, Brentford are also not overly convincing after a 1-0 win against a very poor Everton team and I would be surprised if they can come out on top against Spurs. For me this match really feels like it’s going to be a draw since I am not expecting a lot of goals, but I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to Spurs. They might just be able to sneak a victory since they will have the home advantage. I am going to go with Spurs to win and under 2.5 goals which is available at a very decent price of 3.70. I will also go for only one team to score and under 2.5 goals and for goalscorers I am willing to have a crack at Hueng-Min Son to score a goal since he scored against Brentford earlier this year in their EFL Cup semi-final.
BetOlimp Best Bets
Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 22:15
After an unexpected 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, the Red Devils will look to follow it up with a win when they host Arsenal on Thursday. It’s been a real disaster for Manchester United in the EPL the last couple of months. With only one win in their last eight EPL matches it comes as no surprise that they have slipped down to tenth place on the table where they sit with just 18 points. Despite their horrible form, the Red Devils are just five points off of the Top 4 which means that a win against Arsenal followed by positive results in their upcoming fixtures could still see them qualifying for the Champions League next season. Ralf Rangnick has been appointed as the new full-time manager for the club and he will look to spark something at Old Trafford in his first game in charge and will look to be the catalyst in a massive turnaround for the Red Devils.
It’s certainly not too late for Manchester United’s season to be saved, but they can’t afford to waste much more time and they should start off with making sure that they secure points when playing at home. Prior to their draw with Chelsea last week Manchester United lost 4-1 away to Watford, lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City, won 3-0 away to Tottenham and lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool. The Red Devils have only picked up five points in their last eight games in the league – their fewest ever across eight matches in any season since playing in the EPL.
The Gunners recovered well on Saturday after being thrashed by Liverpool with a 2-0 win at home to Newcastle. They are now sitting in fifth place on the table with 23 points and just one point away from the Top 4. Arsenal have now only lost one match in their last 10 EPL matches and if they continue the way they are they are looking very likely to book themselves a spot in Europe next season. They might not be scoring a lot of goals this season, but thanks to a very tight defense they have been able to secure a number of clean sheets and pick up three points in almost all of their recent clashes. One might argue that they have had a pretty easy schedule the last three months, but some of their recent results do include victories against top teams like Leicester and Spurs.
Furthermore, all their victories have certainly helped them build up a whole lot of momentum and now that they are getting ready to face some more big names it will only count in their favour. Thursday will be a big test for Arteta’s men against a Manchester United team with a new manager that seem to be on the cusp of a recovery. Counting in their favour is the fact that Manchester United are struggling to find the net in the EPL right now. If they can keep their defense tight like they have been doing as of late then they will certainly make things difficult for the Red Devils in their own backyard.
Things haven’t gone well for Manchester United in the last five EPL clashes between the two sides. Arsenal have won three of the last five clashes, with the remaining two ending in a draw. The last time these two teams met in the EPL was in January at the Emirates where they played to a goalless draw. The last clash between these two teams at Old Trafford was just over a year ago which saw Aubameyang help Arsenal to a 1-0 win. Prior to that Manchester United had a very solid record against Arsenal at Old Trafford in the EPL with the Gunners only picking up one win in the 14 years before that.
Prediction
I still believe Manchester United have got a long way to go and it might just take them a game or two before they start getting results with their new manager. Things seem to have taken a step in the right direction since Solskjaer’s departure and their draw away to Chelsea was a very good result against the top team in the league, but they will still have their work cut out for them against this Arsenal team. Manchester United are still struggling to find the net consistently and the Gunners’ defense is superb right now if you disregard their match against Liverpool.
The Gunners are also guilty of not scoring enough goals and for that reason I am expecting a very tight game between these two teams. If you look at the history between the two sides you will also see that the matches generally end as a low-scoring game and as a draw or with a team winning with a very narrow margin. I have been having some success with taking teams on the double chance and I will have another crack at this and back Arsenal on the double chance. I also like under 2.5 goals because I can see this match ending 0-0 or 1-1, and for goalscorers I quite like Aubameyang to score in the match since he has scored in his last two EPL trips to Old Trafford.
BetOlimp Best Bets
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
All this weekend's EPL betting markets are availble here
Claim your 1st deposit bonus up to R3,000 here
Click here for details of our all current promotions
