Five English Premier League matches take place on Saturday and we take a look at each game including Chelsea v Burnley and Man City v Newcastle
Prices quoted are correct at the time of publication but subject to change.
Aston Villa v Leeds
Villa lost at home to Newcastle in the FA Cup last weekend and although they return to league action in third place, 3 points behind second placed Man City, recent form is patchy. A 1-0 home over Brighton last time out means Villa have won 2, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 6 EPL outings as they prepare to take on Leeds whom they beat 2-1 in the first league meeting in November.
Leeds made progress in the FA Cup thanks to a penalty shoot out win at Championship side Birmingham. They have lost just 2 of their last 13 in the league, at home to arsenal and away at Newcastle and although that sequence contains many draws they are holding things together really well. A 2-2 draw at Chelsea nudged them up to 30 points in fifteenth position, 6 clear of third bottom West Ham.
An interesting match up with Leeds having proved hard to beat for a while now. That side I'm looking for a Villa sorer and Watkins gets my vote.
Bet: Anytime goalscorer Ollie Watkins at 16/10 with Sportingbet
Brentford v Brighton
Brentford are another side to have progressed in the FA Cup and their last 3 league games were very encouraging, wins at Villa and Newcastle followed by a 1-1 draw at home to arsenal see them come into the weekend in seventh place, 4 points off a top 5 spot.
Brighton exited the FA Cup at Liverpool last weekend and they have won just 1 of their last 13 league games, 2-0 at home to second bottom Burnley. They have taken just 1 point from the last 12 available in the league and their 2 most recent games saw them go down 1-0, at home to Palace and away at Villa.
Recent form makes Brentford hard to oppose but in case Brighton find their best form and some goals I will stay away from the match result and look for the hosts to score 2 or 3.
Bet: Brentford multi goals 2-3 at 5/4 with Sportingbet
Chelsea v Burnley
Chelsea’s 4 match winning streak in the EPL was halted when they let a 2-0 lead at home to Leeds slip in their most recent home game. They are still involved in the FA Cup and UCL and they are fifth in the EPL standings, just 1 point behind Manchester United who don’t play until Monday.
Burnley some how conjured up a 3-2 win at Palace in their most recent league game, a first win in 16 EPL matches. Last weekend much of that work was undone when they were humbled at home by League 1 Mansfield in the FA Cup, they remain second bottom in the standings and the gap to fourth bottom Forest stands at 9 points.
Chelsea will be many people's Saturday banker but this match makes limited appeal to me. Chelsea to find the net at least 3 times is a token play.
Bet: Chelsea total goals over 2.5 at 17/20 with Sportingbet
West Ham v Bournemouth
With 3 wins, a draw at home to Man United and a 3-2 defeat at Chelsea West Ham have revived their hopes of beating the drop and although they remain third bottom the gap to Forest who are immediately above them is down to 3 points.
Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last 6 league outings, 4 wins and 2 draws and their signings in the January transfer window are looking like very decent business. A 2-1 win at Everton last time out moved them back into the top half of the table and in the mix to qualify for Europe next season.
Naming a winner is not easy in my book but I'll take a small and speculative stab at both teams to score in both halves of football.
Bet: Both teams to score in both halves? yes at 7.5/1 with Sportingbet
Man City v Newcastle
City have taken 10 points from the last 12 available and that would have been even better had they not surrendered a 2-0 lead in a draw at Spurs. Since then they have won at Liverpool and at home to Fulham, they have also booked a EFL Cup Final date with Arsenal in recent times in addition to qualifying for the UCL last 16 and progressing in the FA Cup. City are in second spot, 5 points behind Arsenal but with a game in hand.
Mid table Newcastle lost 3-1 to City at this ground in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi final recently and prior to their recent 2-1 win at Spurs they had lost 33 EPL matches on the spin. They did win at Villa in the FA Cup last time out and in midweek they visited Qarabag for the first leg of their UCL play off and they came away with a thumping 6-1 victory.
Arsenal dropping points in midweek opens the door for City to crank up the pressure and I'm with a home win but with Newcastle contributing to the scoring.
Bet: Man City to win and both teams to score? yes at 1.75/1 with Sportingbet