The first international break during the Premier League campaign was an unwelcomed one, especially with the way things were going in England’s top flight, where upsets were taking its toll on the league, seeing the likes of Liverpool lose 7-2, Manchester United going down 6-1 and Manchester City losing 5-2 at home to Leicester City the week before. Let’s hope the break didn’t interrupt the frantic frenzy with plenty of mouth-watering encounters lined up this weekend. After a week-long break, let’s get straight into the action!
Saturday 17 October
West Brom 29/20
Draw 23/10
Burnley 19/10
(16:00)
Chelsea 5/10
Draw 36/10
Southampton 47/10
(16:00)
Chelsea will be looking to build on from their emphatic 4-0 win over Crystal Palace before the break as they look for back-to-back wins at Stamford Bridge. And, for the first-time ever, Frank Lampard could welcome Hakim Ziyech into the team, who could make his debut alongside Christian Pulisic, who also returns from a spell on the sidelines. Southampton are on a two-game winning run keeping clean sheets against Burnley and West Brom. With Chelsea shot-stopper, Edouard Mendy, expected to miss this tie due to injury, keeping Danny Ings at bay has become much harder than it already was. Back Chelsea to Win & Both Teams to Score here at 33/20.
Newcastle 37/10
Draw 3/1
Manchester United 7/10
(16:00)
Sheffield United 11/10
Draw 9/4
Fulham 11/4
(16:00)
Sheffield United and Fulham do battle this weekend with both clubs sharing identical form, losing all four of their opening encounters. Sheffield United have also scored once in that period, while Fulham have the joint-second worst defence in the league, shipping in 11 goals. It seems that clubs have found a way to beat Sheffield United after their superb form last season, but Fulham were not in the league at the time, so perhaps a few old tricks could get the Blades over the line. I’m backing the hosts to win this one at 11/10.
Leicester City 8/10
Draw 29/10
Aston Villa 31/10
(16:00)
Manchester City 4/10
Draw 17/4
Arsenal 11/2
(18:30)
Sunday 18 October
Crystal Palace 17/10
Draw 22/10
Brighton 17/10
(15:00)
Sunday kicks off with an interesting tie at 3pm where Crystal Palace host Brighton at Selhurst Park. Both Palace and Brighton have played well throughout their opening four matches, but the results haven’t always gone in their favour. The Eagles started their campaign off with wins over Southampton and Manchester United, but have since lost back-to-back matches against Everton and Chelsea. Graham Potter’s side have lost three of their opening four ties, albeit against Man United, Chelsea and Everton. In all of those defeats, the Seagulls performed exceptionally well and will give Palace a run for their money here. Both Teams to Score seems the best bet at 17/20.
Tottenham 6/10
Draw 31/10
West Ham 17/4
(17:30)
Another epic London derby is upon us with West Ham travelling to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on Jose Mourinho’s rampant Spurs side. Tottenham have been ruthless in recent outings, thrashing Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford and Southampton 5-2 at St. Mary’s. Worryingly for Spurs, they’re still yet to win at home, losing 1-0 against Everton and drew 1-1 against Newcastle. The Hammers have been rampant in their own way as well before the break, thumping Wolves 4-0 and Leicester 3-0 in their own backyard. By no means will this be an easy encounter, so perhaps I’ll fancy my chances on West Ham to Score Over 1.5 Goals at 9/4.
Monday 19 October
Leeds 31/20
Draw 22/10
Wolves 19/10
(21:00)
Leeds and Wolves close off the round on Monday night in what should be an entertaining affair. The tactical battle between Marcelo Bielsa and Nuno Espirito Santo will also be a great watch for the neutrals with the two coaches setting up perfectly for each other’s game plan. Leeds, after losing at Anfield, are on a three-game unbeaten run, claiming maximum points over Fulham and Sheffield United, while they also drew with Manchester City before the break. Wolves were on a run of two consecutive defeats against West Ham and Man City, but ended it with a win over Fulham before the break. The stoppage of football may have done the world of good for Wolves who took too long to get into each match and clearly need a break. I’ll go against the script and back Wolves to edge this one.
TREBLE @ 8/1
Chelsea Win & BTTS 33/20
Man United Win 7/10
Sheffield United Win 11/10
Written by Jesse Nagel