It’s crunch time in the Premier League as we’re into single digits in terms of games remaining. Liverpool dropped down to second on the table after their Merseyside derby stalemate, paving the way for Manchester City to leapfrog them after the Citizens edged Bournemouth out 1-0. The top two sides have been handed favourable fixtures this weekend, but as we’ve seen time and time again, there are no easy fixtures in this league. The race for top four has also given the ‘Big Six’ something to fight for with Tottenham still in third spot, while Manchester United moved one place below them after Arsenal failed to beat their rivals in third spot.
Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore
Saturday 9 March
Crystal Palace 8/10
Draw 5/2
Brighton 37/10
(14:30)
Crystal Palace bounced back after their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United with a superb showing against Burnley, winning 3-1 away from home.
The Eagles have actually been a joy to watch of late, winning three of their last six encounters, while the front three of Wilfried Zaha, Michy Batshuayi and Andros Townsend have been marvellous.
Brighton ended their dire run of seven league games without a win when they scraped past Huddersfield, edging the Terriers out 1-0. Away from home, Chris Hughton’s men are still struggling, failing to win in any of their last six matches. Back the home win here.
Huddersfield 22/10
Draw 22/10
Bournemouth 27/20
(17:00)
Basement-dwellers Huddersfield have been somewhat of an eye-sore to watch in the Premier League. Personally, this is one of the worst teams I have ever seen in a top-flight campaign. Although, Jan Siewert did win his first game in charge of the Terriers, which evidently, came in their last home fixture.
Bournemouth have been out of sorts of late, failing to win in their last five league matches, while the Cherries have also suffered nine defeats in a row away from the Vitality Stadium. Neither team look outright convincing here, so I would suggest taking the draw.
Cardiff 43/20
Draw 47/20
West Ham 13/10
(17:00)
Cardiff City seem to have taken a dip at the worst possible time in the season, losing their last three matches on the bounce. To make matters worse, captain and top scorer, Sol Bamba, is a doubt for this clash after picking up a knock in Cardiff’s 2-0 defeat to Wolves. West Ham have been fiery and to some extent, a delight to watch.
They cruised past Fulham, were edged out by Manchester City, then returned to winning ways with a commendable 2-0 victory over Newcastle. The Hammers still need to sort out their away record if they’re to compete for the UEFA Europa League spots at least. I’ll take Under 2.5 Goals here at 15/20, just to be safe.
Leicester City 6/10
Draw 31/10
Fulham 9/2
(17:00)
Brendan Rodgers failed to move his new Leicester City team into the top half of the table after he was denied his first point late on in the game as Watford scored a 92nd-minute winner. It was quite a slow start for the Foxes, but in the second half, Leicester showed signs of what they can be under Rodgers.
They played a back-three formation, which is likely to change this weekend, where the Foxes will be expected to be more on the front foot against a Fulham side that are desperate for points.
Scott Parker got his managerial career off to a defeat, but there were plenty of positives signs against Chelsea. This will be another massive test for Parker, who, like Rodgers, will take charge of just his second game at his new club. It will certainly be a tight encounter, but my money is on the home win here.
Newcastle 7/4
Draw 43/20
Everton 7/4
(17:00)
Newcastle’s impressive unbeaten run ended last weekend as they were humbled 2-0 at West Ham. That result saw Rafael Benitez’s men drop down to 14th on the standings, but are still six points ahead of the drop zone. Everton also dropped one place down on the table, but it will be a point well worth it in the end, holding Liverpool to a goalless stalemate last weekend.
It could also mean that Everton are starting to gain form at the right time, winning 3-0 in their last away game, thrashing Cardiff. The Toffees have been in decent form of late so suffering defeat here seems highly unlikely. Take Everton on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 9/20.
Southampton 32/10
Draw 11/4
Tottenham 8/10
(17:00)
It’s going from sweet to sour for Southampton and Ralph Hasenhuttl who suffered their third loss in four games as their relegation struggles heat up. To be fair, they did give a decent account of themselves against Manchester United, giving the Red Devils a late scare as they were thwarted late on through a Romelu Lukaku finish. Tottenham’s losing run ended in the north London derby as they held on for a point against Arsenal, courtesy of Hugo Lloris saving a last-minute penalty. Overall, it wasn’t a fantastic performance from Spurs, but they should fancy their chances against a much more open Southampton side. At 8/10, Spurs should return to winning ways here.
Manchester City 1/7
Draw 15/2
Watford 17/1
(19:30)
Manchester City returned to familiar territory over the weekend as they leapfrogged Liverpool to move on top of the table as Pep Guardiola looks to become the first manager in the Premier League to successfully defend his title since the great Sir Alex Ferguson.
City won their fifth consecutive league game, keeping clean sheets in the last four, although there may have been one negative in their most recent encounter, with Kevin De Bruyne marching off the pitch with a hamstring injury. It may seem like an unpopular opinion, but De Bruyne’s latest injury might not be the worst thing for Man City.
Bernardo Silva is likely to go back to the role where he’s been one of the players of the season, while a pacey winger will get more game time – it also needs to be said that City did quite fine without De Bruyne for the most part of the campaign.
Watford fought on hard and were rewarded with a late goal through Andre Gray after Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu ran riot against Leicester City. The Hornets were thrashed 5-0 on their last visit, so it doesn’t get any easier for Javi Gracia’s men. Take City to Win By Three Goals or More at 19/20.
Sunday 10 March
Liverpool 1/6
Draw 13/2
Burnley 15/1
(14:00)
The nerves are starting to creep in for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s men dropped down to second on the log standings. The Reds missed some glorious chances to go in front, while Klopp’s tactics were also questioned with him going on to say that it wasn’t “PlayStation”, as well as the German boss blaming the wind for the result. It just sounded like talk from a nervous man, and a Klopp that has never been seen in the league before. Luckily, they return to Anfield, where they’re unbeaten and have been free-scoring of late, scoring 18 goals in their last five encounters. Burnley have taken a slight dip in recent weeks, losing their last two league matches. Back Liverpool to Win to Nil and pick up their 18th clean sheet of the campaign at 15/20.
Chelsea 11/20
Draw 31/10
Wolves 5/1
(16:05)
Chelsea will turn their attention to the Premier League again after battling it out on Thursday night in the Europa League. The Blues are in touching distance of the top four now, and should they win their game in hand against Brighton, Maurizio Sarri’s men will regain their spot in the Champions League positions.
Wolves have proven to be one of the fittest teams in the league and will be well-prepared for this encounter. In fact, the last time they played an away game to a side in the Europa League, they drew with Arsenal 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium. Apart from that result, Wolves drew at Manchester United, and beat Spurs 3-1 away. Both Teams to Score seems the best bet here at 17/20.
Arsenal 27/20
Draw 51/20
Manchester United 39/20
(18:30)
TREBLE @ 5/1
Crystal Palace Win 8/10
Liverpool Win to Nil 15/20
Chelsea vs Wolves BTTS 17/20
Written by Jesse Nagel
