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| There’s some exciting matches this weekend, including a clash between Man United and Spurs. |
Chelsea’s 3-4-3 formation passed its greatest test as they came from a goal down to beat Man City 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium, ensuring they remain at the summit of the league table. The Blues will welcome West Brom to Stamford Bridge in Sunday’s early kick-off, with Antonio Conte looking to equal Jose Mourinho’s record of nine straight league wins. On Saturday, Arsene Wenger’s title-chasers will host Stoke City, while Man City head to the home of the champions Leicester City later in the evening without four first-team regulars. Liverpool will be looking to return to winning ways when they entertain West Ham on Sunday, before the round’s biggest clash between Man United and Tottenham at Old Trafford. Another exciting weekend of football awaits with another chance to make some money before Christmas.
Saturday 10 December
2/1 Watford | Draw 23/10 | Everton 27/20 (14:30)
We kick Saturday’s action off with a tie between 11th-place Watford and 8th-place Everton. The Hornets suffered a 3-1 loss away to West Brom last Saturday, their second straight defeat. Walter Mazzarri will be desperate to turn things around but he’ll be without midfielder Roberto Pereyra who saw red against the Baggies. Troy Deeney is still searching for his 100th goal for the club – he hasn’t scored in seven matches now. Everton managed to salvage a point against Man United last Sunday thanks to an 89th-minute penalty from Leighton Baines to draw 1-1 at Goodison Park. Ronald Koeman’s side are winless in four matches, while they haven’t won away from home in their last five matches – losing four times. The sides are tipped to cancel each other out at 23/10.
4/10 Arsenal | 4/1 | Stoke City 6/1 (17:00)
Arsenal recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory at West Ham thanks to a masterclass performance from Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean was at his majestic best, netting a hat-trick which extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 14 matches in the league. The Gunners are second in the table on 31 points – three behind leaders Chelsea – and they’ll be targeting a third straight win against Stoke. Mark Hughes’ men are riding a two-match winning streak, beating Watford and Burnley last time out. The Potters are undefeated in their last four away games, but they’ve never managed to leave the Emirates Stadium with a result. Arsenal have won their last nine home meetings against Hughes’ men.The home win is tipped confidently.
47/20 Burnley | 23/10 | Bournemouth 12/10 (17:00)
Burnley dropped to 14th in the table following a third straight defeat, losing 2-0 at Stoke last Saturday. The Clarets are only three points off the relegation zone and Sean Dyche will have his work cut out for him. Burnley, however, have impressed on their turf, winning three of their last five matches at Turf Moor – losing to Arsenal and Man City. Bournemouth moved two places up the table in 10th after their dramatic 4-3 victory over Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries will be hoping to build on that result, but their away form doesn’t bode well for their chances. Eddie Howe’s side have won just once on the road this season, suffering four defeats from seven matches. This is not the game I’d bet on, but I do think the teams will share the spoils here.
2/1 Hull City | 9/4 | Crystal Palace 14/10 (17:00)
Hull City suffered their ninth defeat of the season as Mike Phelan’s side went down 1-0 against Middlesbrough, courtesy of Gaston Ramirez’s 60th-minute header. The Tigers are winless in three matches, although they’ve improved slightly at the KCOM Stadium. Phelan’s side are riding a two-match unbeaten streak at home. They beat Southampton 2-1, followed by a 1-1 draw against West Brom. Crystal Palace gained a much-needed win over Southampton to ease the pressure on Eagles boss Alan Pardew. Christian Benteke netted twice while James Tomkins got on the scoresheet to give Palace a 3-0 win. Pardew’s men had conceded 17 goals in their past five matches and had not previously kept a Premier League clean sheet this season. This is not the ideal match to put money on, but if you must have a bet – take Palace on the win/draw Double Chance, although it will only give you 7/20.
11/10 Swansea | 49/20 | Sunderland 47/20 (17:00)
Bottom-of-the-log Swansea suffered a 5-0 thrashing at Tottenham last Saturday – their ninth defeat of the season. The confidence hoped to have built up from the win over Palace last weekend was obliterated by Spurs handing out the joint-heaviest defeat of the club’s time in the Premier League. The Swans are in danger of relegation if they continue their dire defending – they’ve shipped 31 goals from 14 games. Fellow relegation-battlers Sunderland come off a 2-1 victory at home to Leicester. David Moyes’ side have won three of their last five games with defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool. The Black Cats won this fixture 4-2 last season and I’m backing them on the win/draw Double Chance at 13/20.
33/10 Leicester City | 28/10 | Manchester City 8/10 (19:30)
Manchester City head to the home of the champions when Leicester City host the Citizens in what should be a thrilling encounter. Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes are the worst Premier League champions in history earning just 13 points after 14 games. Leicester fell to yet another defeat in their title-defending season, losing 2-1 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. That’s now seven losses from 14 matches for Ranieri’s side, who occupy 15th spot – two points above the relegation zone. Man City will look to capitalize on the champions’ poor form; however, they’ll have to do it without the suspended trio of Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho, who received bookings in the 3-1 loss to Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. To make matters worse, captain Vincent Kompany remains on the sidelines through injury.However, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure and David Silva, City should have enough quality to pick up three points against the Foxes.
Sunday 11 December
1/4 Chelsea | 9/2 | West Brom 10/1 (14:00)
Chelsea underlined their status as genuine title contenders with a 3-1 victory against Man City at the Etihad Stadium. The Premier League leaders are in a rich vein of form and victory over West Brom on Sunday will see Antonio Conte equal Jose Mourinho’s record of nine straight league wins at the club. Since Conte switched to a 3-4-3 system, Chelsea have scored 22 goals while conceding just twice. West Brom come into this fixture in good form – unbeaten in four matches with three wins. However, the Baggies haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 1978 with Chelsea winning 10 of their last 12 home meetings. Conte’s side are tipped to continue their hot streak, while keeping a clean sheet at 15/20.
11/10 Manchester United | 24/10 | Tottenham 5/2 (16:15)
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6/10 Southampton | 28/10 | Middlesbrough 9/2 (16:15)
Southampton suffered a 3-0 defeat away to strugglers Crystal Palace last Saturday. The Saints lacked threat in attack, while they were sloppy in defence. The three goals they conceded were dreadful. With one win in six in the top flight, Claude Puel will be desperate to turn things around. They’ve lost just once – against Chelsea – at St. Mary’s Stadium from seven games played, however, they’ve won only three. Gaston Ramirez’s header was enough for Middlesbrough to see off a lacklustre Hull side 1-0 on Monday evening. Aitor Karanka’s side will be looking to build on that result and pick up only their second away win of the season. Boro have struggled to win matches away from home, drawing their last four in a row. I’m going for a draw at 28/10.
3/10 Liverpool | 9/2 | West Ham 15/2 (18:30)
Liverpool’s 15-match unbeaten streak came to an end as they suffered a dramatic 4-3 loss to Bournemouth, in which they conceded three times in the final quarter of an hour to surrender a two-goal lead. The Reds were clearly missing Joel Matip, who was ruled out of the match with an ankle injury and Jurgen Klopp will be sweating on his fitness. The Reds will be confident they can bounce back strongly against West Ham, who are winless in six matches. Pressure is mounting on Slaven Bilic following his side’s 5-1 humiliating defeat to Arsenal. The defeat has left the Hammers only one point above the relegation, having failed to register a single victory in the Premier League since the win over Sunderland on 22 October.Liverpool are tipped to return to winning ways.
TREBLE @ 7/2
Arsenal Win 4/10
Man City Win 8/10
Chelsea Win To Nil 15/20
Written by Chadley Nagel
