With the FA Cup taking over for Valentine’s weekend, we have an extra round of Premier League fixtures scheduled for midweek. While some Premier League sides will have that weekend off after early exits in the cups, all 20 are in action across Tuesday and Wednesday, as the football calendar shows no signs of slowing down.
As the battles across the league continue to heat up, with fights for survival, Champions League qualification and the title all ongoing, some of this week’s ties could have a crucial impact on the various outcomes at the end of the season. With relegation six pointers and clashes between top four hopefuls, it should be a great couple of nights of action. Ahead of that, we have previews of four of the biggest midweek games, with a betting tip for each.
Tuesday 10th February 2015
Liverpool v Tottenham (19:45) – Both teams to score (4/6 with Betfred)
The first of the two live midweek games comes from Anfield, where after their big derby clashes at the weekend, Liverpool meet Tottenham. Both sides have their eyes on a spot in the top four, whilst juggling Europa League and cup commitments. Liverpool have been much improved in recent weeks, and their upturn in form has sseen them close the gap on the top four, which was unthinkable a few months ago when they looked very much out of it.
Spurs have improved over the course of the season too, as manager Mauricio Pochettino has settled in and gotten his feet under the table. Spurs seem to be becoming more and more his team by the day. Despite that, they do face a very tough game here, and they won’t have good memories of Anfield after they were humiliated there last season. In fact, in Spurs’ last three meetings with the Reds, each with a different manager, they’ve been well beaten every time. After a 5-0 home defeat and a 4-0 away loss last season, they were beaten 3-0 by the Reds earlier this season. While that makes backing Liverpool tempting, Spurs are sure to put up a fight and could nick a result, although we’ll play it safe and back them to at least get on the scoresheet.
Sunderland v QPR (19:45) – Sunderland to win (21/20 with Bet365)
Tuesday night also sees a huge clash at the bottom, with QPR making the trip up north to Sunderland. The Rs lost manager Harry Redknapp, whose first game in charge was a 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light, a day after the transfer window closed. That’s left them scrambling to find a new manager, as they look doomed to relegation. They’re stuck in the bottom three, low on confidence, without a manager and they’re yet to take even a single point away from home!
The last part is the one that will please Sunderland and their supporters, as they too desperately need the points here. The Black Cats are still too close to the drop for comfort, and they’ll be hoping to pick up points early and avoid the close call they had last season. With Jermain Defoe in tow they should be able to push towards safety, and a win here would help them do just that. Given QPR’s awful form on the road, back a Sunderland win here at just over evens with Bet365.
Wednesday 11th February 2015
Chelsea v Everton (19:45) (13:30) – Chelsea to win -1 handicap (5/6 with Bet365)
Wednesday night sees the league leaders in action, and they face a rematch to what has been one of the games of the season thus far. They went to Everton in late August and ran out 6-3 winners in what was a crazy game. Diego Costa scored a hat-trick that day, but he won’t be available for this game, as he serves the final match of a three game ban. The Blues should still have plenty of firepower to come in, with Loic Remy stepping up in place of Costa for the Blues.
Chelsea are lucky that they’re facing Everton, holders of one of the worst defensive records in the league. Despite having a disciplined backline last term, they’ve been shipping goals uncontrollably this season, which isn’t that surprising since they conceded six against Chelsea. That has, in part, caused their inconsistent season, which has landed them in midtable, not too far off the bottom three. They’ll be looking to secure safety before the Europa League returns later this month, but that’s unlikely to happen here. Expect Chelsea to run out comfortable winners, which makes the Blues worth backing on the -1 handicap.
Crystal Palace v Newcastle (19:45) – Both teams to score (21/20 with Betfair)
Wednesday night sees a big grudge match, with Alan Pardew coming up against his former employers. Ditching Newcastle for a relegation fight was questioned by many, but the fans wanted Pardew out, and he kindly obliged. After years of torment on Tyneside for being part of the Mike Ashley reign, Pardew seems to be much happier at his former club, as he’s taken them out of the bottom three, and has also taken them into the fifth round of the FA Cup. While one section of the ground may still be against him on Wednesday night, the Palace fans have taken to him immediately – helped by four wins from his first four games in charge of course! The question is, can he get one over on his former club?
Pardew’s departure saw Newcastle go on a tough losing streak, but they turned that around with a win in their last away game at Hull. They’ll take that confidence into this game, and they’ll also be fired up to take on their former manager. The manner of his move to London probably wasn’t ideal for them, and John Carver is likely to use that as a motivational tool ahead of this one. It’s likely to be a very good game, and it’s hard to pick a winner between these two. Both teams to score, therefore, looks like the best bet here, with both sides vulnerable at the back.