After the weekend FA Cup fixtures, the Premier League returns to action on Tuesday night. There are many who dislike the idea of the top flight muscling in on the cup weekend, but for fans, that just gives us even more football to look forward to over the coming week. At this busy time of year, fixtures need to be scheduled in whenever they can, which has given us a week full of great games and betting opportunities.
This week sees a reverse of the Boxing Day games, meaning there are plenty of big matches from around the division. Leaders Leicester host Liverpool, while Chelsea’s mini-revival is tested at Watford. We’ve looked through the week’s games, picking out the biggest matches and best value betting tips to include in this preview of the midweek round of matches.
Tuesday 2nd February 2016
West Ham v Aston Villa (19:45) – West Ham to win (10/11 with Sky Bet)
The live game on Tuesday night sees high flying West Ham taking on a struggling (Championship-bound) Aston Villa side. While Remi Garde’s men are unbeaten in five games, they’ve only won one league match since the opening day of the season. While recent results have looked like an improvement for the Villains, they still don’t look like a side capable of pulling off a great escape this term. They’ve need to put a winning run together to manage that, and this is a tough place to start. West Ham were unlucky not to beat Man City here in their last league game, which shows how well they’re playing.
Had it not been for Leicester, the Hammers would be getting all kinds of praise right now for their great season. They’re above Liverpool, a point behind Manchester United, and well in the mix to push for the top four. Slaven Bilic has got the best out of this team, and they look set to have a fantastic end to the season, and their time at Upton Park. With the Hammers unbeaten at home since September, we are backing them to take all three points against the league’s bottom side, which is well priced at 10/11 with Sky Bet.
Leicester v Liverpool (19:45) – Over 1.5 Leicester goals (31/20 with Coral)
The decision to pick two games over this one for live broadcast shows exactly how people rated Leicester’s title chances. Many expected them to have dropped off by now, making this a game between two sides in the lower part of the top half. Instead, the Foxes come here three points clear at the top of the table, and their momentum looks like it could see them pull off an amazing finish to the season. But, just how will they deal with this test?
Everyone expected goals when these two met at Anfield, and the game finished 1-0. You get the feeling it won’t be quite as cagey here, given that Liverpool shipped four goals in their last away game and still came away with the points. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez made great impacts in their win against Stoke last time out, and with those two back to form, Leicester should have a much better chance of getting all three points here. We’re backing the Foxes to score at least two against this shaky Liverpool defence, which does look quite likely.
Wednesday 3rd February 2016
Watford v Chelsea (19:45) – Both teams to score (21/20 with Coral)
Wednesday night sees Chelsea looking to record back to back wins for the first time this season as they travel to Watford. The Blues recorded a great win at Arsenal, which kicked off talk of a Champions League push, but there’s still a long way to go yet. Given they’ve yet to string two wins together in the league, their chances of putting together a run of wins that is sufficient for them to finish in the top four looks a little far off. Could this be their chance to finally change that, and start moving up the table?
Watford bounced back from their dodgy patch with a win at home to Newcastle, and now they’re hoping to get on a run that will lift them back up the table. With Odion Ighalo back in form, you’ve got to believe they’re capable of that. He and Troy Deeney have scored the majority of their goals this term, so without them in form they’d have little chance of a result. Ighalo troubled Chelsea at the Bridge, scoring twice, and we see him having a similar effect here. That’s why we’re backing both teams to score in this one, at just the right side of evens with Coral.
Everton v Newcastle (19:45) – Newcastle or draw (13/10 with Bet365)
Everton’s League Cup hopes went up in smoke at Man City last week, and their league form has been less than stellar. They lost to a struggling Swansea side at Goodison in their last league game, and now they’re up against another relegation-threatened team. The Magpies have added Andros Townsend to their side, and they’re hoping that he can add enough quality out wide that they can start getting some goals. Their away form hasn’t been great this term, but new signings Townsend and Jonjo Shelvey are two players who could really help them launch quick counter attacks on the road.
Given that Everton have won just three home league games all season, you have to give Newcastle a chance here. The Toon will be boosted by the signing of Townsend, and they have a free weekend to prepare for this after their FA Cup exit. With the team desperate for league points, they’ll need to get their act together soon, and this is the perfect chance to do it. While they might not have the mentality to get all three points here, we see them picking something up against the Toffees, so we’re backing the visitors to get a result on the double chance market.