We’re almost through an incredibly busy January in footballing terms, with more major transfers in the Premier League this month than any other winter window. Before the window slams shut, Premier League sides are in action once again. With plenty of teams in action on January 31st, there’s an added complication to the deadline day proceedings. On the other hand, that offers alternative viewing for those who are sick of Jim White and his yellow-doused hyperbole.
We’ll be sticking with the Premier League action on Wednesday night, especially as it includes a huge clash at Wembley. Manchester United head to Tottenham’s temporary home in the biggest game of the round, but there’s plenty more going on than just that game. With a full round of fixtures across Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ve previewed the week’s biggest games and selected a betting tip for each.
Tuesday 30th January 2018
Swansea v Arsenal (19:45) – Both Teams to Score (21/20 with Betfair)
Arsenal are through to the League Cup final, and – having been knocked out of the FA Cup already – they’ll have had close to a week off to prepare for this game. They head to the league’s bottom side expecting to boost their poor away form, having had a terrible time of things on the road so far this season. The Gunners have now suffered five defeats on the road in the league this term, following their 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth in their previous away trip. The most worrying thing about that result was the manner in which they threw away the lead on the South Coast when they ultimately folded without any kind of resistance.
That has to worry Arsene Wenger, as his side are heading to a Swansea side who have their fight back. The Swans have just beaten Liverpool here, and they seem to have picked up a little under Carlos Carvalhal. The host should score as a result of their improved form, but we expect them to struggle to keep a clean sheet against an Arsenal side who are in good shape going forward despite losing Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United. With that in mind, we’re backing both teams to score at the Liberty.
Huddersfield v Liverpool (20:00) – Liverpool and BTTS (21/10 with Coral)
Liverpool may be reeling from a shock defeat to Swansea, but that was almost expected given that they’d just spectacularly put Man City to the sword. They seemingly string too many impressive results together, which probably explains why their unbeaten run ended against the bottom club just before could have broken their own Premier League record. Another issue for the Reds is their defensive frailty, having conceded in all but two of their away trips so far this season. Is that something which Jurgen Klopp’s protégé David Wagner can exploit when these two sides meet?
You’d expect the Reds to come out on top here, having won five of their last seven on the road in the league. They’re likely to return to form following that Swansea shock, and we can’t see Huddersfield being able to pull off a similar surprise, given how similar these two sides are.
However, we are backing the hosts to find the net, seeing as they’ve scored in 75% of their home matches, including strikes against all of the top three. We’re backing them to add to that with a goal against the Reds, but we expect an away win. As a result, Liverpool to win and both teams to score is our tip here.
Wednesday 31st January 2018
Chelsea v Bournemouth (19:45) – Chelsea and Over 2.5 Goals (8/11 with Betfred)
Chelsea are still likely to be wounded after their defeat to Arsenal, and indeed Antonio Conte’s outburst shortly after. It wasn’t what the club needed after a troubled campaign, especially when they’re busy pushing for new signings in the transfer market. Not only will it make rival clubs and agents a little greedier, but it will surely put off potential targets. However, the idea that the Blues are lacking in terms of squad depth isn’t entirely true, they just need to make sure they’re playing in a system which gets the most out of Eden Hazard. If they combine that with a striker up top, then the Blues are in business once again.
The champions should have little trouble showing their class against a poor Bournemouth side, one who are far from blessed with talent at the back. They come in to this clash with Morata back in the frame, Ross Barkley making his way back to fitness and Tiemoue Bakayoko starting to look like an all-round midfielder. There are signs that the Blues are improving, so we think they’ll secure three points. We’re backing them to win a high scoring game, seeing as Bournemouth have seen over 2.5 goals in nine of their last 10 matches.
Tottenham v Man United (20:00) – Tottenham to win (13/10 with BetVictor)
Will Jose Mourinho look to push Manchester United forward in what is likely to be Alexis Sanchez’s league debut for United? While the Chilean will probably start, it’s hard to see the Portuguese going for an all action style away to Tottenham. However, that might be the best way to play against this Spurs side, by starting with plenty of attacking options and asking questions of a defence which looked much more comfortable in the confines of White Hart Lane than at Wembley.
We think Mourinho’s usual ploy of playing on the back foot away to their big rivals will cost him here, especially when you look at the poor results they picked up against the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea with that style so far this season. Tottenham’s varied options in attack make them a hard side to guard against, and we expect them to break down the United defence at some point here. With that in mind, a Spurs win is our tip on this one.