We are getting towards the business end of the season now and with that comes a busy fixture calendar. We can see that this week, as a weekend of Premier League action and the Capital One Cup final is followed up by another round of league action. There’s more and more pressure on clubs and managers as we get close to the end of the season, and once again the midweek fixtures will be crucial.
With European action, a cup final, league commitments and the FA Cup in the space of a couple of weeks, many clubs are likely to lose focus in at least one or two games. Here we concentrate on the midweek Premier League fixtures, as we have full previews of both of the live games across Tuesday and Wednesday night, plus two other top matches, with betting tips for you on each of those four clashes.
Tuesday 3rd March 2015
Aston Villa v West Brom (19:45) – Both teams to score (21/20 with BetVictor)
Tuesday’s live game is both a midlands derby, and the warm up for the FA Cup quarter final which sees a repeat of this fixture a few days later. The big question is, which game is more important? Obviously an FA Cup quarter final is huge for both sides, but they both need points if they are to keep their place in the Premier League. Aston Villa are in the bottom three right now, and West Brom fans would love little more than getting a win which would hurt their rivals.
It’s hard to see someone like Tony Pulis resting key players for this game before the cup clash, while Villa can’t afford to rest anyone given their current position. New manager Tim Sherwood has got them scoring again, but they lost his first match in charge at home to Stoke. The Villains certainly seem more capable going forward, but so are WBA with Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye in good form. Both sides can be got at defensively here, and both teams to score looks to be the best bet.
Southampton v Crystal Palace (19:45) – Both teams to score (23/20 with BetVictor)
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Alan Pardew takes his Palace side to his former club Southampton. The Eagles are steadily moving up the table and Pardew looks to be leading his new side to safety and a mid-table finish. They do sit only a few points above the drop zone, even after their good run of results, so they can’t slow down any time soon. They face a very difficult task on Tuesday, as they travel to a Saints side who are pushing for a place in the top four this season.
Southampton’s home form has been patchy of late, and that has hit their push for the top four. With the battle for the Champions League looking fiercer than ever, they really can’t afford to let that carry on if they are going to upset the big boys and qualify for the Champions League. It wouldn’t be a failure if they were to miss out, but they won’t want their season to tail off after an excellent campaign so far. With the hosts’ poor recent home record, backing BTTS looks good here at very favourable odds.
Wednesday 4th March 2015
Newcastle v Manchester United (19:45) – Man United to win (19/20 with Ladbrokes)
Wednesday’s live game sees Manchester United make the trip up to St James’ Park, to face an out of form Newcastle side. While the Toon have pushed the top teams on a few occasions in the last couple of years, they look a shadow of that side now, as they limp towards a mid-table finish this season – at best. John Carver hasn’t done anything revolutionary since taking charge, so it’s hard to imagine his side doing anything to shock United, even if the Red Devils are struggling a little themselves. The atmosphere at Newcastle is diluted, and the players seem to be counting down the days until summer.
As for Louis van Gaal’s men, they aren’t in the greatest of shapes themselves, losing their last away game at Swansea, but they are still in the mix to make a return to the top four this season. They don’t look to be anywhere near as good as the sides above them, and LVG needs his team to click soon if they’re going to make the Champions League. It’s hard to imagine them staying there if they can’t hit top form, so they’ll need to start producing big performances. Given how Newcastle are playing, this is a great chance for them to start and the away win looks good at close to evens.
West Ham v Chelsea (19:45) – Chelsea to win (8/11 with Bet365)
After their trip to Wembley on Sunday, Chelsea head to Upton Park as they look to keep up their advantage at the top of the Premier League. Sam Allardyce’s West Ham have already beaten the likes of City and Liverpool at home, and they’d love to add their London rivals to that list as well. They’ve not been playing as well of late, but they still sit in the top half of the league table, and they will be a very stern test for Mourinho’s side, especially in the aftermath of their match on Sunday night.
The Blues don’t have too far to travel for this one, but they still face a difficult side who can test them physically and defensively. The Blues beat West Ham on Boxing Day at Stamford Bridge, recording a pretty comfortable win after getting in front early. They’ll be looking for the same kind of performance here, to keep the crowd quiet and keep the game in control. They know there’s no room for slip ups or complacency in the title run in, and because of that they look like a good bet to pick up another win over West Ham at 8/11 with Bet365.