There’s a double bill of Premier League fixtures this week with all clubs treated to a midweek fixture. It could prove to be a decisive week for Sunderland in their quest for top flight survival. They are in action on Tuesday evening, facing a Leicester side who now resemble the one that shocked us all last season.
Shortly after this game kicks off, Manchester United go toe to toe with Everton at Old Trafford. If Jose Mourinho is going to secure a top four finish this season, he really needs all three points from a game like this.
More action follows on Wednesday including a London derby between Arsenal and West Ham. The two teams treated the neutrals to a six goal thriller last time they met and perhaps we will have another goal-laden match on our hands this time. Also on Wednesday is a fascinatingly poised clash as Chelsea take on Manchester City. It’s the Citizens who need the points more than Chelsea, but don’t think for one second this means that Conte’s men will give the travelling side an easy ride.
Tuesday 4th April 2017
Leicester v Sunderland (19:45) – Leicester to win with a -1 handicap (13/8 with Coral)
The decision to replace Claudio Ranieri with Craig Shakespeare now seems to be a fully justified move from the Leicester owners. Shakespeare has reinjected belief into the formerly uninspired and underperforming league champions who are once again a force to be reckoned with.
With the home crowd behind them and facing a fairly feeble defence, the Foxes’ fast and direct players could well have an enjoyable evening. Jamie Vardy, who was such a threat last season, should give Sunderland plenty of issues. The 30-year-old was even on hand to score for his country against Lithuania last weekend, something which will no doubt boost his confidence.
One of Sunderland’s few decent performers this season, Jermaine Defoe, was also on the scoresheet for England, marking his comeback to the national side in style. He’s likely to find himself with fewer opportunities to score playing for his club side however, forcing him to feed off scraps.
It’s around this time in the season that the Black Cats begin their great escape but there are fewer signs their trademark late surge is on the cards despite the sporadic good showing. Great returns aren’t available backing another away defeat for Sunderland but backing them to lose by two goals or more will give you significantly longer odds.
Manchester United v Everton (20:00) – Manchester United to win by one goal (13/5 with Betfair)
Manchester United’s inability to see off matches at home has been a big problem this year. There have been too many draws at Old Trafford for a team with top four ambitions, but it’s not too late for Jose Mourinho to rectify the situation. With Everton missing both Funes Mori and Seamus Coleman, there won’t be too many better times to face the Everton defence.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in talks for extending his United stay and the Swede will be desperate that his final year features Champions League football. With plenty of attacking options fit for the home side, goals should be on the menu for Mourinho’s men.
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Key injuries look like making Everton’s life a bit harder here. They’ll still stand a slight chance with the in-form Romelu Lukaku playing though, especially as the Belgian seems keen to put himself in the proverbial shop window. It’s unlikely to be anything more than a slight chance as United are a very difficult side to beat at home, a place where they boast one of the league’s strongest defences. Ronald Koeman would surely have to consider a draw a great result from this clash but it’s worth backing the Toffees to fall narrowly short of this.
Wednesday 5th April 2017
Arsenal v West Ham (19:45) – Both teams to score (8/11 with Betfred)
Competition for the top four is so fierce that Arsenal can simply not afford to drop too many more points if they are to qualify for the Champions League yet again. Despite their struggles of late, there is reason to think they can put in a decent showing here. They have a great record against the Hammers, winning 11 of the last 13 encounters and they also tend to perform better in front of the home fans. Watford are the only bottom-half team Wenger’s side have lost to at the Emirates Stadium all season.
You can certainly see Arsenal getting a few of their players on the scoresheet but this is also true of West Ham. The Hammers have several names who offer an aerial threat and if the Gunners defend like they did against West Brom recently, then more headed goals may be conceded.
Added to this is the fact Slaven Bilic’s troops have a good knack of scoring on the road and will look to attack once again here. Both teams to score looks a very likely scenario although don’t expect the goals to be quite so heavily weighted in Arsenal’s favour as was the case during the 5-1 win in December.
Chelsea v Manchester City (20:00) – Draw (12/5 with Bet365)
Chelsea are enjoying a healthy lead at the top of the table but that’s not to say it cannot be reduced. City were a little unlucky to have lost the reverse fixture of this game 3-1 and Guardiola will no doubt be keen for revenge. Some less than emphatic wins lately make the Blues look less formidable than perhaps they once seemed. The City players must be believing they can get something from this game, especially with a close to full strength side available and no more European fixtures to worry about.
Chelsea lost 3-0 to City the last time they met at Stamford Bridge, in case they needed any reminder of the threat the visitors bring. It takes something special to beat Conte’s Chelsea at home though and you’ll back them for another defensively sound performance from their five man backline. The Blues will be keen to keep things tight to nullify the City attack but this should lead to the Chelsea fullbacks sitting deep, restricting their own attacking options. This could well lead to a game in which both sides end up cancelling each other out and so it’s worth placing a bet on a draw for this one.