After last weekend’s FA Cup Third Round, the Premier League is back this weekend. The top flight has plenty of quality games this weekend, including Manchester City’s trip to Anfield. The Citizens put their unbeaten record up against Liverpool, who have one of the most impressive defensive records at home in the division.
Before that clash on Sunday Arsenal are on the road again, aiming to improve their poor record away from home. Saturday also sees Tottenham taking on Everton, as Spurs aim to boost their hopes of making it into the Champions League next season. Ahead of the weekend’s biggest matches, we’ve picked out a few betting tips for you to take a look at.
Saturday 13th January 2018
Tottenham v Everton (17:30) – Tottenham -1 Handicap (5/6 with Betfair)
Tottenham’s Champions League hopes were boosted by Liverpool’s decision to sell Philippe Coutinho. Spurs have a gap to close on fourth, but with Harry Kane in permanently sensational form they have a great chance. The hosts have already pulled off an impressive win over the Toffees this term, recording a heavy success at Goodison Park. The visitors come here with an awful record against the league’s top sides, they’ve not been able to close the gap to the top six in meetings with them. Will this be the weekend when Everton manage to bridge that gap?
Tottenham have been in great scoring form of late, and that run could continue against an Everton side who have now lost three times on the spin. The Toffees must be worried about what kind of result they’ll see here, given that 80% of their away defeats have been by two or more goals. Meanwhile, Spurs have won by two or more goals in 75% of their league victories, including their win over Everton. With that in mind, we’re backing a heavy win for Tottenham, with a -1 handicap really well priced at odds of 5/6 with Betfair.
Sunday 14th January 2018
Bournemouth v Arsenal (13:30) – BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals (5/6 with Coral)
Arsenal have a worrying away record this season, and that culminated in their FA Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest last weekend. They head into this clash looking for a result to bounce back, and to push themselves back into the Champions League race. They’re trailing behind in sixth place in the fight for the top four, and that could get even worse when they visit the south coast on Sunday. After having some problems at the Vitality last term, this might be a bad place for the Gunners to come to as they look to get their campaign back on the right course.
The Gunners have really struggled at the back on their travels, with a negative goal difference away from home this term. With Bournemouth picking up some big results of late, they should be able to take advantage of the problems within the Arsenal ranks. However, the hosts have lost every one of their meetings with the top six so far, which could see them fall apart at the back too. Following a 3-3 thriller here last year, we see a high scoring clash between this pair, which can be backed at 5/6 with Coral.
Liverpool v Man City (16:00) – Man City to win (6/5 with Betfred)
The biggest clash of the weekend by far comes at Anfield, as the leaders look to continue their unbeaten season so far. They’ve now gone 30 matches unbeaten in the league – 22 of which have come this term. They last suffered a defeat in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge in April, but there’s the potential for another loss when they meet the Reds. However, just what kind of atmosphere will be around Anfield following the sale of Coutinho to Barcelona? That’s seriously dented their prospects for the season, and it could prove pivotal in a tight race for the Champions League spots this term.
City have much bigger aims, leading the way in the table and in the betting to win the Champions League. While Liverpool tend to relish that kind of challenge – especially at home – this is a different case. They are coming up against a City side who look way ahead of most of Europe, never mind England. The way they play should restrict space to the hosts, and they’ll dominate possession to the extent that it’ll be tough to work out which side is at home. Without the vision of Coutinho in midfield to make the most of possession, Liverpool could struggle. As a result, we’re backing an away win this weekend at 6/5 with Betfred.
Monday 15th January 2018
Man United v Stoke (20:00) – Man United -1 Handicap (4/7 with BetVictor)
The Red Devils are out to secure a spot in the Champions League, with Mourinho’s spat with Antonio Conte showing his new level of ambition. The Portuguese boss has evaded comments on Guardiola – bar alleging that the Catalan has an easier time of things at the Etihad. They should add another three points towards their push for a spot in the top four on Monday night, as they take on Stoke at Old Trafford. With the visitors in the bottom three, they’re hardly going to be much of a threat.
Mark Hughes will likely be watching on as the side who sacked him visit the team he most famously played for. Getting rid of the Welshman isn’t going to fix the issues which have dragged Stoke into trouble. They have the worst defensive record in the league, while half of their league defeats have been by at least three goals – losing by four or more in visits to City, Chelsea and Tottenham. With United winning by two or more in nine of their 14 league wins so far, that has us backing United with a -1 handicap at 4/7 with BetVictor.