This weekend sees another big test for Manchester City, as they take on Tottenham at the Etihad. Having opened up an impressive lead at the top, the Citizens are starting to look uncatchable even at this early stage of the campaign. However, a loss this weekend will slow down their march towards glory, and that’s something all of the top six – and many neutral fans – want to see. Will Tottenham manage to deliver that this weekend?
Of course, there’s plenty more going on around the Premier League than just Pep Guardiola’s precession towards the league title. There’s an intriguing battle for the Champions League spots and some established top flight names in danger of dropping into the Championship. Ahead of another big weekend of live games, we’ve picked out tips from all of the big televised clashes.
Saturday 16th December 2017
Leicester v Crystal Palace (12:45) – Leicester win (19/20 with BetVictor)
Leicester are finally looking like a side who can chase down the likes of Watford and Burnley, and Claude Puel could well be heading for back to back finishes inside of the top eight in the league. The Foxes’ hopes of getting a result in the weekend’s early game are boosted by Palace and their problems up top, having failed to score an away goal all season on their travels. Having suffered in their big trips so far, how will Palace match up to a Foxes side who have some impressive talent up front?
Leicester do have a solid home record, with only the very best winning at the King Power. The Foxes have only lost to sides in the top four at home this term, while they have beaten the likes of Tottenham and high-flying Burnley in recent encounters. That should be enough to help them through this battle, especially with the Eagles struggling for results or clean sheets on their travels. We think a home win is great value in this game, and it can be backed at 19/20 with BetVictor.
Man City v Tottenham (17:30) – Man City & both teams to score (7/4 with Ladbrokes)
The highlight of the weekend has to be the clash between Man City and Tottenham, which should prove to be a great game. The leaders have been in brilliant form all season, and that’s allowed them to push comfortably clear at the top of the league. However, that isn’t going to force the Citizens into complacency, they are out to pick up as many points as possible and to put as big a lead as possible on the board, allowing them to switch focus to the Champions League later this term.
While Tottenham did pose problems for City last season, we can’t see them matching this side that Guardiola has produced. Not only are Spurs looking a little shaky of late, but City just have so many options that it’s hard to shut them out. The only real weakness for the hosts is the absence of John Stones, who has been a big miss for the leaders since dropping out of the season through injury. City have been exposed at the back in every game he’s missed, and we think Spurs should find a way through in this trip. However, we’re still going for a home win, with City and BTTS priced up at 7/4 with Ladbrokes heading in to this clash.
Sunday 17th December 2017
West Brom v Man United (13:30) – Man Utd to win to nil (7/5 with Coral)
West Brom fans were told that the arrival of Alan Pardew to the club would bring around a quick revival and would end their relegation fears. However, that has been far from the case for the visitors, who are struggling on the goal front ahead of Sunday’s encounter. Can they end that awful run when Manchester United roll into town? That’s a huge ask for Pardew and his team, especially as the sides around them began to pick up some points at the weekend. The Baggies are going to need to do the same – or risk being turned into relegation fodder.
There’s got to be fear that West Brom will be blown away, but we see a more reserved performance from Jose Mourinho’s side. While his team have been slightly too attack-minded of late, as shown in recent away trips, that approach doesn’t really mesh with the Portuguese and his approach to the game. Instead we see United managing to grind out a narrow win over an organised West Brom side who lack creativity up top. We’re backing a United win to nil here, which is priced at 7/5 with Coral.
Bournemouth v Liverpool (16:00) – Over 2.5 Goals (4/6 with Betfair)
Liverpool head to Bournemouth on Sunday aiming to avoid the collapse they suffered here last season. The Reds lost 4-3 at the Vitality last time out, which they can’t afford to repeat. However, they could well score another three goals in this trip, having scored three or more in eight of their last 10 games. Having hit their stride when their brilliant four-man frontline feature, Jurgen Klopp has to go with his strongest side in this clash as they look to return from the south coast with three points.
One issue for Liverpool is their poor defensive record on their travels, having conceded over two goals per game on the road this season. With Bournemouth just getting into scoring form ahead of this clash, we can see a few goals in this meeting on Wednesday night. With 14 goals being scored across the last three matches between these two teams, we think you can get excellent value on over 2.5 goals at 4/6 with Betfair. While it’s not the biggest price in the world, you can’t argue with those odds on something that has landed in 88% of the Reds’ away trips this term.