The Premier League is back once again this weekend and, amongst other things, it’s serving up a clash which could prove crucial to the race for the title and for the Champions League places. After a free midweek for most clubs, we should see the stars of the league back to their best, and hopefully a few top notch performances.
This week’s 10 Premier League games are spread across three days, and here we are going to preview four of the weekend’s biggest games, including a betting tip for each. With no early game on Saturday the first match up is Aston Villa v Liverpool, which is followed by Southampton’s trip to Newcastle. Sunday sees West Ham take on struggling Hull, before champions Manchester City host Arsenal.
Saturday 17th January 2015
Aston Villa v Liverpool (15:00) – Liverpool to win (4/5 with Coral)
Liverpool should have Raheem Sterling back from his midseason trip to Jamaica for their visit to Villa Park this weekend. The Reds are just five points off the top four and they really need to start finding some consistency now, so they can take control of the Champions League race. They ground out a win at Sunderland last week, and Villa are a very similar side to the Black Cats. Brendan Rodgers will be hoping his men can repeat their last performance and record a fourth win in five games.
As for Villa, they don’t look like a side who can score goals. That’s been their big problem all season long, and it has hurt them in recent weeks as they’ve fallen to narrow defeats. With no win in over a month, Villa look out of confidence and vulnerable. They usually do well against Liverpool, but it’s hard to see them being able to take any points off the Reds here. They face a struggle to keep themselves out of the relegation zone given the fixtures they have coming up, and with Liverpool not far off evens they’re well worth backing here.
Newcastle v Southampton (17:30) – Southampton to win (23/20 with Coral)
Newcastle are in the same boat as Villa, as they’ve lost five of their last seven in all competitions, and they look completely rudderless under caretaker boss John Carver. The last thing they want is to host the Premier League’s third placed side. There has been little talk of new faces coming in, at player or coaching level, and it seems like Mike Ashley is happy with his lot at the minute, with the club sitting 10th. They won’t stay that high much longer if their current run continues.
For Southampton, their win at Manchester United has them sitting in the top three, and looking at their fixtures they could stay there for a while to come. Games like this one at Newcastle are their new test, as they have to win with the expectations on their backs. Given what Saints have to play for, they should be able to get themselves up for a big game at St James’ Park. They will find things a lot more difficult in the second half of the season, as teams will start to figure them out and make things harder for them. Southampton are heavy favourites here, and they should be able to pick up three points and stay ahead in the race for the top four.
Sunday 18th January 2015
West Ham v Hull (13:30) – West Ham to win to nil (7/4 with Bet Victor)
West Ham may have dropped off in recent weeks, but they’re still in the top seven and they’ve got more than a chance of pushing for a European spot. They’ve not had the best run of late, and in fact they’ve not won since the 20th of January. Despite that, they’ll be confident of getting a result this weekend, given the form that Hull are bringing down to Upton Park.
The Tigers had the worst run of any team in the Premier League in 2014, and they’ve not been up to much of late, either. Four defeats in their last six games shows just how vulnerable they are at the minute, even if they got a couple of results against some out of form opposition. They’re stuck in the relegation zone, and look set to struggle until the end of the campaign. They’ve not been up to much away from home, and they’ve drawn a blank in six of their last eight away trips. Back West Ham to get a comfortable win to nil here, at odds of 7/4.
Man City v Arsenal (16:00) – City to win and both teams to score (11/5 with Coral)
The last game of the weekend is a big one, with second placed Manchester City facing fifth placed Arsenal. Both sides are in the middle of crucial battles in the league, and a slip up here could really cost them. Manchester City could only manage a draw at Everton last week, and that saw them fall two points behind Chelsea at the top. They could come in to this one five points behind the Blues, with Chelsea playing on Saturday, and then the pressure really would be on them ahead of a huge game against an Arsenal side who are starting to hit form.
The Gunners have won three of their last four, and they now sit just a point off Manchester United in fourth spot. They’re one of the many teams chasing a place in the top four, but they know a poor result here could see them drop off the pace. Playing against the big sides has always been a problem for Arsenal, and that issue could hurt them again here. You always feel that they can be taken advantage of at the back, and if any side are going to do that it would be City. The defending Premier League champions know they need a win and we expect them to get the three points here in a goal filled encounter.
If you’d rather have a longer odds bets, altogether, these four selections would give you a very tasty 31/1 accumulator with Coral. Hopefully it can keep you interested across the weekend, right up to that big game on Sunday.