We’re being treated to a Friday evening kick-off this week in the Premier League. It’s one that sees Brighton travel to the capital to take on an underperforming West Ham with both sides currently sitting just two points above the drop zone. Moving on to Saturday and current Premier League champions Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend when they take on Watford at Stamford Bridge. Later on in the day there is a close-looking contest between Southampton and West Brom who are separated by just one place in the league table.
Sunday sees an under pressure Ronald Koeman face the challenge of Arsenal. The Everton boss has really struggled for points this season and he has become the strong favourite to be the next Premier League manager to get the sack. At the completely other end of the bookies list is Mauricio Pochettino who recently expressed his desire to stay for a very long time at Spurs. His men face a tricky contest against Liverpool, a side who have been one of Tottenham’s bogey teams in recent seasons.
Friday 20th October 2017
West Ham v Brighton (20:00) – West Ham to win (5/6 with Coral)
Andy Carroll will be forced to sit out this match having picked up a red card during his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley. His absence may not be missed too much however as not having that long ball option may encourage West Ham to offer more service for summer-signing Javier Hernandez. Performances at the London Stadium have picked up this season too with three wins from four so far, the only defeat being a one goal loss to an impressive Spurs side.
There are definitely some reasons to think West Ham could win here but what about Brighton? The case for them is rather less appealing. They’ve lost all their away fixtures this season bar a 0-0 draw with Watford and Chris Hughton’s men never seem to have enough fire power whenever they travel. Tomer Hemed being suspended is not going to help this situation and with him out, there’s little reason to back Brighton for this clash.
Saturday 21st October 2017
Chelsea v Watford (12:30) – Chelsea to win with a -1 handicap (10/11 with Betfair)
Few people expected Chelsea to suffer a 2-1 defeat at the hands of a previously pointless and goalless Crystal Palace last weekend. It just goes to show you anything can happen in football but the return of Alvaro Morata does make another surprise result here less likely. The Blues play so much better with him leading the line and the former Real Madrid man can be a catalyst to get his side back on form.
Watford haven’t won a single contest against Chelsea this side of the millennium so it’s safe to say history is not on their side. They did claim a last gasp win from behind against Arsenal last weekend but had the Gunners been more clinical there would have been no coming back. While solid against some sides, the Watford defence has not looked strong when facing better outfits, for example Liverpool and Man City. With Morata back in action, Chelsea should be one of those sides who can carve open plenty of chances against the Hornets.
Southampton v West Brom (17:30) – Southampton to win by 1 goal (5/2 with Betfair)
A home draw to Newcastle last weekend left most Saints fans feeling rather underwhelmed but it was at least a game that saw them score twice. This is a feat Southampton have only managed once previously this season during their 3-2 win over West Ham in September. It was Manolo Gabbiadini who claimed both goals and with the Italian perhaps able to find some form now, more goals may follow for Mauricio Pellegrino’s side.
Much like for Southampton, it’s been attack rather than defence that has been the problem for West Brom this season. The Baggies have also managed just seven league goals this season and they don’t have a single player who is responsible for more than one of them. They come into this game winless in seven and Tony Pulis could be without both his senior goalkeepers which would make turning their form around even trickier. There doesn’t look like being a lot in this match but the Saints are worth backing to edge what is likely to be a scrappy affair.
Sunday 22nd October 2017
Everton v Arsenal (13:30) – Arsenal to win (21/20 with BetVictor)
A last minute Wayne Rooney penalty against Brighton spared Everton falling to another defeat but the salvaged point has done little to ease the pressure on Ronald Koeman. Once again his Everton side lacked any sort of spark up front in what was largely a drab encounter at the Amex Stadium. They’ve been easily beaten by three of England’s top sides already this season in Chelsea, Tottenham and Man United and the draw against Man City was helped by facing 10 men for more than half the game.
Arsenal may have their problems but Everton seem to be in a much worse position, without the confidence and without the players. You can definitely question Arsenal’s mental resolve on the road, especially after chucking away a 1-0 lead at Watford last Saturday but they do at least have a better side on paper. It’s hard to see Arsene Wenger’s defence being troubled too much by a toothless Everton attack while his pacey and creative frontline should be able to find their way past an aging Everton defence.
Tottenham v Liverpool (16:00) – Liverpool to win or draw (4/5 with Bet365)
Tottenham finally put an end to their winless league streak at Wembley but their 1-0 win over Bournemouth won’t be enough to turn the place into a fortress. Issues were still present at Tottenham’s temporary home and teams who like to sit back deep and soak up the pressure look like being a thorn in their side this season. As we saw when Dortmund came to visit though, Tottenham should relish facing a team who is more willing to open up and send men forward.
Liverpool will not travel to England’s national stadium to play for a draw like Swansea, Burnley or Bournemouth did, they will be looking to take the game to the hosts. This should work in Tottenham’s favour but their recent record against Liverpool is so poor it still makes it hard to back them. Spurs are winless in their last 10 matches against the Reds and it seems Jurgen Klopp has the upper hand over Mauricio Pochettino. With this is mind, backing Liverpool to get something here looks like a safe option.