After last weekend’s FA Cup action, the Premier League returns this weekend as we edge towards the big run in. We’re about two thirds of the way through the campaign, and everything is still to play for across the league. This weekend sees the opening day’s fixtures reversed, and it’s thrown up some great ties, including a few sides who are doing much better than you would have expected back when the season kicked off in August.
This weekend has a bumper Sunday offering, because Tottenham’s midweek commitments mean their game has been pushed back a day, giving us three big Premier League games in the space of about six hours. Ahead of all of that football, we have previews of each of this weekend’s live matches, with a betting tip for each.
Saturday 21st February 2015
Manchester City v Newcastle (17:30) – City to win to nil (11/10 with BetVictor)
The only live game on Saturday comes from the Etihad, as Manchester City host Newcastle. At the start of the season these two came head to head with Newcastle full of fresh new faces, which led to a degree of optimism around St James’ that they could have a good season. What a change that’s been, after losing their manager and a few players in January and doing little to replace them. The Magpies seem to be counting down the days to the end of the season now, with the club safe from relegation but with little hope of achieving much else.
City know they could come into this game 10 points off the top of the Premier League, with Chelsea playing at 3pm. From this point on, City really have no room for error if they’re to fight their way back to the top of the table. With Yaya Toure and Wilfred Bony back from Africa Cup of Nations duty, they should have a great chance to put a run of form together, starting here. Newcastle have a poor record against City, and they haven’t scored against them in their last four. Little suggests they can end that run here, so City to win to nil is certainly worth a look.
Sunday 22nd February 2015
Tottenham v West Ham (12:00) – Spurs to win (4/5 with Sky Bet)
The first of the Sunday games is a London derby, with West Ham heading to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers will want to bounce back from their tough-to-take FA Cup exit at the hands of West Brom. Sam Allardyce’s side are doing well however; they’re currently eighth in the table and they’re just five points behind Spurs. They won at the Lane last season, and they could do with a repeat of that here, after winning just one of their last eight Premier League games. While they’re still on for a good finish, they’re in danger of limping towards the end of the season, which would be a bitter disappointment after such a promising campaign so far.
As for Spurs, they were on a great run, but lost their last match, away to Liverpool. They’ve closed the gap on the top four in the last few months, but with the Europa League returning they face the tough task of maintaining their league form while partaking in European action in midweek. They struggled after Europa games in the early part of the season, but they seem to be a much stronger outfit now. Given West Ham’s poor recent run, the home side should be able to pick up another three points here, which will keep them within touching distance of the Champions League places.
Everton v Leicester (14:00) – Everton to win (8/11 with Coral)
On the opening day Leicester’s excellent performance in their 2-2 draw with Everton was hailed as evidence that they could handle themselves in the Premier League. It turns out that Everton just aren’t the side they were last term, while Leicester find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table. The Foxes have lost their last four in the league, and crashed out of the cup at the weekend. Can they claim a big scalp at Goodison to help save their season?
It’s hard to see the Toffees coming unstuck here, as they seem to have turned a corner in the last few games. They followed up a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace with a 0-0 draw against Liverpool and they came close to getting the same result at Stamford Bridge, before conceding late on. They’ve really improved defensively, and they will get chances to take advantage of the Leicester defence. While the Champions League qualification ship may well have sailed for them, they have the chance to push for a top half finish, and that would be helped with a first home win since December.
Southampton v Liverpool (16:15) – Both teams to score (4/5 with Coral)
At the start of the season, we thought Liverpool had picked up Southampton’s best players, but the Saints have bounced back and they’re currently in the top four, something no one would have predicted when these two met at Anfield. Ronald Koeman’s team have real aspirations of finishing in the top four now, and they actually come into this game as favourites. Things haven’t been going all their own way recently, but they still hold that final Champions League spot, and as the end of the season edges ever nearer they are showing no signs of going away.
This game will be a big test for them, as the Reds have been in brilliant form of late, unbeaten in nine and they’ve won four of their last five games. They still sit seventh in the table, but with just four points between them and Southampton, they have a great chance of securing another season in the Champions League. Their summer signings, including the ex-Southampton players, are just starting to click, and with Daniel Sturridge back, they could get on a run like they did last season. This game is a tough one to call, but with the attacking talent on show both teams to score looks like a solid bet to us.