This weekend’s Premier League action is the last before the international break, meaning it’s the last domestic action for two weeks. As we edge towards the end of the season, every single game is crucial across the table. Make or break games should give us some good entertainment, and with a lot on the line we should hopefully see all the favourites stepping up, which is good for punters.
This weekend isn’t short of entertaining games, with four live matches that cross the title race, the Champions League chase and the ever-dogged fight for survival. We’re seeing high flyers and teams at the very lowest of ebbs. The highlight of the weekend is of course Manchester United’s trip to Liverpool, with those two sides competing for the top four. Here we have previews for that game, plus all the other live games this weekend, with betting tips for each one.
Saturday 21st March 2015
Man City v West Brom (12:45) – Man City -1 (10/11 with Sky Bet)
The opening game of the weekend sees champions Manchester City trying to get themselves back on the trail for this season’s title after their slip up at Burnley last week. Their chances of winning the Premier League trophy seem to be almost gone, but they will want to hunt down Chelsea for as long as they can. They also know that they’re just above the teams who are fighting for the Champions League spots. If they can’t get the right mentality in the run in, then they could find themselves in the Europa League (and Manuel Pellegrini might be looking for a new job!).
West Brom are faring better, with Tony Pulis leading them away from the drop zone and into mid table. Despite that turnaround, it’s hard to see them holding too much hope of getting a win here. City will be desperate for a victory after recent results, and West Brom might just be catching them at the wrong time. With the pressure to finish in the top four on them, they need a big performance to get back on the right track ahead of the final few games of the campaign. After a few poor performances, we expect City to come out all guns blazing, and they look like great value on the handicap market.
West Ham v Sunderland (17:30) – West Ham to win (17/20 with Sky Bet)
The late game on Saturday sees a West Ham side struggling for form meet a Sunderland side who are sliding towards the drop. The Black Cats sacked Gus Poyet after a heavy home defeat to Aston Villa, with relegation a very realistic possibility, and have swiftly installed Dick Advocaat as his replacement. They’re a point and a place above the bottom three, and after an awful run of form they are big candidates to fall through the trap door to the Championship. Does the Dutchman have any chance of turning that around at West Ham? It seems unlikely.
Having said that, West Ham are in awful form too and they’ve started sliding down the table after a great start to the campaign. Sam Allardyce is under pressure after recent results; he knows he needs to turn that around, and this is the perfect opportunity. Sunderland conceded four goals to goal-shy Villa, so it’s easy to see them losing to West Ham. The Hammers’ recent struggles have seen their odds drift out to close to evens, which is fantastic value for a game at home against the 17th placed side.
Sunday 22nd March 2015
Liverpool v Manchester United (13:30) – Liverpool to win (13/10 with Coral)
This is the game that will dominate the build up to the weekend, with the two historic rivals coming head to head at Anfield in a crucial clash. Liverpool are just two points behind United in the table, with the two sides fighting it out for a place in the top four. Liverpool are currently the form team in the league, they’ve not lost in 2015 and that run has seen them come from nowhere to become serious contenders for a Champions League place. Keeping that form up will be a challenge, but they’ll be up for that against United.
The Red Devils had their best display of the season when they faced Tottenham on Sunday, when they ran out 3-0 winners. That left them just two points off Manchester City, and they’ll be in no mood to see that gap extended this weekend. This game is arguably the biggest between these two in a long time, given just what it will do for the Champions League fight. United are currently in the driving seat, but given how well Liverpool are playing, they look likely to pick up a crucial win on Sunday.
Hull v Chelsea (13:30) – Chelsea -1 (11/8 with Sky Bet)
The final game of the weekend sees relegation-threatened Hull host league leaders Chelsea, with the Blues now six points clear with a game in hand. Jose Mourinho has already all but guaranteed they’ll win the title this season, and a win here would be a huge step towards achieving that goal. This is one of just two games they have left outside of the capital this season, so even though it’s against a struggling side, it’s also an important barrier to overcome. A win at Hull would bring to an end their recent tough results, and it would stick another nail in the coffin of City’s title chances.
As for Hull, they’ve not too far above the bottom three and they know a few poor results could have them right back in the relegation zone. That being said, this isn’t the type of game they need to win to stay in the league. Their battles will be coming later in the season, as this is a very difficult task against a side who need a big performance. Just like City, Chelsea should get themselves back on track after a rocky week, and we will back them to do it with a few goals along the way.