There’s a very busy schedule on Saturday in the Premier League with eight matches to look forward to and it’s Bournemouth versus Tottenham who get things started in the lunchtime kick-off. Tottenham are the only side in the league who remain unbeaten and you feel the Cherries will have to put in a fine performance if they are to put an end to that.
To end the day’s action, Liverpool face a potentially awkward clash against West Brom. Tony Pulis held Jurgen Klopp’s side to two draws last season and was very unlucky not to win at Anfield but he’ll need to get his tactics spot on to do to same this year against a much improved Liverpool outfit.
On Sunday, Southampton host travelling Manchester City, a match between two attacking sides which looks to set to provide plenty of entertainment. The Saints haven’t lost a league game at home since February so expect no fear from them when Guardiola’s men take to the pitch. Afterwards, we see Jose Mourinho reunited with his former club Chelsea as they make the trip to Old Trafford. There’s an abundance of pre-match hype for this one, with all eyes on the Portuguese manager, and hopefully the football can live up to its billing.
Saturday 22nd October 2016
Bournemouth v Tottenham (12:30) – Tottenham to win (evens with BetVictor)
Bournemouth will be on a high coming into this game after thrashing Hull 6-1 last weekend, their biggest ever Premier League victory and their third consecutive victory in the league at home. While Spurs may be third in the table, Eddie Howe’s men are enjoying their football at Dean Court and they seem to have tightened their shaky defence which let in 67 goals last season, the joint second highest in the league. Tottenham did fire eight past the Cherries last season though so if anyone can expose their weaknesses, then it looks like being Pochettino’s side.
While a repeat of their 5-0 win on the south coast may be a little too optimistic, Tottenham should fancy themselves here despite Bournemouth’s good form at home. The Lilywhites have been performing strongly this season despite absences to key players and had it not been for Ben Foster’s heroics last week then they would have registered their fifth league win on the bounce. Spurs didn’t enjoy West Brom’s compact and defensive style but with Bournemouth’s style of football more likely to work in their favour, they are well priced to win here.
Liverpool v West Brom (17:30) – Liverpool to win by two goals (10/3 with Bet365)
Liverpool’s five match winning streak in all competitions came to and end on Monday night as they had to settle for a point against Manchester United. It was no more than they deserved after failing to break down their rivals’ defence for most of the match but expect them to have more of a cutting edge going forwards this time. Adam Lallana showed what difference he can make when substituted in on the hour mark and with the Englishman expected to be fully fit here, he can help his side return to their scoring ways which saw them bag 13 goals in the four league games prior to their stalemate against the Red Devils.
As for West Brom, while they successfully denied Liverpool three points on both occasions last season, doing the same this time may be too much of an ask. They were able to take a point against Tottenham last weekend and on another day may have grabbed all three but they had a superb Ben Foster to thank for that, rather than a water tight defence. If Liverpool can be more clinical than Spurs were, then they should have the beating of West Brom here but not by a huge margin as the Baggies rarely lose badly.
Sunday 23rd October 2016
Manchester City v Southampton (13:30) – Manchester City to win and both teams to score (2/1 at Betfair)
Two missed penalties meant two dropped points for City last Sunday when they faced Everton. Guardiola’s side haven’t been able to maintain their rampant start to the season and while it was their prolificacy in front of goal which cost them last time, it’s their defensive issues that are their main concern. One clean sheet from eight league games does not make for great reading but that said, they did look improved under their 3-4-3 formation against Everton, restricting the Toffees to very few opportunities in front of goal.
With the Saints finding their eye in front of goal lately, the City defence could be in for a tough afternoon. Claude Puel’s side have scored six times in their last three league matches, a total which could have been higher had they not been so wasteful during their 0-0 draw with Leicester. They are a side growing in confidence and with City not quite as feared as they were a couple of weeks ago, they should be able to put up a real fight here. While they look good money for a goal or two though, City look to have too much talent in attack with all their main men fully fit so it looks wise not to bet against them here.
Chelsea v Manchester United (16:00) – Under 2.5 goals (10/11 with Sky Bet)
If Manchester United’s performance at Anfield on Monday is anything to go by then expect another conservative tactical approach from Jose Mourinho. Avoiding defeat in a match like this will be his biggest priority and it’s unlikely he’ll be throwing men forward to try and outscore his former side. He’ll be hoping his side can convert the odd chance that comes their way but they have not been especially clinical of late, something for which Zlatan Ibrahimovic must take a large share of the blame.
With the Chelsea defence looking more solid following their switch to three at the back, a third clean sheet in a row hardly seems out of the question. At the other end, the Blues have managed five goals in their last two games but this is a far more difficult test for them and they won’t be presented with too many opportunities to score. This has been a notoriously low scoring match in recent years, with seven of the last eight meetings seeing less than 2.5 goals and you can back this trend continuing on Sunday at very generous odds.