After a week full of FA Cup and European action, the weekend’s line up isn’t too shabby either. Having seen the second batch of Champions League last 16 clashes, the Premier League returns to action this weekend. After a weekend off for the FA Cup Fifth Round, the fight for survival, and the title, returns in earnest.
Of course, there’s more to the weekend than just the Premier League. While the league has a huge line up of games, we’ve also got a cup final. The first silverware of the season is up for grabs at Wembley, as Liverpool take on Manchester City on Sunday. That game is the main event of the weekend, coming right on the back of Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal. Here we’re looking ahead to all the weekend’s live games, giving you a betting tip for each.
Saturday 27th February 2016
West Ham v Sunderland (12:45) – Dimitri Payet to score (2/1 with Bet365)
Saturday’s live games may not be the best, but they’re a fine warm up to Sunday’s action. This game has a bit of an edge to it, as Sam Allardyce returns to Upton Park. The Hammers will want to show how much they’ve moved on from him, while Sam needs his Sunderland side to continue picking up points in the fight for survival. A win at his former home wouldn’t be a shock, as his troops look to be improving at the minute. The only problem is that the Hammers are flying right now.
Having booked a place in the FA Cup quarter finals, West Ham are now back to their fight for Europe. They’re seventh in the table, just a point off Manchester United, and they could still make the Europa League. They need to keep picking up points if they’re to make the top six, and that’ll be a lot easier if Dimitri Payet keeps up his great form. The winger scored twice last weekend and he’s been a shining light for the Hammers this term. We see him getting on the scoresheet again here, showing why he’s one of the signings of the season.
West Brom v Crystal Palace (17:30) – Under 1.5 goals (13/8 with Betfair)
Saturday night’s game isn’t the most exciting, and it is probably the last one that each set of fans want on TV. Crystal Palace have been struggling for wins as they sink down the table like a stone. West Brom, on the other hand, know that the build up to this one will be dominated by the incident at the weekend, where Chris Brunt was hit in the face by a coin thrown by one of his own fans. It’s easy to see the sensible West Brom fans getting sick of hearing about that one.
That will dominate, mainly because neither of these two are doing anything of note on the pitch. Palace are doing their best to crash the relegation party by the looks of things, while the Baggies have been pretty dour in recent weeks. This seems like a weird one for broadcast, but it does have that manager versus former club edge. These two are locked on the same points, having conceded the same number of goals too. Palace are slightly ahead having scored a couple more, and we expect very little between these two. If there’s going to be a winner, it’s likely to be a 1-0, so we’re backing under 1.5 goals here.
Sunday 28th February 2016
Manchester United v Arsenal (14:05) – Arsenal to win (29/20 with Coral)
Sunday’s action is a massive step up in quality, as Arsenal head to Manchester United. The Red Devils have so many mounting problems ahead of this one, as their injury list grows and grows. Louis van Gaal has had problems getting things right with a full strength squad and now he’s missing some key stars. They come in to this one just days after a Europa League clash against FC Midtjylland, and that game could really take a toll on a squad that is currently stretched about as far as it can go.
With that in mind, you have to make the Gunners favourites here. They have a few days extra rest after their Champions League game, and they’re in pretty good form. They’re also in the opposite scenario to United, as their squad is gaining back a few injured stars. United do have a good record against sides in the top four, but right now they just don’t have the squad to compete with the title challengers. We see Arsenal taking all three points in this clash, ending United’s faint Champions League hopes for good.
Liverpool v Manchester City (16:30) – Over 1.5 City goals (5/4 with Coral)
The League Cup final is the main event on Sunday, as Manchester City look to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat last weekend. Manuel Pellegrini fielded a very weak side at Chelsea, and they were hammered 5-1. Expect a much stronger XI in this final, despite the Citizens having Champions League action in midweek. They have to fly out to Ukraine for their last 16 first leg, but they play 24 hours before Liverpool, which should help them recover in time for this match.
The Reds will fancy themselves for this one, but they have to negotiate a tricky Europa League tie with Augsburg first. If that game doesn’t go right for them, then their season is effectively done on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp won’t want to risk the Europa League, so he’ll be fielding a strong team there, despite this huge match. His team have had quite a few problems at the back this term, and we think City’s attack will be able to take advantage of that at Wembley. We’re backing over 1.5 City goals in this clash, as they rack up a few strikes against a below par, and likely tired, Reds defence.