Sandwiched in between Champions League games and a midweek round of Premier League action, we have an incredible weekend of sport, with so much to look forward to. On top of the Six Nations and an array of big games across Europe this week, top of the billing this weekend comes on Sunday with some huge Premier League action, and the small matter of the Capital One Cup final.
There are a total of three live games on Sunday, including the League Cup final, which means wall to wall football between 12 and 7 and no end of betting opportunities. As well as that there is a live game on Saturday lunchtime and we have all of those matches covered for you here. This is your preview of all the live football this weekend, with a betting tip for each game.
Saturday 28th February 2015
West Ham v Crystal Palace (12:45) – Palace or draw (17/20 with Ladbrokes)
Ahead of a packed Sunday, this game is almost a warm up to the main event. Despite that, it is an interesting clash, and certainly a more exciting proposition than it was last season. Both sides took a direct approach last term, but now they both are forward thinking attacking sides with a lot of pace. Both need the points for different reasons, which should make this a very entertaining game. Ahead of this match, the two teams are in very different runs of form.
West Ham have won just one of their last nine games, and while they still sit in the top half of the table, they are in danger of just letting their season fade away in the latter stages of the campaign. Palace have done well under Alan Pardew, especially away from home. They’re unbeaten in six on the road, and have yet to lose an away game under their new manager. With West Ham struggling to get wins, that record could well continue on Saturday and the Palace/Draw double chance is the way to go here.
Sunday 1st March 2015
Liverpool v Manchester City (12:00) – Liverpool to win (2/1 with Betfred)
The first of the live Sunday games sees last season’s top two meeting at Anfield. Manchester City have the chance to go just two points behind Chelsea with a win, but they face a really tough task here. After playing Barcelona at home, they need to come to a resurgent Liverpool, and that might just be a step too far for the champions. Can they juggle those two huge games in the space of a week? They do have the squad for it, but it’s worth remembering they did lose here last season.
Liverpool are the league’s form team right now, and they’re putting together a run that looks like landing them a Champions League place for the second season in a row. While they might not be living up to the title chasing antics of last term, they’ve adjusted to the post Suarez era well, and now everything is starting to click for them. With their summer buys now hitting form at the right time, could they ruin City’s title hopes here? Their Europa League trip to Turkey could be a huge factor ahead of this game, but City will be stretched too. Given their run of form, a win for the Reds is very well priced at odds of 2/1.
Arsenal v Everton (14:00) – Arsenal to win -1 handicap (6/4 with Sky Bet)
Straight after that we have Arsenal’s trip to Everton, with the Gunners looking like they’re on course for the top four yet again. They moved in to third place last weekend, and this is usually the time of year when they put a run together and silence all those who thought it would be the season when they miss out on the top four. Just like Liverpool, they’re starting to click at just the right time, and the quality of their forwards should see them in the Champions League again next season.
Last term it was Everton who were pushing Arsenal for fourth place, but it’s a very different story this time around. Everton are in the bottom half of the table, they’re only six points above the relegation zone and after a poor start to 2015, Roberto Martinez’s side look like they’re in trouble. They should be too good to be really dragged into a relegation fight, but it’s hard to see them getting anything here. Arsenal’s forwards have been in excellent form of late and they’ve been scoring goals for fun. They can take advantage of Everton’s surprisingly leaky backline, so a -1 handicap looks to be the way to go here.
Chelsea v Tottenham (17:00) – Both teams to score (5/6 with Bet365)
The final game on Sunday is the Capital One Cup final, being played at a slightly later time than usual. Chelsea come into this as favourites, but they are going to be without Nemanja Matic. The Serbian was sent off last weekend, and without him the Blues could struggle here. Matic had a poor game when these two sides last met and Spurs ran out 5-3 winners. Without Matic in the team, likely to be replaced by Mikel, could the Spurs attack be able to find space that easily again? They had Chelsea’s number last time the London rivals met, so they’ll be confident going into this one.
Spurs don’t have it all their own way here, as they’ll be coming in to this game on the back of a Europa League trip to Italy, and we’ve seen how that competition affected them in the early part of the season. They don’t have the best record against Chelsea, and the Blues are masters at winning these big pressure games. The final is a tight one, but that doesn’t mean we can’t expect goals. With Spurs’ defensive record and a Matic-less Chelsea, both teams to score looks to be the best bet ahead of this one at very generous odds.