This weekend’s Premier League action could see Chelsea finally lift the Premier League title, while there is also plenty to play for down at the bottom. Last weekend saw Leicester move out of the relegation zone, and this weekend they have a great chance to not just open that gap further, but they can also drag another side into the relegation dogfight.
The live televised football on offer isn’t too focused on the relegation battle, with the champions elect and the rest of the sides in the top four taking centre stage. Despite that, we still have quite an interesting line up of games across the weekend, which will mainly concentrate on the fight for second place. Here we have previews for all four of the weekend’s live games, and we’ve included betting tips for each one.
Saturday 2nd May 2015
Leicester v Newcastle (12:45) – Leicester to win (19/20 with Sky Bet)
BT Sport probably had about fifth pick of the weekend’s games, but they’ve somehow managed to get the most interesting match of the lot. While Sky may have Chelsea winning the league, this game has arguably two relegation candidates given Newcastle’s recent form. It features a Leicester side who are odds-on to win, and they need to deal with the pressure of that expectation after a fantastic comeback from being mired in the drop zone to claw their way up to 17th place in four games.
Early in the season they struggled to deal with being favourites after they pulled off some impressive results, and you have to wonder if that will be the case again here. Luckily, they face the side that everyone in the league wants to play right now. Newcastle have lost seven games on the spin, and with only four points separating Leicester and Newcastle, the Magpies are in relegation trouble. They may have picked up a few too many points to be in trouble, but they could have to go in to the last day of the season with their safety not guaranteed. The Foxes’ recent excellent form mixed with Newcastle’s plight means that there’s only one side to back here, with the hosts very well priced at just under evens.
Manchester United v West Brom (17:30) – United -1 handicap (11/10 with Sky Bet)
This is hardly the kind of game we want to see at the end of the season, a United side safely in the top four facing a West Brom side who have nothing to play for, assuming they get the one or two points that will guarantee their top flight survival before the end of the campaign. The Red Devils do have ambitions of securing at least a top three finish, but it’s hard to imagine them having any trouble against the Baggies. They’ve been inconsistent in recent weeks, while United have won six on the spin at home.
West Brom’s win at Palace and point at home to Liverpool have ended any real possibility of relegation, and they’ll now be stuttering towards the finish line and looking to start preparing for next season. They did pull off a great win at Old Trafford last year, but almost everyone seemed to come away with points against David Moyes and co last season. This time, United will be looking to lay down a marker by trying to finish as high as they can, whilst also securing a place in the group stages of the Champions League with a top three finish. They’re in great scoring form at home, so they’re worth backing to get the win by a few goals here.
Sunday 3rd May 2015
Chelsea v Crystal Palace (13:30) – Chelsea to win to nil (11/10 with Coral)
Sky have effectively booked out Chelsea’s remaining games, just so they are there to cover the moment they regain the Premier League title. This could well be that moment, as they are six points from the title at the time of writing. Win against Leicester, and a win here would wrap up the title with three games to spare. They’re heavy favourites to win this one, which is hardly surprising given their unbeaten home record in the league this season.
Palace have little to play for, other than pushing for a top half spot. You’d be able to tell that from their recent games, after they were beaten at home by West Brom and Hull. They’ve completed a magnificent turnaround since Pardew joined, so they can probably be excused for not being at their best in recent weeks. That suits Chelsea, who will be looking to just get these next six points out of the way to finally confirm the title after being top since their first game. They should get three of those points here, and keep a clean sheet in the process.
Tottenham v Manchester City (13:30) – City to win (Evens with BetVictor)
This is a game that has diminished in importance since it was picked to be televised. City have fallen way off the title pace, and Tottenham have given up their chase for the top four. They are now fighting to stay in the top six, while City are looking to hold on to second from Arsenal and United. Both sides have had to lower their ambitions, and after doing that their form hasn’t been too impressive. Spurs lost their last home game against Aston Villa, so they’ll really need to up their game ahead of this one.
This could be City’s first outing without the title of Premier League champions, depending how other events pan out earlier in the day. They’ve been in horrific form away from home having lost their last five in a row, but after back to back wins at home they now look to be getting back on track. If there’s anywhere to go where you could see City turning around that dismal away record, it’s White Hart Lane. Spurs’ defending at Southampton last week was nothing short of embarrassing at times, and Sergio Aguero could rip them apart if they play like that again. With City out at evens, it’s worth backing them to turn that poor record around.