The Premier League returns this weekend, and we have no more international break to worry about until the World Cup rolls around. There’s a clear run from here through to the end of the season, with sides facing no more than eight more matches before the end of the league campaign. The season seems to have run away as fast as City did at the top of the table, but at this late stage there’s still very little that is certain in the top flight.
City’s title win looks secured, and they need two wins to wrap up the league ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Everton. Aside from that, the fight for the top four is the main concern this term, and there are two big matches this weekend featuring teams pushing for the Champions League spots. With relegation-threatened sides in the mix too, this weekend’s live games all look good, and you can see our tips for them below.
Saturday 31st March 2018
Crystal Palace v Liverpool (12:30) – Liverpool and Over 2.5 (Evens with Coral)
Liverpool have put themselves in contention for second place with their recent form, and they can move back into the top two with a victory here. They head to Crystal Palace in the weekend’s early game, which should be an entertaining clash. The Eagles have issues of their own, as they’ve found themselves back fighting against the drop. A much needed win two weeks ago has put them in a stronger position, but they’ll be out to follow that up with a win against the Reds.
Roy Hodgson will be out to beat his former side, although Liverpool’s 5-0 win against Watford two weeks ago suggests that they are going to be hard to stop. Jurgen Klopp’s troops are as prolific on the road as they are at home, registering 48% of their points away from home this term. However, they’re much weaker at the back, as 71% of the goals they’ve let in this term have come away from Anfield. We expect more struggles for the Reds in this trip, so we’re backing a high scoring game in this one. Liverpool to win and over 2.5 match goals is our tip, at nice looking odds of evens with Coral.
Everton v Man City (17:30) – Both Teams to Score (Evens with Betfred)
Man City have a huge opportunity this weekend, as they look to close in on the title. While they can’t seal the trophy this weekend, they can arguably do something much sweeter. If they claim a victory at Goodison, then next weekend’s Manchester derby is the only game that City have to win in order to start the title celebrations. Doing that against their big rivals and Jose Mourinho would be a huge day for City and Pep Guardiola, but first they need a result on Merseyside.
While Everton aren’t enjoying the greatest of seasons this term, their home form isn’t to blame. They’ve been solid at this ground of late, and they’ve scored in their last four here. The Toffees have averaged 1.67 goals per game at their own ground, and we expect them to find the net against City. The hosts have scored 11 times in their last six meetings at home to the Citizens, and we see them finding the back of the net this weekend. While City should still end up leaving with the points, we’re backing both teams to score at evens with Betfred.
Sunday 1st April 2018
Arsenal v Stoke (13:30) – Arsenal -1 Handicap (4/5 with BetVictor)
Arsenal have a strong home record this season, despite their awful away struggles. That means that Stoke’s push for survival isn’t likely to be boosted in this one, and it explains why the Gunners are such heavy favourites for the points. While the Gunners have a history of struggling against their top six rivals, they have won 23 of their last 25 home league clashes against teams below them. We don’t expect that record to be stopped by a team who have the second worst away record in the top flight.
The Potters have one away win all season, losing on nine occasions. They’ve averaged less than a goal per game this term, while Arsenal have racked up 39 strikes at the Emirates so far. We expect them to add to that, as over a quarter of their home wins have come by more than one goal. Stoke have lost by at least three goals in four of their nine losses on the road, so Arsenal -1 seems like a great bet in this clash at 4/5 with BetVictor.
Chelsea v Tottenham (16:00) – Both Teams to Score (4/5 with Betfair)
This weekend’s big game is a straight fight for fourth, and Tottenham could end Chelsea’s hopes with a victory at the Bridge. The Blues are already losing ground on the top four after a poor run of results, and we’re not confident that they’ll crawl back into contention with a result in this clash. The Blues have some major issues, chiefly that they don’t have the defence which used to grind out results in big matches like this. Against a strong Spurs attack, that’s a serious worry for Antonio Conte, even if they won’t be facing Harry Kane.
However, the Blues have averaged 1.73 goals per game at their own ground this season, which should see them have some joy against Spurs. The visitors have conceded 16 times across their 15 league trips this term, and we see them struggling away to a big rival once again. They claimed one away win against top half opposition last year, and they have a single point from their trips to the rest of the top six this term. With that in mind, we think it’s worth backing both teams to score in this one at 4/5 with Betfair.