The Premier League title race has just 10 more rounds to go, but just who will be lifting the trophy come May? It really does seem to be anyone’s guess at this stage, but this weekend could be a decisive one in the title race as Leicester face a tricky away tie, and their closest challengers come face to face in the early kick off. Will the Foxes’ lead open up, or will they slip up – as they’ve been predicted to do for months?
The weekend kicks off with the north London derby at White Hart Lane, with both Arsenal and Spurs in the title fight. Saturday finishes off with Leicester’s trip to Watford, a ground that brought them quite a bit of pain a few years back. Sunday’s action it a bit lower key, with Manchester United and Liverpool in action as they chase the European places, warming up for their Europa League meeting. Here is our look at the weekend’s biggest games, along with our betting tip for each match.
Saturday 5th March 2016
Tottenham v Arsenal (12:45) – Tottenham to win (29/20 with Betfair)
It’s going to be hard for any league game this weekend to follow this game. Tottenham and Arsenal sit inside the top three, both on course to finish in the Champions League spots. But, both teams harbour ambitions to win the title, as they look to wrestle control of the title race from Leicester. Can either claim a massive win here to damage their rivals’ chances, or will these two cancel each other out and fall further behind the league leaders?
You’d expect that this will be a great game, both of these sides play attractive football, with two different styles. Right now, you have to give the edge to Tottenham. Not only are they a better unit than Arsenal, they also have a better record in these big games. They came close to winning at the Emirates earlier in the season, but they broke down under heavy pressure from Arsenal and had to settle for a draw. They’ve improved hugely since then, and at their own stadium we see them imposing themselves on the Gunners. We’re backing a win for Spurs here at 29/20 with Betfair.
Watford v Leicester (17:30) – Leicester to win (7/5 with Sky Bet)
Leicester’s title campaign has been a brilliant story, but honestly, is it as good as the play-off semi-final that these two played here a few years ago? You must remember the incredible scenes when Leicester missed a penalty that would have sent them through, and then Watford went straight up the other end and scored to book a place at Wembley. It was an incredible moment, possibly the most devastating counter-attack imaginable. It’s hard to imagine either of these sides forgetting that moment in a hurry.
The Foxes can’t afford to dwell on it too much, as they have history of their own to make. They continue their amazing title push at Vicarage Road, which is a very tough place to come to. There’s good reason why Leicester are such good odds here, as Watford are a tough side to beat at home. They’ll be organised, but we think that Claudio Ranieri’s men will find a way through and claim the points. They showed against Norwich how they could change a game late on to find a breakthrough, and we see this clash being similar. We’re backing the Leicester win, but draw/Leicester in the HT/FT market is worth a look at 5/1 with Bet365.
Sunday 6th March 2016
Crystal Palace v Liverpool (13:30) – Both teams to score (Evens with Betfair)
Crystal Palace are in awful shape at the moment, their European hopes have faded and they aren’t too far off being sucked into a relegation battle. While it’s hard to see them dropping out of the league, this really isn’t good enough for a side who were fifth back in December. Back then, Alan Pardew was being touted as a future England manager. Right now, he seems like he’s really feeling the pressure, as his side consistently fail to produce results. They may have picked up a few cup wins, but they really need points on the board as soon as possible.
It may seem strange to go from that to suggesting Palace will do well here, but we think they might. They tend to trouble Liverpool, and the Reds have so many games on their plate at the moment. They’re back in Europa League action soon after this, and that will be their main priority. Also, this kind of game is usually when Jurgen Klopp’s side tend to have problems. A quick and pacey side who they are expected to comfortably beat, that’s hurt them on several occasions. Palace won at Anfield earlier in the season, and we’re backing them to get on the scoresheet at least here.
West Brom v Manchester United (16:00) – Over 1.5 United goals (21/20 with Betfair)
Manchester United have exploded into form in their last couple of games, with youngster Marcus Rashford stealing the show. His displays have been likened to Wayne Rooney’s incredible arrival on the scene, and United could really do with a new Rooney. They head to West Brom on Sunday full of confidence, and they’ll want to string together a decent run before they get into their Europa League clash with Liverpool on the following Thursday night. Can they pull off a victory at the Hawthorns?
West Brom may have had a big win here last weekend, but it’s hard to see them taking much from this game. They haven’t had too much of an effect on the big guns at home this season, and their form has been generally poor. They aren’t quite as compact at the back as Tony Pulis sides usually are. Given that Connor Wickham managed to score two goals on his own here for a struggling Palace, we think that United are capable of at least matching that. We’re backing over 1.5 United goals, which is priced at 21/20 with Betfair.