This weekend’s Premier League action is packed with big games, including three derby matches. The league title could be decided on Saturday evening, as the leaders Man City host neighbours Man United. Before that, the Merseyside derby kicks off the weekend, as Liverpool are hoping to leapfrog United and take second with a victory over local rivals Everton.
Sunday sees Arsenal back in action after their Europa League game, with the Gunners less concerned about this one than opponents Southampton. The weekend wraps up at Stamford Bridge, with West Ham the visitors against the struggling Blues. Ahead of this busy couple of days of action, we’ve run through the four live matches and picked out a few betting tips for you to consider. You can see our predictions below, along with our reasoning behind each.
Saturday 7th April 2018
Everton v Liverpool (12:30) – Liverpool and Over 1.5 Goals (19/20 with Betfred)
Starting at Goodison Park, the Toffees are fresh off a 3-1 defeat to Man City at this ground. They aren’t exactly in the best form going into this huge clash, especially with Liverpool flying this season. The Reds will be slightly preoccupied this week, as they are in the middle of their Champions League clash with Man City. However, the Citizens still have a role to play in Liverpool’s weekend, as a victory for the leaders in the Manchester derby would allow Jurgen Klopp and his men to jump up to second place in the table.
With second spot on offer for Liverpool, we can’t see them taking this derby lightly. It’s something which has bitten Klopp in the past, and we don’t expect him to significantly weaken his side for this one. The Reds should have enough quality to secure a win in this trip to their local rivals, having won four of the last five meetings between the pair. We think the visitors are a solid price for a result in this one, but you can add a slight boost by backing them to win with over 1.5 goals scored. There have been at least two goals in 94% of the Reds’ trips, so that seems like a solid bet.
Man City v Man United (17:30) – City to win (5/6 with BetVictor)
The leaders are a victory away from the league title, and it comes right at the worst possible time for them. They’re focusing on the Champions League this week according to Pep Guardiola, but he’s not been one for heavy rotation in the league this season. The Catalan has kept together most of his key men for league matches, so we can’t see him suddenly sacrificing such a huge game by going overboard with changes in this huge match for the Citizens.
The visitors aren’t exactly pushing for much in the league, and they’ve disappointed in their last three away league games. Meanwhile, the hosts come into this game having won their last 14 home league games, while Guardiola has the edge over Mourinho in league meetings between them in England. We expect the hosts to win out, as they simply have too much quality for a United side who are struggling to settle in terms of tactics and team selection. City are playing brilliant football going into a historic game for the club, and we think the leaders are overpriced at 5/6 with BetVictor.
Sunday 8th April 2018
Arsenal v Southampton (14:15) – Arsenal -1 (7/5 with Coral)
Arsenal may not be in the race for the top four, but they’re looking to continue their momentum in order to challenge for the Europa League. The Gunners are going up against such a poor Southampton side, it’s hard to make any kind of case for the visitors getting a result. They come here in the bottom three, while we just saw Mark Hughes’ former Stoke side lose 3-0 at the Emirates. The Gunners have won 3-0 in their last two Premier League games here, while they have the third best home record in the division, with 12 victories from a possible 16 this term.
The Gunners have managed to swat away smaller sides in order to put together that form, and they’ve won at home to every side below them in the table so far this season. Those wins have been far from routine, with the hosts taking the points by a two goal margin or greater in 75% of their league victories. We see them securing another comfortable win, as the Saints have been comprehensively beaten in over half their league defeats. We’re backing Arsenal with a -1 goal handicap here, which is priced at decent odds of 7/5 with Coral.
Chelsea v West Ham (16:30) – Both Teams to Score (11/10 with Betfair)
Chelsea have plenty to worry about heading into their clash with London rivals West Ham. The Blues are coming off a defeat to capital opposition, after being beaten 3-1 at home to Tottenham last weekend. The Blues have lost five of their last seven matches, keeping one clean sheet in that time. That awful run has ended their hopes of making the Champions League next term, which is a blow to a side who need to be bringing in big name targets in the summer after their recent displays.
West Ham are edging towards safety in the top flight, yet they are losing too many matches away from home. The Hammers have conceded 37 times on the road this term, an average of 2.3 per game. They’ve been heavily beaten in their last three trips, but the visitors have at least been scoring. They have found the net in their previous eight away games in the league, which should continue against Chelsea and their struggling defence. We’re backing both teams to score in Sunday’s match, which seems overpriced at 11/10 with Betfair given the respective form of the sides.