April provides a packed month of football, as we head towards our third round of Premier League games in a week. The last two have seen big twists and turns across the table, can this weekend send more shocks around the league? Depending on who you listen to, the title is either already won or being fought for by Chelsea and Tottenham. Can the Blues take another step towards sealing it this weekend?
The live matches on Saturday feature both of the top two in very winnable games, while Sunday is all about the race for the Champions League. Manchester United are heading towards their final shot at the top four, given their recent form. Meanwhile, Everton are hoping to boost their faint hopes of fourth with a win over Leicester. Ahead of those matches, we’ve picked out a betting tip on each of the live games for you to take a look at.
Saturday 8th April 2017
Tottenham v Watford (12:45) – Tottenham to win to nil (21/20 with BetVictor)
Tottenham needed to save themselves with three late strikes at Swansea in midweek, but they’re unlikely to suffer the same problems on Saturday. They face a Watford side who have very little to play for, one who are likely to swap out their manager yet again after securing safety. The players are hardly going to be hugely motivated to cause a shock here when they have little to focus on in the run in. It’s pretty easy to see why Spurs are heavy favourites to wrap up the points in this one.
Spurs come into this game having won 10 straight matches at White Hart Lane, while they’re in excellent defensive form. They’ve won to nil in 60% of their outings at home in the league, and they face a Watford side who are yet to fully replace Odion Ighalo. The Hornets look short on the attacking front, and we can’t see them breaking through this Tottenham backline. We’re backing Spurs to add to their impressive clean sheet return, and keep up their winning run. A home win to nil is our tip, which is 21/20 with BetVictor.
Bournemouth v Chelsea (17:30) – Both teams to score (10/11 with Betfred)
Chelsea steadied the ship with their 2-1 win over Manchester City in midweek. Having lost at home to Crystal Palace last weekend, cracks were starting to appear in Antonio Conte’s team. However, they managed to respond like champions should, by pulling off another big win. Given the form of Eden Hazard in that match, and the impressive nature of their front three, we can’t see any problems for the Blues going forward at the Vitality Stadium. They scored four times on their last visit, and we wouldn’t be shocked by a similar display.
However, the Blues also conceded here last season, and they are likely to have more defensive problems. Chelsea have now conceded in their last eight Premier League matches, a worrying defensive run which caught them off guard against Palace.
Moreover, they’re facing a Bournemouth side who have scored in 80% of their home matches, so we’re backing the Cherries to make the most of the Blues’ defensive problems. The home side scored twice at Anfield in midweek, and they should build on that against the leaders. We’re backing both teams to score, something which has happened in eight straight games for Chelsea. It’s priced at 10/11 with Betfred.
Sunday 9th April 2017
Sunderland v Manchester United (13:30) – Under 2.5 goals (Evens with Coral)
Manchester United may have a Europa League game on Thursday to worry about, but they’ve first got to see off Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats aren’t much of a challenge right now, they seem doomed for a drop into the Championship. After losing the two games David Moyes targeted to kick start a survival push, there’s little hope that he’ll see his current team claim points against his former charges. After all, Sunderland have failed to score in 50% of their Premier League outings this term.
The Red Devils aren’t exactly full of goals, the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic only kicked in for them in added time in midweek. They toiled to a 1-1 draw with Everton, just days after a 0-0 with West Brom. The loss of Juan Mata is a huge blow to them creatively, and the lack of forwards means they have an over reliance on Zlatan. We can’t see United racking up a big scoreline here, and another 0-0 wouldn’t surprise us. We’re backing under 2.5 goals at evens with Coral, which seems like great value given their current form.
Everton v Leicester (16:00) – Leicester draw no bet (14/5 with Coral)
In-form Leicester head to Everton on Sunday, as they aim to continue their excellent winning run. The Foxes are in Champions League action in midweek, but they won’t be worrying about that when they travel to Goodison Park. The key thing for Craig Shakespeare is to keep the momentum they’ve built up in recent weeks, which has pushed them up the table and to incredible heights in Europe. Can they continue their brilliant winning run at Goodison Park this weekend? After one point from a possible six this week for Everton, the hosts aren’t going to be high on morale.
Leicester have already won at Goodison this season, claiming a 2-1 victory here in the FA Cup. That should spur them on to another victory, as they look to carry that form into their midweek meeting with Atletico Madrid. We’re backing the Foxes to continue their streak in this clash, despite Everton’s outside hopes of making the Champions League. The Foxes are fantastically priced at 14/5 with Coral on the draw no bet market, and we’re backing them to pull off another impressive victory.