with the fight for the top four in the premier league getting even tighter, this weekend could be decisive in the race for the champions league spots. not only do two of the top six meet at wembley, but chelsea have an opportunity to end their awful run of form. there are plenty of live matches across the weekend, but before you go betting on any of this weekend’s six live games, you should take a look at our latest predictions and odds comparison.
the biggest game of the weekend is the opening one, as arsenal travel to wembley to face tottenham on saturday afternoon. while the gunners have a strong record at wembley, they are in awful shape on their travels in the premier league. arsene wenger’s side are strong at the emirates, but their terrible run away from home means they’re five points shy of making the champions league next season. can they close that gap by seeing off bitter rivals spurs? our odds comparison suggests that the visitors are big outsiders.
tottenham have finally started to make wembley their home, having won eight of their previous 10 at their new ground in the premier league. meanwhile, arsenal have picked up just 13 points from their 13 away trips this term, losing six of those. we expect arsenal to suffer again, especially at the hands of harry kane. the forward has struck 13 times in his last 10 matches, and he comes into this clash with six goals in his seven meetings with arsenal. he relishes these games, and as a result we’re backing him to score any time at best betting odds of 5/6 with ladbrokes.
man city have won their last 12 home matches in the premier league, while leicester have a single point from their previous four matches on the road. they should struggle in this trip, especially with what is going on behind the scenes. after city went chasing after riyad mahrez, the foxes’ winger is now absent from training. he’d be a crucial weapon for claude puel at the etihad, but without him the 2016 champions are clearly going to be weakened.
of course, even with the algerian they’d probably struggle to keep up with city. the league leaders have been almost unstoppable at their own ground, and they should look to make up for their 1-1 draw at burnley last weekend. we expect an impressive display from pep guardiola’s side, who have averaged 3.46 goals per game at home this term. they’ve scored three or more in their last five outings at home in the league, so we’re predicting over 2.5 city goals at odds of 4/5 with coral.
rafa benitez and jose mourinho lock horns once again this weekend, and the red devils head into this one in good form. with five wins in their last seven away trips in the league, they should be confident of coming away from newcastle with all three points. meanwhile, the hosts are winless in five, with just two victories in their previous 17 league matches. that run has heightened their relegation worries, and they are in danger of dropping into the bottom three this weekend, given the difficulty of this clash.
united aren’t in the title hunt – despite some suggesting one draw from city last weekend gave them a chance. however, they’re well on their way to securing a champions league spot for next season, with that competition now almost entirely their focus. they should take another step towards finishing in the top four for just the second time in five seasons with a win here. they are priced at 4/6 with bet365 according to our odds comparison, which is great value in our eyes.
liverpool are looking to strengthen their position in the top four, as they aim to chase down man united. their form has been solid in recent weeks, but they’ll be out to bounce back from a 2-2 draw with tottenham when they visit southampton on sunday. can they stop a saints side who seem to have sparked into life up front of late?
following their 3-2 win at west brom, the saints have now seen both teams score in their last five in the league. this clash with liverpool should lead to more of the same, as the reds are poor at the back. however, their defensive issues and brilliant attacking form on the road have resulted in plenty of high scoring games, and we expect this one to go the same way. you can back over 2.5 goals at 8/11 with william hill on our odds comparison, and that has landed in 85% of the reds’ away trips.
chelsea are descending into a full-blown crisis at the moment, following their 4-1 loss to watford. the club say their place in the top four, and continued progress in the fa cup and champions league, mean they’re sticking with antonio conte for the time being. however, there’s a high chance that the blues will be outside the top four when they kick off at the bridge against west brom, which could change the dynamic of the game.
the blues certainly have issues to deal with at the back, having shipped seven goals in their last two games – which came against bournemouth and watford. you’d imagine that would lead to extra coaching drills for the champions, but they’ve been given three days off. we expect west brom to punish their defence, so we’re backing both teams to score at 24/23 with unibet in this one.