the world cup qualifiers are all but done and dusted, with just the play-offs left. before that we have plenty of club action to enjoy though. club football certainly returns with a bang this weekend as we have liverpool versus manchester united as the first premier league clash following the international break.
we’re previewing that one, plus arsenal’s trip to watford later in the day. on sunday southampton host newcastle whilst the weekend is nicely extended by the monday night football clash between leicester and west brom in the east midlands.
as usual, we’ve got live odds comparison for all of those games, bringing you the best betting odds for the key markets. our odds comparison brings you the best prices from all the top bookies and saves you a lot of time if you want to make sure you get the best available value, be that on our tips or picks of your own.
by far the biggest game of the weekend sees jose mourinho’s red devils travel to anfield to play jurgen klopp’s liverpool. both sides would have wanted a title challenge this season, with a top four and a decent run in the champions league being the minimum requirement.
after seven games it is looking like klopp’s title hopes may have to wait for another season but his portuguese rival will be delighted with the start made by his side. united have dropped just two points and are joint top but liverpool are down in seventh, three draws and a defeat badly harming their cause.
it could be argued that the red devils have had some very easy fixtures but they have continued to put aside whatever has been put in front of them. they have been scoring for fun and also look very good at the back, with phil jones a revelation.
in contrast the anfield club have one of the worst defensive records in the entire premier league and have scored eight fewer goals than united. their defence has been consistently sloppy and they need to alter that if they are to have any chance of making the top four.
liverpool will hope that romelu lukaku is unable to shake off a knock in time to play and they will also hope their fine record against the best sides can see them through. they are warm favourites at odds of 6/4 with bet365, with the draw 12/5 at william hill. united are priced at 9/5 with ladbrokes and others in our odds comparison.
much as united have started the season in expansive style, we feel mourinho will revert to type here and opt for a more defensive approach. we predict a cagey game, with the visitors committing few men forward. the draw seems well priced but our main betting tip is under 2.5 goals at huge odds of 41/40 with sportingbet.
saturday’s late kick-off sees eighth placed watford host fifth placed arsenal. the hornets could move into the top four with a win and have made a superb start under their new manager marco silva.
despite that, it is the gunners who are favourites here. they are, in fact, odds-on, available at just 4/6 with betway, whilst the home side are way out at best betting odds of 9/2 with paddy power and others. the draw, which will tempt some punters, is available at odds of 16/5 with william hill.
given the gunners have a number of injury concerns here they look far too short at just 4/6 and so we’re tempted by the watford/draw double chance. 11/8 with unibet is a big price given how well silva’s men have started and that is our top tip here in a game we predict will be far closer than the odds suggest.
on sunday the highlight of the football betting is southampton’s home game against newcastle. there doesn’t seem too much between these teams, although newcastle have made the brighter start to the campaign to sit ninth, three places and two points ahead of the saints.
with home advantage it is the south coast club who are clear favourites here though. they are available at betting odds of 5/6 with bet365. if you think the toon can scrape a draw that can be backed at 13/5 with betfair whilst an away win is considered the least likely option and is priced at 10/3 by coral.
predicting results after an international break is always a tad complicated but we think that the home side may just have enough to nick this one. we like the look of draw/southampton in the ht/ft market, with odds of 15/4 at bet365 well worth a small bet.
after enduring a tough monday at work, there is some nice premier league action to enjoy as a reward. these two teams are ones whose primary aim is probably a top half finish this term but with the foxes down in 17th they need to start picking up points sooner rather than later.
the baggies, under the brilliant tony pulis, are up in 10th, with nine points from their opening seven fixtures. they are underdogs here though, a roll they enjoy, priced at 16/5 with sportingbet. the home side are available at evens with william hill and we think they will manage a big win here.
we don’t predict too much entertainment, with the baggies sure to be aware of leicester’s threat on the break. however, the foxes have had some tough fixtures but against a side of similar ability we fancy home advantage will be enough for them to get a very valuable three points.