The title, Champions League spots, minor European spots, and relegation are still highly contentious as we enter the final six weeks of the season. Consequently, every game holds importance in which should be one of the more enthralling ends to a campaign in recent seasons.
Liverpool went from favourites to third favourites in one fell swoop following their 2-2 at Old Trafford last weekend. Just $0.75 separates the three contenders with bet365. City and Arsenal got their jobs done comfortably in the league but found the going a bit tougher in Europe midweek.
Five games this weekend throw up favourites in black odds which is good for punters.
NEWCASTLE v TOTTENHAM: Saturday 13 April 9.30pm
POSITIONS: Newcastle 47pts, 8th. Spurs 60pts, 4th.
NEWCASTLE FORM: Made it seven points from the last three games with a late winner at Fulham last weekend. Going okay when facing sides below them in the table but their last four games against teams in the current top four has seen them lose each time, conceding 15 goals. On a run of five without defeat at St James' Park, albeit against sides seventh or lower.
SPURS FORM: Like Newcastle, two wins and a draw in the last three with West Ham the only top-half side in that sequence. Form too patchy since Xmas, winning twice in a row just once. Only one win on their travels in the past six.
HISTORY: A mixed bag of late with honours closely split. Plenty of goals as a rule, with 30 in the last six meetings.
Prediction: Draw ($4.00 with bet365*)
BRENTFORD v SHEFFIELD UTD: Sunday 14 April 12.00am
POSITIONS: Brentford 29pts, 15th. Sheffield Utd 16pts, 20th.
BRENTFORD FORM: Without a win since 10 February but the ship has steadied of late with three consecutive draws against decent opposition. Came back from a couple down with three quickfire second-half goals at Villa last weekend, only to concede again late. That ended a horror run away from home – they had lost nine of ten on the road prior to the Villa thriller.
SHEFFIELD UTD FORM: Just one win since they surprisingly won this reverse fixture on 9 December. Came back twice to share the points with Chelsea last time out in a game display but is too little too late.
HISTORY: The Blades win earlier in the season was the first clash of these clubs in the EPL. Just ten years ago they locked horns in the third tier, with the last win by Brentford coming in League One in 2013.
Prediction: Brentford win ($1.40 with bet365*)
BURNLEY v BRIGHTON: Sunday 14 April 12.00am
POSITIONS: Burnley 19pts, 19th. Brighton 43pts, 10th.
BURNLEY FORM: A run of four games without defeat came to an end at Goodison last weekend, a freakish goal on the stroke of halftime the difference. A terrible record at Turf Moor is the reason the Clarets will almost surely be heading back to the Championship, with just nine points accrued in 16 games, one less than their away tally.
BRIGHTON FORM: A shadow of the 22/23 side, unable to build any momentum after a bright start to the campaign. The last time the Seagulls recorded consecutive wins was 24 September. Their comprehensive 3-0 loss at home to Arsenal last time out made it 268 minutes without a goal, and just three scored in six games.
HISTORY: A 1-1 draw on the south coast in the first clash was a surprise result. In the Premier League era this has been a low-scoring affair, the 11 clashes yielding an average of less than two goals per game. Curiously, six of the 11 meetings have ended in draws, three of them 0-0.
Prediction: Brighton win ($2.00 with bet365*)
MANCHESTER CITY v LUTON: Sunday 14 April 12.00am
POSITIONS: Man City 39pts, 13th. Luton 44pts, 8th.
MAN CITY FORM: Made it 16 games without a loss when they overcame an early fright at Palace to cruise home 4-2 last weekend. It catapulted the three-peat champions back to favouritism for the title, and with De Bruyne now firing on all cylinders they are the side to beat. The scariest stat for Luton is that City is undefeated at the Etihad in 27 games.
LUTON FORM: Expunged the horror of their capitulation to Bournemouth in March by grabbing a couple of late goals to steal all three points against the Cherries at home last Saturday. Thanks to FFP penalties against Everton and Forest, the flickers of hope for survival remain, although damage control is probably all they can hope for in this one.
HISTORY: Surely the greatest David v Goliath clash in world football. Goliath was behind until the 62nd minute in the reverse clash at Kenilworth Road, eventually limping home 2-1. Luton last defeated City in 1988 in a League Cup clash, a long while before Arab money was a thing in football.
Prediction: Manchester City win ($1.10 with bet365*)
NOTTINGHAM FOREST v WOLVES: Sunday 14 April 12.00am
POSITIONS: Forest 25pts, 17th. Wolves 42pts, 11th.
FOREST FORM: Picked up five crucial points in three games before a predictable defeat at Spurs last weekend. Form at the City Ground has been far less formidable than last season – seven losses so far this campaign against five in the whole of 22/23. Just one clean sheet in the last 21 games is a real Achilles heel.
WOLVES FORM: Having a torrid campaign with officialdom. Equalised in the dying stages at home against West Ham last time out only for VAR to intervene with an offside call. To the letter of the law it was the right decision, to any fair-minded fan of the sport it was deplorable. The offside rule, and VAR's irritating involvement in judgment calls, need urgent attention. It torpedoed any chance Wolves had of European qualification.
HISTORY: Three low-scoring matches since Forest's return to the top-flight; a 1-1 draw earlier this season followed a 1-1 at the City Ground last season and a 1-0 to Wolves at Molineux.
Prediction: Draw ($3.40 with bet365*)
BOURNEMOUTH v MANCHESTER UTD: Sunday 14 April 2.30am
POSITIONS: Bournemouth 41pts, 12th. Manchester Utd 49pts, 6th.
BOURNEMOUTH FORM: A sparkling run of form that saw the Cherries pick up 13 points from 15 ended at Kenilworth Road last Saturday when they conceded a couple late to succumb to Luton. They have really struggled against sides in the top six this season; the memorable 3-0 win at Old Trafford in this reverse clash being three of just four points collected in nine games.
MAN UTD FORM: Survived a relentless onslaught by Liverpool last Sunday to escape with a point. That makes it just one win in the last six games, wiping out any chance of Champions League qualification and jeopardising their top six position. Late goals have been features of their last three games, both in a positive and negative way.
HISTORY: That 3-0 shock win to Bournemouth in December was just their third in 13 in the EPL era. Man U has collected all three points on nine occasions.
Prediction: Manchester Utd win ($2.70 with bet365*)
LIVERPOOL v CRYSTAL PALACE: Sunday 14 April 11.00pm
POSITIONS: Liverpool 71pts, 2nd. Palace 30pts, 14th.
LIVERPOOL FORM: Dominated at Old Trafford last weekend yet had to rely on a late Salah penalty to extract a point, losing their grip on leadership in the process. To be frank, the Reds have not been doing it easy for a while. They have come from behind to beat Luton and Brighton, and scored late to defeat Forest and Sheffield Utd. A calamitous 0-3 loss at home to Atalanta in the Europa League is one of the club's worst results in the Klopp era.
PALACE FORM: Just one win in nine sees the Eagles an all-to-familiar position – likely to survive but forever wedged in that 10th to 15th position. The away form has been dire since a win at Turf Moor on 4 November, picking up a mere four points from a possible 30.
HISTORY: One-way traffic in the last 13 meetings – Liverpool has won 11 with two drawn. Goals for 33, goals against eight.
Prediction: Liverpool win ($1.22 with bet365*)
WEST HAM v FULHAM: Sunday 14 April 11.00pm
POSITIONS: West Ham 48pts, 7th. Fulham 39pts, 13th.
WEST HAM FORM: Match officials seem to be playing a bigger part in their outcomes than the players. Robbed of a win at St James' Park a fortnight ago then very lucky to have a late Wolves equaliser chalked off at Molineux most recently. That loss against Newcastle is the only one in the past seven games, keeping next season's European hopes alive. Progress in the Europa League this season seems unlikely after Leverkusen dominated and won 2-0 in Germany on Thursday evening.
FULHAM FORM: A 3-2 win at home against Spurs on 16 March is a diamond among some stony displays of late. They were poor away at Forest before a spirited effort at the Cottage against Newcastle last weekend, only for a late goal to deny them the point. Marco Silva's men have not won away from Craven Cottage since opening day.
HISTORY: Fulham thumped West Ham 5-0 in the reverse clash in December. Prior to that the Hammers had won five of the previous six encounters, with one drawn.
Prediction: Draw ($3.60 with bet365*)
ARSENAL v ASTON VILLA: Monday 15 April 1.30am
POSITIONS: Arsenal 71pts, 1st. Villa 60pts, 5th.
ARSENAL FORM: Kept their outstanding domestic form going at Brighton last weekend with a comprehensive 3-0 win. Their scoreless draw at the Etihad are the only points dropped this calendar year. Backing up from a disappointing draw in the Champions League quarter final at home against Bayern Munich. The German giants aren't firing this season, so it was a great opportunity squandered.
VILLA FORM: A thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Brentford last time makes it just five points from their last five games and fourth spot handed to Spurs. Conceding seven goals in the past two matches is a concern for Emery, particularly the three in quick succession at home to Brentford who aren't exactly punching the lights out at the moment. Won 2-1 over Lille in the Conference League on Thursday evening, conceding late which adds pressure on the return leg.
HISTORY: Villa defeated Arsenal at home in December in the midst of a golden run of form. Overall, this fixture has been kind to Arsenal who has won 15 of the past 21 meetings. Interestingly, no draws in the last 17 clashes between this pair.
Prediction: Arsenal win ($1.28 with bet365*)
CHELSEA v EVERTON: Tuesday 16 April 5.00am
POSITIONS: Chelsea 44pts, 9th. Everton 27pts, 16th.
CHELSEA FORM: A very difficult team to pick. Some fine recent results include wins over Man Utd and Newcastle, and a draw with Man City, but three 2-2 draws in the past six weeks against sides in the bottom six have scuppered hopes of a top six finish. Form at Stamford Bridge is becoming a bit more reliable, with just one loss in their last ten.
EVERTON FORM: Broke a run of 13 games without a win with a fortuitous 1-0 victory over Burnley at Goodison last weekend. The side galvanised the last time FFP penalties were imposed, so Dyche will be hoping for a similar reaction after the latest points snip.
HISTORY: Chelsea's form line in the last five seasons against the Toffees reads L W L W D L W D L – an eclectic set of results. Remarkably though, the last time Everton won in the EPL at Stamford Bridge was 1994.
Prediction: Chelsea win ($1.66 with bet365*)
SUGGESTED WAGERS:
Manchester Utd to win at $2.70* with bet365.
Brentford to win by two or more goals at $2.10* with bet365.
*Odds correct at 7.50am 12 April 2024.
