17/5, 13/5 and 6/4 winners last week. C’est magnifique – Hooky Street.
What a carry-on at Old Trafford currently, eh? Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick and captain Bruno Fernandes have reportedly met face-to-face this week to clear the air.
They settled their differences with a handshake, a pint of Theakston Old Peculier and a bag of pork scratchings apiece. They also agreed to blame VAR for everything going forward.
Read on for the best bets from this weekend’s Premier League TV games. Sports News Blitz’s punting laureate, The Bookie Basher, breaks down the action. Sunday’s seismic clash between Liverpool and Arsenal also features.
Chelsea v Manchester United
United sit 16th in the Premier League and have gone eight games without a win. If you support Manchester United, it’s looking grim, bruv.
They dropped the ball in the summer. The club strengthened a midfield that was perfectly fine but neglected to sign a striker or any full-backs.
As a result, United lack attacking options. What the f**k was that last Sunday? Chopping down a massive oak tree with a butter knife springs to mind.
Surely anyone with a prefrontal cortex can see that Chelsea are the bet here?
If 5/6 doesn’t float your boat, how about 9/4 on Chelsea to win and both teams to score?
Half of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season have seen both sides score before half-time. You would also hope the Red Devils produce a better performance than they did against Bournemouth.
Cole Palmer will not miss Chelsea’s meeting with United at Stamford Bridge, despite his red card against Tottenham last time out.
Instead, Palmer served his suspension during the Blues’ EFL Cup fourth-round match away at Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso needs a win after a difficult week. He should get one against a frankly shambolic United side.
Suggested bet: Chelsea to win & both teams to score at 9/4 (Sky Bet)
Tottenham v Crystal Palace
Spurs have won their last two league games – including an impressive 2-0 victory away to Chelsea – while Palace have struggled for consistency and I’m finding it tough to forget just how bobbins they were during that heavy 5-0 defeat to Brighton earlier this month.
I fancy Spurs but would be more confident if I knew James Maddison was fit.
He’s some player, Maddison. Midfield metronome. User of sun beds. Probably dabbles with the old Botox, too.
Historically Spurs have bossed this fixture too, winning eight of the last 10 home games against the Eagles.
Truthfully? I don’t hate the 17/2 that Roberto De Zerbi’s men win this 1-0.
Suggested bet: Tottenham to win 1-0 at 17/2 (bet365)
Aston Villa v Fulham
Villa will be buoyed by an impressive 2-1 victory over Manchester City last time out (tipped up on these very pages) while Fulham have shown enough resilience in recent weeks to suggest they should be good enough to stay up this season.
There is something quietly remarkable about Unai Emery’s ability to keep building good teams in a game increasingly dominated by money.
For most people, the sale of a key player can leave a manager spending months trying to repair the damage.
At Aston Villa, Emery lost a slew of top names in the summer but has shown that the art of management is not simply a matter of assembling expensive talent, but of giving a side an identity, teaching its players to understand their responsibilities and making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
The Villans have won their last five home games against Fulham and have also scored before half-time in each of their last four home games.
Suggested bet: Aston Villa / Aston Villa – Half-Time Full / Time at 11/5 (Boylesports)
Liverpool v Arsenal
Liverpool have definitely found some form over the last few weeks, but this is a huge test for Andoni Iraola’s new regime.
The Reds are certainly in better spirits. Since that humbling defeat against Manchester City, they reeled off four successive wins before beating Chelsea on pens in the League Cup.
Iraola seems to be getting a tune out of his costly forward line (something Arne Slot could not do in his final season) and the progress Rio Ngumoha has made under him has been noteworthy.
That said, Arsenal land at Anfield with the stronger league record.
They are six points ahead of Liverpool, and with the sort of defensive assurance that makes opponents feel they must earn every inch of daylight.
Mikel Arteta’s side have shown a capacity to control games through disciplined positioning and patient possession.
Liverpool, encouraged by their recent improvement, will want to make Sunday afternoon less orderly, to turn the spaces between Arsenal’s lines into places of alarm.
The Gunners have won 11 of their 13 matches this season, and they get the vote here due to just how good they have looked defensively.
Indeed, the partnership of Ezri Konsa and Gabriel could not be going much better. Nine starts, seven wins, five clean sheets (and two goals between them as well).
It should be a cracker, but when the dust settles, I expect everyone on Arsenal at 11/8 to be collecting.
Suggested bet: Arsenal to win at 11/8 (Betfair / Paddy Power / Sky Bet)
