As we’re finally done with the drama of Champions League football, we’re heading into another week of Premier League action this weekend. A lot of big teams are coming off upsetting results from Europe, and they’d be aching to get back to the winning run.
Without much fuss, let’s head straight into the analysis of each impending game in the Matchweek 6 of the Premier League.
Southampton vs Bournemouth
After a shaky start, Southampton got back on their feet. They’re unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions. They would look to continue that as they take on Cherries on Friday night at St. Mary’s.
History tells that getting points from St. Mary’s has always been a challenge for Bournemouth. Their questionable away form only swings the odds in favor of hosts. Bournemouth has lost 12 of their last 14 games on the road. And out of the last six meetings between these two, four have ended as draws. While Southampton has gone home with a win in two, beating Southampton has been elusive for Cherries in recent times.
Keeping all the aspects in mind, the hosts look to be the favorites to win the game.
Southampton vs Bournemouth Lines And Odds
It may look like a probably win for Southampton, but the form of Callum Wilson would mushroom his chances to score in the game regardless of the result. The best bets would be Southampton win with both teams scoring.
Leicester City Vs Spurs
Spurs season has been a rum do. They could stun the league champions in a 2-2 draw and could lose to one of the weakest attacking sides in the league after that game. Following the same trend, just when we thought they might have got the winning touch back again, they gave away a two-goal lead in their Champions League this week. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it should have been a win.
Hosts also aren’t going in with their best form as they tasted their first defeat of the season on their trip to Old Trafford last week. Their attack hasn’t looked enough reliable this season. The only win that had the glimmer of hope was the one that came at home against the Cherries.
If we see head-to-head stats between these two, Spurs have the edge as they have been the winners in the last three meetings between these two in all competitions.
Both teams share the same spot on the league table with 8 points each and this looks like an evenly matched game.
Leicester City Vs Spurs Lines And Odds
Although both of these sides have been inconsistent and unpredictable so far, Spurs having the better squad have the edge in this one. The game could also end as a draw, but the most certain thing that I see in this one is both teams finding the back of the net.
Manchester City Vs Watford
Their comfortable win in the Champions League might have restored the spirits in the dressing room. It’s hard to not address the elephant in the room that would have a profound impact on the psychology of this game. Manchester City finally lost a game, that too against a newly promoted side.
As if the injury of the mainspring of their defensive setup wasn’t enough to make life tough for the Pep Guardiola, the injury of John Stones would only make the pile of worries thicker for him. All the goals that Manchester City conceded in the last game were influenced by their defensive errors. They are short of center-back options right now, and it would surely reflect in their upcoming match.
On the contrary, Hornets are coming off their first decent game in the season against Arsenal which ended in a 2-2 draw. They took 31 shots in this game and looked totally revitalized under their new manager (could also be called new former manager).
In the last 6 meetings between these two teams, Manchester City have always been the winners. Although the situation at this moment is more favorable than ever for Manchester City—as Watford are sitting at the rock-bottom of the table—Manchester blues are obviously the favorites in this game. The only advantage Watford have is Manchester City’s depleted defense coupled with the Hornets’ recent form.
Manchester City Vs Watford Lines And Odds
Bold prediction about the scoreline but Watford’s defense wasn’t able to handle Arsenal’s attack, and they have been one of the worst sides in the league so far. With City’s hunger magnified to win in this game, it’s obvious to expect no mercy from the defending champions. Manchester City scoring more than 3.5 goals could have some value in it with Sergio Aguero scoring anytime in the game.
Burnley vs Norwich City
This game on Saturday would mark the first meeting between these two sides in the last seven years. If we speak about the psychology of the game, despite being at home, Burnley still won’t be the favorites going into this game—thanks to Norwich’s fairy tale win against Manchester City last week.
Not much to look between head-to-head fixtures between these two sides because of the time gap. Burnley isn’t in good form as they had to score a late goal to salvage something from their last game. Moreover, since the previous season, Turf Moor has lost its reputation of being a fortress.
Defensively, Norwich has been the weakest side this season having conceded 12 goals in 5 games. Daniel Farke’s commitment to his attacking principles has also played a part in the stats mentioned above, and Norwich’s goals have come at this price of these goals that they’ve conceded. Nevertheless, they’ve overperformed so far in the season. Having played Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea already, things would only get better from now for them.
Burnley vs Norwich City Lines And Odds
Norwich’s defense would offer a significant amount of chances to Burnley and in the form of Ashley Barnes has been in the league so far, he and his team won’t shy away from taking them. Best bet would be over 2.5 goals with both sides scoring. Seems fair to expect Teemu Pukki to be any time scorer in the game.
Everton vs Sheffield United
In my opinion, these two have one of the best defenses in the league (barring Big 6) and this tie would be the reflection of which team is better at it.
Everton does have the edge in the game with if we look at their home record in the season so far. They started the season with two wins and two clean sheets and got a lot of punters excited about them until they went on the road.
They have conceded seven goals in the last three games, and the defense that once looked very solid has been seen leaking an awful lot of times.
Speaking about the visitors, one of their most impressive display in terms of their offensive sharpness came against Chelsea, when they rescued a point after being behind by two goals. However, they’re coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss last week against Southampton, and they’d surely present a tough challenge for Everton to score.
Richarlison’s injury might make Everton’s attack weak in this game, but they’re still favorites in the tie nonetheless.
One interesting thing to notice is Everton’s home run. They have won their last six home games. Looks like a solid start to back Toffees for a win.
Everton vs Sheffield United Lines And Odds
I’m not expecting a high-scoring game and Everton’s home form gives them an advantage in this one. Even if Sheffield scores, a bet for under 2.5 goals seems like a good bet to me.
Newcastle United vs Brighton
Things don’t look smooth sailing for both these sides as they are fighting to stay away from the danger zone. Brighton after a promising start of the season has failed to win a game in their last four matches. Newcastle, on the other hand, has fairly been better at home. One of the major highlights of their season has been their 1-0 win on the road against Spurs.
Brighton has picked five while Newcastle has picked 4 out of 15 points in their first five games. They’ve been one of the weakest sides in the league, and both of the teams lack the attacking pedigree to sustain without a problem in the season.
Trossard’s injury and Andone’s suspension would mean they’d be relying on their veteran striker Glenn Murray and the new signing Neal Maupay for goals. Newcastle seems to have the home advantage.
Newcastle United vs Brighton Lines And Odds
Both the teams are highly unpredictable this season, but it’s fair not to expect a goal-fest. The best bet would be under 2.5 goals in the game.
West Ham Vs Manchester United
The hosts have done fairly well in recent times. They’ve won two of their last three league games and have only lost once to the league champions so far in their campaign.
Their visitors, on the contrary, have been one of the best sides defensively this season. The renewals of Victor Lindelof and David De Gea’s contract would surely give more boost to that defense.
Hammers’ summer spending has paid its dividends so far as their striker Sebastian Haller has done a brilliant job replacing Marco Arnautovic. Their xG is 8.41, behind both Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Liverpool, which means they have been creating ample goal-scoring chances. Even defensively, they’ve only conceded seven goals, 5 out of which came in the first game against Man City. Although Masuaku’s absence due to suspension would mean Pablo Zabaleta would have to deal with the pace of Daniel James or Marcus Rashford—advantage to the Red Devils.
The return of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw from injuries would give Manchester United a huge boost in the game and makes them the favorites to win it. One of the biggest problems for them has been the unreliable midfield. They had to play their most creative player in a deeper role, and it stopped them from getting the best out of their most treasured asset. However, the return of Fred in the mid would help Ole Gunnar in trying Pogba in a more advanced role. This might take another game to happen (also depends on Fred’s performance in the Europa game) though.
In their last seven meetings with Manchester United in all competitions, West Ham has won only once. They do have home advantage in this game but Manchester United looks like a more daunting side in this tie.
West Ham Vs Manchester United Lines And Odds
With their defense stabilizing and the return of three first-team players at the weekend, I’m expecting Red Devils would kill this tie. West Ham’s defense might lessen the number of goals, but they don’t look like a side that’d go away with any point from the game. Best bet would be backing Manchester United win and a clean sheet (too bold?).
Crystal Palace vs Wolves
Despite being one of the best defensive sides at the start of the campaign, all of their good work was put to bed by Spurs in the last game— when the game nearly ended in the first 45 minutes. If we keep that game aside, they’ve only conceded two goals in four games.
Wolves, on the contrary, lost 5-2 to Chelsea in their last game and the hangover from Europa League campaign has been taking a toll over their league run right from the beginning of the campaign. Their scenario looks quite similar to that of Burnley last season when they almost got related for the same reason.
Being at home, Palace looks to take advantage over the fatigue-stricken Wolves team who have another game to play in the week. Wolves’ league campaign is a sinking ship right now as they’re sitting at the bottom of the table.
If we give Crystal Palace the benefit of conceding multiple goals against a Big 6 side, their wins against Manchester United and Aston Villa brings a lot of promise for the Seagulls to win the tie.
Crystal Palace vs Wolves Lines And Odds
Despite being great defensively, Palace has only scored twice one time in the season so far, that too when both of the goals came from individual errors. Under 2.5 goals has a lot of value in it. Go for it!
Arsenal Vs Aston Villa
As many football fans would like to say, Arsenal would stay Arsenal.
Their last game was the paragon of the statement as mentioned above when they dropped 2 points despite being two goals ahead in the first half. They committed two defensive errors, and Watford was quick to utilize them as they robbed the Gunners off a win.
The visitors have been fairly inconsistent in the season so far, and their record on the road doesn’t look convincing enough to back them for any points in the game. They lost 3-1 to Spurs, and 1-0 to Crystal Palace in their away games and Arsenal’s offensive pedigree would only make Villa’s away record worse. The silver lining for them has been their win against Everton—still not convincing enough.
Arsenal’s games are mostly never short of goals. That’s because they have a terrible defensive line and a very strong attack. So, most of their games are dependent on their strikers taking their chances. If they fail to, the game has a loss or a draw written all over it. The addition of David Luiz didn’t make any significant impact on Arsenal’s defense. As much as I have watched Villa play, they have been fairly good going forward. The only problem for them is with finishing.
Arsenal Vs Aston Villa Lines And Odds
As mentioned earlier, Arsenal’s games are fun to watch, as they usually involve a lot of goals. So, the best bet would be to back both teams to score, and over 2.5 goals in the game.
Chelsea Vs Liverpool
This is one of the most exciting games without a doubt. On one end is Liverpool, who have won their last 14 league games and also have scored at least two goals in them. And then there’s Chelsea, who are undefeated in their 11 games at home.
There’s one good news and also one bad news for Chelsea fans. N’Golo Kante is set to return to action at the weekend, which might make Chelsea switch back to 4 players at the back. His return would give their mid and defense a huge boost, but I’m not sure if they’re still good enough to stop Liverpool from scoring. And the bad news is the injury of Mason Mount that came in their Champions League game against Valencia this week. It’s not a very serious injury, but there are high chances for Mount to miss the game on Sunday.
Chelsea’s attackers are in a red-hot form. Especially, their front-man Tammy Abraham, who has scored in the last three league games. Although, the more noticeable stat would be their defensive record. They’ve conceded 11 goals—which is a second-worst defensive record in the league so far, only one behind Norwich (12). If they concede early goals, it will put a lot of pressure on the young legs in the attack and things could get ugly for the London Blues.
Chelsea might have popped the eyeballs of the punters in their last win against Wolves but goals won’t be coming easily against the best defence in the league.
Chelsea Vs Liverpool Lines And Odds
Liverpool has punished some great defenses as well this season. The return of Anthony Rudiger and N’Golo Kante might make things look slightly better, but Liverpool’s main attacking strength comes from their wings, and Chelsea’s fullbacks are not having the respectable defensive season. This could look like their opening game against United—a team with a great defense and pace upfront to punish on counters. The best bet would be over 2.5 goals in the game and a Liverpool win.
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