Tag: Premier League

Burnley vs. Tottenham: Could Injuries Cause an Upset?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Few football fans would liken Burnley FC to a banana skin, but that’s exactly what the club could prove to be on April 1 when they welcome Tottenham. Indeed, on a day when everyone and their dog will be doing their best not to look like a fool, Spurs will be hoping a few untimely slips don’t scupper their chances of moving clear of Manchester City.

By all measures of form and success this season, Mauricio Pochettino’s men should claim a comfortable win at Turf Moor on Saturday. Harry Kane has been firing on all cylinders with 19 Premier League goals, Hugo Lloris has kept 10 clean sheets from 25 appearances this season and the team as a whole are second in the league. In contrast, Burnley is sitting in unlucky 13th place after 29 games with a goal difference that’s three times worse than Spurs’.

Spurs are the Obvious Betting Favourites

From this season’s stats alone, it’s easy to see why Sun Bets has the London club as the 13/20 favourites heading into the game. In fact, things don’t get any better for Burnley when you look back through history. Of the 109 times the two teams have met, Tottenham has the edge with 43 wins to Burnley’s 40. Again, if we looked at the numbers, Bet365’s odds makers appear to have every right to make Tottenham the 3/5 betting favourites.

However, as any self-respecting football fan knows, numbers only go so far and there are a few knocks (quite literally) that could swing this match in favour of the home side. Firstly, Sean Dyche has worked wonders with what many would consider a mediocre team this season. Aside from getting his players to gel as a unit and move eight points clear of the relegation zone, Dyche has brought out the best in Michael Keane.

The 24-year-old has come on leaps and bounds since his days as a Manchester United academy prospect and he’s now a key figure in the Burnley first team. As a testament to his recent form, Keane recently ran out for England and it’s this achievement that could give him a confidence boost ahead of Saturday’s game. To coincide with the defender’s current rise to prominence, Spurs will be without hotshot Harry Kane this weekend. An ankle injury against Millwall could keep him out until the end of April which will hurt his team’s scoring abilities.

A Clash of Forces Could Cause an Upset

On top of this, midfielder Erik Lamela will be out with a hip injury as will striker Vincent Janssen. This spate of injuries will leave the striking duties to Son Heung-Min. Unfortunately, having played 90 minutes of international football already this week, there’s a chance he’ll be slightly fatigued and not at his best. When we piece all this together it seems we’ve got two issues at play here. Firstly, we’ve got a Burnley defence that’s likely to be buoyed by Keane’s form. Secondly, we’ve got an under strength Spurs that look to be lacking some firepower.

The combination of these two factors could result in a shock result on April 1. Now, Burnley hasn’t exactly been banging in goals this season. In fact, the side’s 31 goals for is the fourth worst in the Premier League, which would suggest they probably won’t be too much of a threat for a Tottenham side that’s only conceded 21. If we accept this, a draw would be a fair shout. With William Hill offering 3/1 on that result, a cheeky punt could be worth your time this weekend. For something a little more lucrative, 1-1 with William Hill is a tempting 13/2.

On the face of it, Tottenham should walk through Burnley and take all three points. However, with injuries threatening to provoke an upset, this could be the one time Burnley become a proverbial banana skin.

Leicester v Man Utd: Foxes embroiled in relegation dog fight

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Leicester City welcome Manchester United to the King Power Stadium live on television on Sunday afternoon, desperate to get back to winning ways as they face up to the very real prospect of relegation.

Less than a year after their miraculous title win and despite taking the Champions League by storm and qualifying for the last 16, the Foxes’ defence of their Premier League crown has been nothing short of woeful. The club now sits just two points above the relegation zone and are currently as short as 7/2 with Bet365 to be relegated with 15 matches left to play.

Must win game for Foxes

On Tuesday evening, Leicester travelled to fellow relegation candidates Burnley and with a valuable point just moments away, Sam Vokes’ last minute strike, aided by his hand, snatched it away to suck the Foxes further into the mire.

Claudio Ranieri’s men have picked up just 21 points from 23 games this season with their away form a huge cause for concern to their manager and fans, with no wins on the road to date. Their home form has been nothing to write home about either with just five wins from 11 games. Sunday afternoon offers them another opportunity to improve that ratio whilst also improving their prospects of retaining their Premier League status.

United toiling in pursuit of top four finish

While Leicester battle the drop, United haven’t lost a single Premier League match since Chelsea thrashed them 4-0 at Stamford Bridge back in late October. Such a record usually indicates a club challenging for the title. But for Jose Mourinho and his players, the undefeated run has consisted of far too many draws, seven to be exact.

Now a daunting 14 points behind champions-elect Chelsea and four points outside of the Champions League places, United drew another blank on Wednesday evening when they failed to break down a stubborn Hull outfit with an inspired goalkeeper the difference between the two teams. United are now a massive 50/1 with Sky Bet to defy the odds and claim an unexpected 21st league title.

Failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition would represent a huge failure for Mourinho given the vast sums of money spent in the summer. Ladbrokes are more confident of United’s chances of a top four finish than their title hopes, though, quoting them as low as 11/8.

United favourites to extend Foxes’ woes

United go into this clash rightly proclaimed as favourites for victory, 8/11 with Paddy Power while Leicester, desperate for a reversal in fortunes are a somewhat tempting 9/2 with Bet365 to overcome the newly-announced wealthiest club in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

Not feeling a win on either side? You can get a decent 14/5 with BetVictor for United to once again draw a blank and Leicester to gain another point in their fight to avoid being only the second English club after Manchester City in the thirties to be relegated just a year after reaching their highest peak.

Fancy a flutter on first goalscorer? Jamie Vardy has failed to hit the heights of last season but is a cracking 17/2 with Paddy Power to strike first on Sunday, while United’s man of the season to date, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is deemed more likely at 17/5 to notch that all-important first goal.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Can Chelsea Keep Another Clean Sheet?

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Some believe it’s already too late for Arsenal to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title, but if the Gunners are going to do it then February 4th’s clash with Chelsea is a good place to start. Heading into the game, Chelsea appears to have an unbreakable hold over the league.

With 23 games played, 18 wins and 56 points on the board, it looks as though the title is Antonio Conte’s to lose. However, Arsenal and Tottenham haven’t exactly been slouches this season. Although the London clubs are nine points behind Chelsea, a win for the former on February 4 could put the pressure on. Of course, there’s a huge difference between thinking and doing and Arsenal will have to be on top form if they want to get a result at Stamford Bridge.

Experts Don’t Have Confidence in Arsenal

Now, if you listen to Jamie Carragher, Arsenal will be lucky to get a draw on Saturday. With Chelsea drawing at Liverpool and Arsenal ending a disappointing performance against Watford as 2-1 losers, Carragher believes Arsene Wenger’s men will struggle.

“You always feel with Arsenal in the big games they’ll be found out or just come up a little bit short. I don’t see it being any different at Stamford Bridge,” the former Liverpool player told Sky Sports.

Whether or not Carragher is right, the bookmakers seem to agree. The current outright betting line at Sun Bets has the home side as the even-money favourites with the visitors out at 11/4. Things don’t get much better for the Gunners over at Paddy Power with the odds showing 13/5 for the win and 9/4 on the draw.

Arsenal Can Score, but Will They?

For Arsenal fans, it’s not all doom and gloom in the stats department. When it comes to goals scored, Arsenal is leading Chelsea at a difference of 51 to 48. Unfortunately, it’s goals against that seems to be letting Arsenal down. As they showed in the Watford game, they’re more than capable of scoring. However, they’re also prone to letting goals slip. With 25 conceded (Chelsea 16 against), it’s hard to see how Chelsea won’t score at least one on February 4.

If Chelsea does score, recent results suggest that Arsenal probably won’t. Even though a strike rate of 51 goals in 23 games shows they’re more than capable of finding the net, Arsenal’s last nine matches against Chelsea have seen only one team score.

History Suggests a Shutout is Likely

Going all the way back to December 2013, Chelsea has won five games without conceding, while Arsenal has done the same on two occasions. Even the two draws were goalless affairs, which suggests that once one of these teams starts to dominate, they tend to completely shut out the other.

Looking back at the odds, 0-0 is currently 9:1 at 888sport, while 1-0 in favour of the home side is 7:1. For the adventurous, 11:1 is the price for the classic 1 nil to Arsenal but for our money 2-0 Chelsea at 9:1 looks to be the bet of the day. With Arsenal coming into the game on a downer and Chelsea looking strong against Liverpool, it looks as though all three points will stay at Stamford Bridge this time around. If that does prove to be the case, look for Chelsea to come away with a clean sheet and at least a goal or two.

Who Will Win the Top Midlands Derby?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Leicester City may have been crowned champions last season but that is well and truly in the past now. There is little doubt as to who the current top two teams are in the midlands. That honour belongs to West Brom and Stoke City. Once again they are showing the rest of the league how to survive comfortably in what is the toughest league in Europe. Their respective managers Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes must take a lot of credit for that.

The balance of power in the midlands has swung away from Aston Villa and Birmingham City in recent seasons. West Brom is best-priced 11-8 with BetVictor and as the home team are rightly the clear favourites. Tony Pulis spent several successful seasons at Stoke and was the guiding force behind their transition into being a regular Premier League club.

Simply Nothing to Choose

The fact of the matter is that there is simply nothing to choose between these two clubs. This has been the case for the past several seasons. Clubs like West Brom and Stoke never seem to fire the imagination but both of them play entertaining football when they need to and are a match for any top club on their day.

Stoke are a best-priced 12-5 with Bet365 while the draw is an interesting 11-5. If you fancy these two teams to battle out a draw but you don’t fancy the 11-5 then why not take the better odds of 4-1 on the score being level at half-time and full-time? That seems to be better value given the fact that there is so little to choose between these teams.

Stoke have the Flair Players

Stoke City do seem to have the better of it when it comes to talent. Players like Marko Arnautovic, Charlie Adam and Xerdan Shaqiri are players who can turn a game and excite the crowd. West Brom, on the other hand, have grit and that reflects their “no nonsense” manager Tony Pulis. Games like these are often decided by singular moments of brilliance or a big decision by the referee or possibly by pure luck. There are rarely comfortable wins for either team and that especially applies to the away team.

So we can expect a close encounter with the winning margin being no more than two goals at best. Stoke and West Brom are renowned for grinding results out with their solid approaches and that is why they are where they are in the league table.

Man United vs. Hull: Could Mourinho’s Denial Prove Fatal?

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Hull might have edged out Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United side in their recent EFL Cup semi-final, but it was the Red Devils that ultimately progressed to the final.

However, although United are now one step closer to winning their first trophy under Mourinho, their route to finale was less than impressive. What’s more, with Hull set to reappear like a bad dream on February 1 for United’s next Premier League clash, it could be another long night for the Old Trafford faithful.

Of course, if you’ve read or heard anything from Mr Mourinho following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Hull in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, you’ll know that he has a slightly different take on reality. Yes, we know he’s been prone to self-absorbed, fantasy-filled rants in his time, but his latest comments suggest he may be losing touch with reality.

Has Mourinho Lost the Plot?

Speaking after the match, Mourinho insisted that he “only saw two goals” and “it was 1-1”. Now, for anyone with two eyes on the match, it was clearly a 2-1 for Hull. Not only that, but Hull actually had control of the game for large periods of play. Some tactical changes by Marco Silva, plus a goal from loan striker Oumar Niasse, meant Hull looked stronger than they have for much of the season.

In fact, it was some canny substitutions just after half-time that really produced some inspiring performances. Abel Hernandez didn’t get too much time to shine in the 20 minutes he was on the pitch, but his presence certainly gave Hull more attacking impetus. Similarly, Evandro Goebel was able to show some flashes of brilliance, especially with his deliveries into the box. Although Hull still has a lot of work to do if they’re going to pull themselves out the relegation zone, the fact Silva was able to change things up and get a result against United is encouraging.

Teams Can Drown Living in Denial

Now, back to Mourinho. Maybe it was the fact he’d had a few drinks to celebrate his birthday before the match or maybe he just couldn’t believe it was Hull that snapped a 17-game unbeaten streak, either way, his reaction was strange (even by his standards). While it’s fair to say his comments may have been manufactured for the media, denial is a slippery slope. If the man in charge of Man United’s fortunes isn’t willing to acknowledge his team weren’t good enough to beat Hull, then it could lead to issues in the future.

Failing to plug leaks or change tactics just because you “think” they’re good enough is a recipe for disaster. Of course, we all know Mourinho is an accomplished manager. However, if he’s unable to separate his personal pride from any sort of objective reason then United could easily find themselves in trouble. Indeed, when Hull comes to town on February 1 the players will certainly take some confidence from their recent 2-1 win.

Naturally, if United want to play the “past results” game, then there will only be one winner. Of the 11 meetings between the two clubs, United have won nine, drawn once and lost once. With that sort of record, the home side should be practically brimming with confidence. However, we all know that football can be fickle and if the likes of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic fall into Mourinho’s trap, things could easily turn sour on Wednesday.

United are Still the Favourites

OK, so what does all this mean? Well, in reality, it might not mean very much. If we look at the facts, United are clearly the better side and they’ve proved that numerous times this season. Subscribing to this philosophy should, therefore, lead us towards a United win. If that’s the case then we have to be prepared to take some fairly uninspiring odds from the top bookies. Sun Bets currently has a win for Mourinho’s men priced at 2/13, while 888sport has a slightly more attractive 2/11.

Of course, if you want slightly more bang for your buck as a United fan, 1-0 or 2-0 with William Hill can be had for 7/1 and 5/1 respectively. However, for our money, there’s a lot of value in backing Hull on this occasion. Does this mean we’re telling you Hull will definitely win? No, what we mean is that the current prices don’t seem to reflect the team’s actual chances of winning.

Don’t be Afraid to Take a Punt

For example, Sun Bets currently has Hull priced at 16/1 for the win. Even under normal circumstances, this is a huge price for a two-team match. So, when you factor in the recent result and a possible mental meltdown from Mourinho, this betting line starts to look even more attractive.

If you like to be a little more cautious, 11/2 (William Hill) on a draw still has a healthy amount of value to it. However, we’ll repeat it again: this doesn’t mean Hull will realistically start the match as favourites. Sports betting is all about finding situations where the odds don’t necessarily reflect reality.

In this situation, it’s clear Silva’s men will be buoyed by their recent success and up for the match in a way they otherwise might not have been. With this being the case, it could pay dividends to go against the grain and take a punt on the underdog when Hull travel to United on Wednesday.

West Ham v Man City: Hammers out for revenge

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Just three weeks ago West Ham United endured the worst night of their season to date when Manchester City rolled into town and clobbered them 5-0.

The destruction they faced at the London Stadium that night resulted in an early and embarrassing exit from the FA Cup for Slaven Bilic’s men at the third round stage of the competition. However, they haven’t had to wait too long for their opportunity to exact revenge.

Revenge the order of the day

This coming Tuesday evening, Pep Guardiola’s stuttering City return once again to East London looking for another decisive victory to give a semblance of still being title challengers in the wake of their recent patchy form. The Hammers, on the other hand, will be hoping to make amends for that painful five-goal mauling in early January by putting a major dent in City’s fading title aspirations.

In the continued absence of want-away French star Dimitri Payet, who has been upsetting the applecart with his desire to move back to former club Marseille, Bilic will be hoping that the fit and rejuvenated Andy Carroll can continue his recent impressive form and fire West Ham to a third league victory in succession.

City favourites but Hammers better value for money

Guardiola’s men will enter the match on Tuesday as the overriding favourites with the bookmakers for another victory, Bet365 quoting them as low as 4/7 to prevail. However, if you’re looking for value for money when contemplating your next betting fix, it’s difficult to look past a wager on a home win, with massive odds of 21/4 still available at BetVictor. Given City’s recent iffy away form, with away defeats at Leicester, Liverpool and a 4-0 drubbing at Everton fresh in the mind, coupled with West Ham’s improving results of late, a small flutter on a home win has to be worth some serious consideration.

Carroll to continue recent hot streak?

Many punters will undoubtedly look at the first goalscorer market as a source of potential winnings as always. And while it’s difficult at 5/2 with Paddy Power to look past City’s top goalscorer Sergio Aguero to bring home the bacon, serious thought should be afforded to the big man Carroll, who has notched three goals in his last two outings and is great value at 8/1 also with Paddy Power. Aside from the big guns, a significant alternative in the first goalscorer stakes could be West Ham’s man of the season so far, Michail Antonio, who has top-scored with eight goals and is a huge 11/1 with everybody’s favourite Irish bookmaker.

Lightning to strike twice?

City will be reticent to drop any further points with the club already an intimidating 12 points behind league leaders Chelsea. Anything less than a win would surely signal the end of any realistic title-winning hopes. And for anybody with a few quid burning a hole in their pocket and looking for a long odds special, how about a wager on another 5-0 whitewash in City’s favour? Aha, but lightning doesn’t strike twice you say. Well, although unlikely, think Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3 at Anfield two seasons on the bounce in the nineties. Impossible is nothing. Sky Bet will give odds of 50/1 for City to repeat the trick. I might just have a fiver on that myself.

Elsewhere, for any Hammers fans looking for more than just retribution on the pitch and instead some reprisal in the shape of cold hard cash in the pocket, how about a tempting 6/1 with Bet365 for the Hammers to go five better than last time and completely shut out City’s attack? It should be an interesting contest.