Tag: Southampton

Watford Look for Redemption in Mid-Table Clash

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Southampton, fresh from their EFL final loss to Man United last Sunday, travel to Watford for this mid-table clash.

Watford

After a turbulent run of form over the festive period, leading some to ask whether they might be dragged into the relegation dogfight, Watford are looking all but safe with 31 points, 9 points clear of the zone. Walter Mazzarri will be looking to capitalise on a light February schedule of only 3 games, and a run of fixtures against Southampton, Palace and Sunderland in March to pick up the points needed to put any question of relegation to bed for the season. The Italian will also want to make amends for last Saturday’s somewhat disappointing result against West Ham, having led from 3 minutes in and against ten men, they went on to concede a goal and the win in the last quarter of the match.

The big news for Watford is new signing Mauro Zarate picking up a cruciate ligament injury, putting him out of action until August. They will also be without first choice keeper Costel Pantilimon, Nordin Amrabat, Roberto Pereyra. Daryl Janmaat and Christian Kabasele are both in doubt.

Southampton

A terrific performance against United in the EFL final last weekend saw the Saints come within 5 minutes of extra time, having brought the game back from 2:0 down, with a goal unfairly ruled out, Southampton will be justifiably devastated with the outcome. They will have to put the result out of their heads and concentrate on recreating some of their great play from the final for the game against Watford.

Sitting a point behind Watford, Southampton are 8 points above the relegation zone in 13th place, but having dropped out of every other competition they will be able to focus everything they have on their league finish; 14 points is an all but impossible gap between them and Everton in the Europa League spots. The EFL fixture brought some confusion to the scheduling, but they will likely have to play Arsenal, Tottenham and United again in the next month or so. Picking up 3 points in this game would be important insulation going into a tough run.

Claude Puel has a few long term injuries to contend with, Matthew Targett, Charlie Austin and Virgil Van Dijk all scheduled to return next month. Jeremy Pied and Alex McCarthy are both lacking match fitness after long absences.

The value

Looking at the head to head stats, there doesn’t seem to be much between the two. The corresponding fixture in August at St Mary’s ended 1:1. Last season saw them draw 0:0 and Southampton win 2:0 at home. You would have to go back to 2008 to see Watford beat Southampton.

Overall, I would be somewhat wary of picking a winner in this game and am instead looking to the goal markets. The last 5 Southampton games have seen over 2.5 goals, and 4/5 of Watford’s last premier league home games have seen both teams score. Bet 365 have BTTS at 19/20, and Bet Victor have Over 2.5 at 13/10, both of which seem to be good value.

Burnley vs. Southampton – Saints in a Turf War

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This weekend sees Southampton travel to the North to bounce back against a Burnley side who are as strong at home as they are so desperately poor away.

Coming back from the dead

December started and ended brutally for Claude Puel’s Southampton; the beginning of the month saw them crash out of their Europa league group, the end saw 3 consecutive league defeats in 7 days. Some are pointing to Southampton as an example of a victim of the packed Premier League Christmas scheduling, and it’s easy to sympathise with those claims. Fortune favours the bold, however, and Southampton will have to return to form immediately if they want to keep pace with their rivals for the Europa league spots.

The Saints won the corresponding fixture 3:1 in October, and the only other previous meeting between these two in the top flight was in the 2014/15 season, which saw both teams winning at home.

Puel has a few injuries to add to the general squad fatigue. The long-term absences of Austin, Pied and Targett are compounded by the doubt around McCarthy and Boufal, with Martina and Soares who potentially lack match fitness. They also have a midweek EFL Semi Final against Liverpool which could easily exacerbate their existing fitness problems.

A tale of two seasons

It is hard to think of another team in the Prem whose season can be so starkly divided as Burnley; their home form would put them sixth, having only dropped points in 4 games and have 7 home wins at Turf Moor, while their away form would put them bottom of the table, with 1 solitary point from 9 games. Currently 12th, Burnley are only one point behind Southampton, and a win on Saturday would see them leapfrog them by two points. Considering their poor away record, it’s a bit of a push to start thinking about Burnley competing for 7th place, but a victory here against an immediate rival could galvanise them into something truly surprising. A continuation of their great home form will be vital to consolidating or improving on their current position come May. They will go into this game looking for strategic points against a demoralised rival, confident of their ability to win.

In contrast to their opponents, Burnley’s festive fixtures proved fruitful, giving them 6 points from 9, including a 4:1 thumping of Sunderland and a spirited 2:1 defeat to Man City. Sean Dyche will certainly be thankful for a more forgiving schedule than Southampton, but his squad isn’t without injury concerns: Gudmundsson, Bamford and Arnfield are all definitely out, and there is concern for Flanagan and Boyd.

The value

Bookies are favouring Southampton for the win here, with Bet 365 having Southampton at 11/10, Burnley and Draw are both at 12/5. These odds seem pretty tasty, and with Burnley Double Chance at 3/4, going with the home side could be profitable, if a bit risky. Southampton is a very capable on their day, but considering Burnley’s home form, and the fact they have had a 7-day break (compared with Southampton’s 3 days) suggest that it might be worth going with the outsider.

Looking at the goals market, Under 2.5 goal is backed by the bookies, at 8/13 with Bet Victor. Southampton does statistically favour Under, and Burnley goes either way. However, Southampton’s last 5 games in all competitions have gone Over 2.5. I would definitely consider putting a small stake on Burnley to Win & Over 2.5.

Southampton vs. West Brom – Tense, Exciting Battle for Mid-Table

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Two teams in solid form coming together in what will be a tactical and potentially cagey mid-table battle between two effective and organised squads.

Clash of the Overachievers

Southampton and West Brom have undoubtedly been two of the surprise packages of the season so far. Having seen second summer of transfer raids on St Mary’s, and a third managerial regime change in 3 successive seasons, Southampton were being tipped at the beginning of this season for possible decline.

Currently sitting in 7th place after a good run of form, taking 10 points in the last 5, and progressing in the EFL Cup with a 2:0 win away to Arsenal, Claude Puel is proving those critics wrong. A poor showing in the Europa League could end up being a mixed blessing for a side looking to finish in a solid Premier League position while competing in 2 domestic cups. Southampton has a game in hand over West Brom, playing Tottenham on Wednesday night in their post-Christmas fixture. This will be an important game for Puel, as a defeat here could spell the end of any hopes for his team to finish in a top 6 position, while a victory will see them keep pace while doing damage to an immediate rival.

Against West Brom, the Frenchman will have to deal with some absences: with Jordy Clasie definitely out and Alex McCarthy in doubt, as well as long-term injuries for Charlie Austin and Matt Targett. Having only 3 days between their previous game, as opposed to West Brom’s 5, could have an impact on overall squad fitness.

Getting back to their best

West Brom is currently 8th, only one point behind Southampton, having played one more. The Baggies will be looking to pick up important points in a game they have every reason to believe they can win, or at least take points. Tony Pulis’ squad have had some tough recent fixtures, playing Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in the last four, with their win against Swansea the only bright point in a gruelling winter period. A closer look at those games, however, demonstrates an organised and capable West Brom side. Against both Arsenal and Chelsea, they only lost by one goal conceded in the last 10 minutes, and they weren’t exactly overwhelmed by United. Pulis generally puts his back to the wall against the bigger clubs, while targeting teams below or around him to try for consolidated results, and he will very much want to take 3 points in this last game of December.

West Brom is amongst the fittest squads in the League, with all first team players available, apart from Saido Berhino who hasn’t played a role so far this season.

Where is the value?

We have seen a clean sheet in the last eight games these two have played, and the last nine games split evenly with each team taking 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses. Picking a result seems to be quite a challenge, with West Brom having the edge in fitness, but Southampton having the home advantage.

It’s very hard to imagine this being a particularly high scoring game; Southampton has one of the lowest BTTS ratings in the league, as well as a good run of home clean sheets. BTTS/No and Under 2.5 goals looking like solid picks, they are both at 8/13 on Bet365. Some outside bets on a correct score could be interesting, with Southampton 1:0 and 2:0 at 19/4 and 7/1 respectively on BetVictor.

 

Tottenham Looking to End Poor Away Form Against Southampton

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Southampton and Tottenham return to Premier League business on Wednesday evening when they clash at St. Mary’s following a welcome 10-day break from action for both clubs.

The match does, however, signal the start of a busy festive period in the top division as Saints prepare for three matches in just six days while Spurs contemplate three fixtures in a slightly more favourable eight days.

Claude Puel’s team will be looking to extend their impressive home form which has seen them lose just once in eight matches on home soil in the league this season to Premier League pacesetters Chelsea.

Tottenham, lying fifth in the table meanwhile, will be seeking to end a poor run of away form which has seen them collect just three points on the road from their last five league matches.

Mauricio Pochettino returns to the south coast for only the second time since his acrimonious departure from Southampton for White Hart Lane in the summer of 2014. And the Argentine will be hoping his team can close the gap on the teams above them in the table with all three points, just as he did on his maiden return to his former employers last December.

Southampton boss Puel will be without top goalscorer Charlie Austin who has gone under the knife for surgery on a shoulder injury which is likely to keep him sidelined for anything up to four months. Austin’s absence could give Jay Rodriguez another opportunity to start after his brace of goals last time out inspired Southampton to a 3-1 win over local rivals Bournemouth.

Spurs, on the other hand, go into the match boasting an almost full strength squad with former Saints defender Toby Alderweireld and Dutch forward Vincent Janssen back to fitness, leaving just Erik Lamela still unavailable as he nurses a long-term hip injury.

Despite their iffy away form, Spurs will go into the match boasting a strong recent record at St. Mary’s. Three wins and a draw from their last four trips to the south coast should give Pochettino confidence that his team can finally turn around their dismal recent away form. Southampton though has to go all the way back to 2005 for their last home victory over Spurs.

Southampton with eight goals in eight home matches this season, and Spurs, who despite their poor recent record have still notched 10 goals on their travels, gives great value to the both teams to score market at Yes 1.80 on Betway.

Elsewhere, with Harry Kane starting to find the net with increasing regularity for the North London outfit recently, the England international is tempting at 9/2 with bet365 to net first on Wednesday evening.

Bore Draw On The South Coast

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TWO Premier League matches on Sunday and we start with a south coast derby between Bournemouth and Southampton at the Goldsands Stadium.

There is just goal difference separating these two arch-rivals in the Premier League table and of all the matches on the weekend coupon this one looks by far the toughest puzzle to solve.

The bookies can hardly split the two teams, and rightly so in my opinion, but those who can have made the visitors marginal favourites at 2.62, which does seem to me a surprise as they are really struggling for goals at the moment.

The Saints’ suffered a huge blow with the loss of top goalscorer Charlie Austin through injury against Hapoel Beer Sheeva, and since the former QPR striker has been injured they’ve only scored just the one goal.

The positives for Claude Puel is his side’s defence, as they are one of the strongest sides in the top flight with clean sheets in their last two matches and five in their last seven.

Bournemouth arrives in their biggest match of the season in a confident mood after a 1-0 home win against champions Leicester and a 4-3 famous win over Liverpool, so I am surprised that they are the outsiders of the two at the general 3.00.

One of my golden rules in football betting is whenever the bookies can’t split two sides and there is just a cigarette paper between these two, then the draw which is the biggest price of all three match outcomes cries out to be backed; and it certainly does on this occasion in what looks a massive 3.40 with Paddy Power.

Will we see goals?

This looks certain to be tight and under 2.5 goals backers have been cleaning up all season in Southampton matches, and in a local derby, this looks likely to be close again. Both under 2.5 goals and both teams to score as a no at 1.66 with BetVictor and both teams to score “no” at the general 1.91 are well worth support.

The two matches last season both ended in 2-0 home wins, which saw both of those markets as winners and if you are a big staking punter they are worth lumping on but for small stakes players, put them in the weekend accumulators.

This is going to be very, very tight and it wouldn’t at all surprise me to see after a fiery 25 minutes this develop into a bit of a damp squib, and at 9.00 no goalscorer in the match has caught my attention with William Hills.

An Exciting Clash On The South Coast Expected

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JURGEN Klopp’s table toppers Liverpool face a tricky fixture on Saturday when they make the tough trip south to take on Southampton at St Mary’s.

The Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League table after a run of nine wins in their last ten matches; the bookies expect maximum points again for the Merseysider’s, who quoted at just a general price of 2.05 to get another win at a ground that has proven problematic over recent years.

The Saints’ have won four of their last six home matches against Liverpool, and Claude Puel’s side are in decent form themselves, so the 3.60 on the home side might appeal to a lot of punters.

This game sees a return to St Mary’s for Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovern and Sadio Mane, and it’s always very difficult for players to go back to their former club with their new employees and perform well. With so many old boys returning, that would be a big concern if taking the short odds.

This match really does look a tricky one to call and a lot closer than the layers suggest, and match betting markets should be left alone.

The UK betting public are passionately in love with Liverpool and Klopp, and they are always the subject of a significant gamble with their odds always far too short come kick-off time, but their punters keep winning, and until they get their fingers burnt it’s not going to stop.

Whenever these two sides meet we normally see goals, and that is the angle to get involved in at the weekend to make a profit.

These two met three times last season and 14 goals were scored in those games. Both teams scored in every meeting, and although it’s short, the 1.66 with Bet365 on both teams scoring on Saturday is a bet for high staking punters, or a must for smaller multiple backers.

Liverpool has certainly been the entertainers in the Premier League this season, with both teams scoring in their last four matches, and in eight of their last ten.

In the last two Liverpool Premier League games 13 goals have featured, and with over 2.5 goals resulting in a winning wager in NINE of those ten, the general 1.75 on over 2.5 goals also looks a nice bet for the neutrals to enjoy.

With goals firmly on the agenda, this could turn into a real classic, and with it proving very difficult for me to find a winner, I am going to have a cheeky £1 on the match to end 3-3 at a huge 56.00 with BetVictor.