Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Selhurst Park, 12.45, Saturday
Very few teams look capable of stopping Arsenal in their current form, so it looks a particularly daunting task for one struggling at the bottom of the table. The now-managerless side will be hoping Arsene Wenger’s men are still suffering a hangover from their midweek Champions League loss, and while Palace aren’t exactly Borussia Dortmund, West Brom have already shown that teams of limited quality are capable of taking points off the Gunners.
Bet: Arsenal @ 4/11
Aston Villa v Everton
Villa Park, 15.00, Saturday
Aston Villa’s home form has been strangely worse than their away results, so they’ll hope to improve that statistic against the Toffees this afternoon. However, if Christian Benteke does return from injury as expected, they’ll certainly be in with a shout against Roberto Martinez’s men.
Bet: Draw @ 23/10
Liverpool v West Brom
Anfield, 15.00, Saturday
Liverpool were less than convincing at the back in their 2-2 draw with Newcastle last week, and have also missed Phillipe Coutinho in attack lately. However, at Anfield they have been impressive this season, and should edge West Brom, despite Steve Clarke’s men already causing problems for Man United and Arsenal this season.
Bet: Liverpool @ 4/9
Man Utd v Stoke City
Old Trafford, 15.00, Saturday
Lately, tipping United to win at Old Trafford isn’t quite the banker it has been over the years. However, they secured a morale-boosting Champions League victory during the week, and face a Stoke side that have just eight points from their opening eight games, so they should surely have enough talent to prevail on this occasion.
Bet: Man Utd @ 4/11
Norwich v Cardiff City
Carrow Road, 15.00, Saturday
Is it too early to describe this game as a relegation six-pointer? Question marks surround the future of manager Chris Hughton after Norwich’s poor start to the season, while the Welsh side have failed to fully build on their shock defeat of Man City a few weeks back. Will either team have the conviction and the confidence to claim a win?
Bet: Draw @ 23/10
Southampton v Fulham
St Mary’s, 17.30, Saturday
If the Manager of the Season award was given out right now, then Mauricio Pochettino would be surely be a shoe-in for the prize. He has, somewhat incredibly, taken Southampton to within four points of leaders Arsenal. Such is the level of expectation in Saints quarters that they will be expected to easily brush aside a struggling Fulham team.
Bet: Southampton @ 8/13
Sunderland v Newcastle
The Stadium of Light, 13.30, Sunday
There was no real sign of a Gus Poyet-led revolution as Sunderland were thrashed 4-0 by Swansea last week. A home game against primary rivals Newcastle is therefore a prospect that most Black Cats fans are probably dreading. If they can’t show some pride and commitment for what is arguably their biggest home game of the season, then surely there is no hope for them.
Bet: Draw @ 23/10
Chelsea v Man City
Stamford Bridge, 16.00, Sunday
Despite only acquiring new managers in the summer, both these sides have started the season in impressive fashion. It’s hard to predict the outcome of this game as a result of their similarly encouraging performances, but a draw is probably the most likely final score, given how Mourinho in particular tends to play with considerable caution in big games.
Bet: Draw @ 11/5
Swansea v West Ham
The Liberty Stadium, 16.00, Sunday
Swansea secured an impressive 4-0 win against Sunderland in their last game, and will thus be hoping to build on that display. West Ham, meanwhile, have been arguably the league’s most unpredictable team, losing to Hull one week and beating Tottenham on another. The overriding temptation, of course, is to play it safe and back a draw.
Bet: Draw @ 5/2
Tottenham v Hull City
White Hart Lane, 16.00, Sunday
On the face of it, Tottenham should win this one, however West Ham exposed their flaws when they beat them recently. Hull, who have been easily the most impressive of the promoted teams this year, will take heart from the Hammers’ performance, but if Spurs play to their capabilities, this game can only go one way.
Bet: Tottenham @ 4/9
Accumulator
Betting €10.00 on these exact results would earn you precisely €25,225.20 if they all turned out to be correct. Not too shabby!
