Yet again, England’s top tier didn’t disappoint as we saw the race for the top four take another thrilling twist as Wolves lost ground on the leading pack as they suffered their first defeat since the restart, losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal. It came at the worst time ever as Leicester City, Chelsea and Manchester United all picked up crucial victories to distance themselves from Wolves. Down in the red zone, the bottom four continued their winless run since the restart, which could see the race for survival go right down to the wire.
Tuesday 7 July
Crystal Palace 6/1
Draw 33/10
Chelsea 5/10
Crystal Palace have fallen off the rails in recent matches, losing three in a row without managing to find the back of the net. Despite their poor form, we’ve seen it too many times before to know that Palace will come out a different team against Chelsea, mostly due to their geographical rivalry, while the Eagles also tend to raise their game when the big boys come to town.
Chelsea returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion, smashing Watford 3-0. Willian and Christian Pulisic have been in superb form and will cause Palace’s aging defence some problems.
My money is on the Blues to Win & Both Teams to Score at 22/10.
Watford 7/10
Draw 28/10
Norwich City 17/4
How many times will we be able to call Watford a banker for the remainder of the season? The answer is just once, simply because they have one fixture against Norwich. The Canaries are rooted to the foot of the table with relegation now an inevitability.
Norwich have lost five in a row, and Daniel Farke seems to be preparing for next season in the Championship as he’s already been giving younger players an opportunity to make their mark at an early stage.
Watford are not in the best of shape themselves, but should distance themselves from the relegation zone with a win here.
Arsenal 13/10
Draw 49/20
Leicester City 2/1
In undoubtedly the game of the week, Arsenal have the chance to have another massive say in the race for top four when they host Leicester City this Tuesday. The Gunners are enjoying their best football under Mikel Arteta and will return to the Emirates Stadium for just the second time since the restart.
Arsenal are on three-game winning run, keeping clean sheets in all those ties. Leicester won for the first time since the restart last weekend, beating Crystal Palace 3-0. They’ve still not looked like the Foxes they once were earlier on in the season and will find it extremely tough against Arsenal.
My money is on Arteta’s men here.
Wednesday 8 July
West Ham 21/20
Draw 24/10
Burnley 28/10
West Ham gave themselves more breathing space down at the bottom of the table as they moved four points clear of the drop zone after they got a point at Newcastle. Four points from their last two games against Newcastle and Chelsea suggests that the Hammers could pick up just enough form to avoid a late relegation scramble. Burnley are in a rich vein of form themselves and are unbeaten in their last three encounters.
At 24/10, a share of the spoils seems a worthy punt.
Manchester City 1/8
Draw 15/2
Newcastle 20/1
Manchester City suffered one of the shocks of the weekend when they went down 1-0 at Southampton. Pep Guardiola’s side played with no motivation or drive and paid the price for it. With Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden expected to return to the line-up, we could see a change in how the Citizens play this week.
Newcastle’s impressive run of form continued when they clawed back twice to draw 2-2 against West Ham, stretching their unbeaten run to six league matches. In the FA Cup, Manchester City beat the Geordies 2-0 and should claim yet another victory.
For extra value, I’m taking Over 3.5 Goals at even money.
Sheffield United 3/1
Draw 21/10
Wolves 11/10
Sheffield United still have the UEFA Europa League spots in mind and could go one step closer when they host Wolves on Wednesday. The Blades suffered a slight dip in form since the restart, but have slowly made their comeback in becoming the team that went into lockdown in March. Wolves lost for the first time since the restart, losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal.
With five points separating them with the top four, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side need to return to winning ways and hope for results elsewhere to go in their favour if they are to play UEFA Champions League football next season.
These sides drew 1-1 earlier in the campaign and I’m expecting another stalemate here.
Brighton 47/10
Draw 32/10
Liverpool 11/20
Brighton will welcome the champions to the Amex Stadium in Wednesday’s late kick-off. The Seagulls are well-clear from the relegation zone and will enjoy another season in the top-flight under the highly-rated Graham Potter.
Jurgen Klopp rang the changes on the weekend and had to dig deep to unlock Aston Villa’s defence, eventually winning 2-0. Klopp could make more changes, which could give Brighton the slightest of chances here. Still, the Reds are my favourite to win this one.
Put your money on Liverpool to Win & Both Teams to Score at 2/1.
Thursday 9 July
Everton 1/1
Draw 51/20
Southampton 26/10
Everton return to Goodison Park where they remain unbeaten under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti. The Toffees have lost four times under the Italian’s tutelage, all away to Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Everton, since the return, have drawn against Liverpool and beat Leicester City 2-1 in both of their home ties. Southampton come off the back of a result that demands respect, beating Manchester City 1-0.
The Saints are slowly finding their rhythm again with Danny Ings and Che Adams up front. Over 2.5 Goals looks the way to go here at 17/20.
Bournemouth 17/4
Draw 3/1
Tottenham 13/20
Bournemouth’s struggles look set to continue as they welcome Tottenham to the Vitality Stadium on Thursday. The Cherries have lost their last two encounters by three goals and are on a five-game losing run. Spurs looked far from impressive on Monday night against Everton, but somehow still claimed maximum points, winning 1-0 through an own goal.
With the fixture against Arsenal in mind, attentions may be elsewhere for Spurs, while their away form under Jose Mourinho has been horrid to say the least. They’ve won just one of their last seven away trips, beating Aston Villa back in February, while they also lost three in that run.
I’m calling an upset here by backing a draw at 3/1.
Aston Villa 8/1
Draw 17/4
Manchester United 7/20
With the teams below them looking like they’re dead and buried, Aston Villa look like they’re slowly falling into that category as well, losing for the 20th time on the weekend. Now, they face a red-hot Manchester United team who are in touching distance of the UEFA Champions League places.
The Red Devils are unbeaten in 16 games, scoring 43, while they’ve also conceded just six. With Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood in sublime form, there’s only one winner here.
Take United to Score In Both Halves at even money.
TREBLE @ 11/1
Watford Win 7/10
Arsenal Win 13/10
Liverpool Win & BTTS 2/1
Written by Jesse Nagel for Hollywoodbets
