EPL Weekend Round-Up
It’s a Friday tradition around here during the EPL season and our insider provides all the nuggets to make you better informed. Also, forgive Mr Kempton if he gets a little giddy talking about his local side trying to do the unthinkable and progressive further in the FA Cup. Take his preview on THAT match with a grain of salt!
Bournemouth v West Ham United
PK and 2.75 goals
Bournemouth have been struggling of late but last weekend’s tetchy 1-1 draw at Old Trafford could be a turning point for Eddie Howe’s men. Bournemouth haven’t kept many clean sheets of late whilst West Ham have only failed to score against Leicester, Man City, and Man Utd over their last seventeen EPL games. I like a bit of the over here.
Everton v West Bromwich Albion
Everton -0.75 and 2.5 goals
Everton won 2-1 at the Hawthornes earlier this season but the Baggies have kept three consecutive clean sheets from their EPL trips to Goodison Park. They won this fixture 1-0 last season with the previous two trips ending goalless. That shock loss last week puts me off West Brom here even getting more than half a goal. Does mid table obscurity see them already thinking of the beach? One to pass on.
Hull City v Swansea City
Hull -0.25 and 2.25 goals
Under 2.5 goals is 6-1 when the sides have met since December 2013 and I see another cagey game here. Hull just don’t look capable of scoring more than once in a game whilst Swansea will be keen to offer the home side no encouragement at all. The Swans have netted in seven of their last eight games and that just gives them the edge in my book for this one. Back Swansea to at least avoid defeat.
Liverpool v Burnley
Liverpool -1.75 and 3 goals
Burnley won 2-0 in this fixture back in August when the teams met at Turf Moor for one of the biggest wins in the Clarets’ history. I don’t see a repeat of that Clarets August win and if Liverpool are in the mood this could be red wave after red wave with Burnley’s only real hope being an Andre Gray led counterattack goal. Pool have scored three or more times in five of thirteen games at home this season whilst Burnley have lost by two or more goals in five of twelve road games. Interestingly though they were the first five so they’ve improved greatly in recent trips even if they aren’t able to get results. A game to leave alone for me.
Forgive me if I preview my boys FA Cup Quarter Final…
Arsenal v Lincoln City
Arsenal -3 and 4 goals
What can I say about the game of the weekend from the romantics point of view. It’s not just the game of the weekend it’s the game of my entire life. I’m not going to sit here and predict a Lincoln win as that would be nigh on foolish. Many of Arsenal’s players earn 100 times what the Lincoln lads do. Lincoln will try and slow down the pace of the game and I don’t forsee us getting turned over. I have Lincoln +3 and I genuinely believe that Lincoln +1.5 in just the first half offers some real value. At +400000 I’m on a Ragget Repeat of the Imps centre half opening the scoring and Lincoln winning 1-0.
