Everything EPL
With the season winding down the chase for a championship heats up atop the table. Chelsea’s once insurmountable lead is now 4 over a hard charging Spurs team with only a month left in the season. Neither of those teams will be in action this weekend but that doesn’t mean there isn’t money to be made on the pitch. James Kempton is here to steer you in the right direction
Bournemouth v Middlesbrough
Bournemouth -0.5 and 2.5 goals
The home team will all but secure their own safety if they can take a victory away from this game. Boro showed some real fight last time out at home to Arsenal but their attacking threat is still limited to the talented but completely immobile Negredo. Under normal circumstances here I would lean to the away team but in all honesty on this line a draw is pointless as it serves zero purpose for the visitors. With Boro possibly going for broke late on if the game is a stalemate I will take the home team.
Hull City v Watford
Hull -0.25 and 2.5 goals
Watford won 1-0 pre the Silva era last October and they’ve now amassed forty points following that 1-0 win over Swansea last Saturday. That result was a great one for Hull and remember Marco Silva has not lost any of his last forty home league games across all divisions. Give me the home win as they’ve been impressive under Silva on home soil, the manager has a track record of delivering big wins when they matter most and quite honestly Watford won’t care too much for this game.
Swansea City v Stoke City
Swansea -0.25 and 2.5 goals
Stoke won this fixture 1-0 last season and a similar result here would be catastrophic for the Swans. The sides have met eleven times in EPL action since October 2011 and ten of those games have seen two or more goals but over 2.5 goals has only gone 5-6. I sense Swansea have to win this game to give them the belief that they can get out of the mess they’ve got themselves into. A small lean towards the home side but since mid-March they’ve lost to Hull, Middlesbrough, Watford, and West Ham so I’m not entirely sure why I think they will get the result here.
West Ham United v Everton
Everton -0.25 and 2.75 goals
Everton have not lost any of their last ten EPL trips to London to play the Hammers. Over 2.5 goals has gone 7-1 in the last eight meetings in the capital. West Ham don’t have too much to play for whilst Everton are gunning for a top six finish. Everton are rolling this season and historically they don’t lose this kind of game; Everton and overs.
Burnley v Manchester United
Man Utd -1 and 2.25 goals
The first meeting of the sides this season ended in that bizarre goalless draw at Old Trafford when United had about forty shots at goal. Burnley are 10-2-4 on home soil and only one of those losses, a 2-0 defeat by Spurs, was by more than one goal. A full goal is a lot for this, at times, methodical United side to cover but in truth I would lean to them if pushed to bet this game. Burnley may already be on the beach!
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Liverpool -1.25 and 2.75 goals
Liverpool won 4-2 at Selhurst Park back in October and Yes on Both Teams To Score and over 2.5 goals is on a 8-0 run in recent meetings of the teams. Palace will look to obtain set pieces and threaten the Reds goal aerially. The home side will want to get the ball down and zip it around and play through Palace. Those are the two sides’ tactics in a nutshell. With Lallana likely to be back for Pool it’s home team and over for me.
