EPL Picks: Who’ll close on safety in the relegation fight this Saturday?

EPL Picks

Following Tottenham’s failure to defeat West Brom on Monday Night Football during the week this weekend could see Leicester upset the odds and send shockwaves around the football world by lifting the Premier League trophy for this season. They do not play until Sunday however and the six matches playing this Saturday focus more on the battle between Sunderland, Norwich and Newcastle to remain in the EPL for next season. Who’ll take a step towards securing their place in the top flight this Saturday?

We preview the trio of games featuring these teams as well as the other three matches on the EPL card with online sportsbook 10Bet.com to provide our top EPL picks from round 36 of the season.

Stoke v Sunderland: 2.70 – 3.20 – 2.75

The Black Cats have taken the lead in the race to remain in the top flight as their 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal last weekend saw them collect a point to move out of the drop zone and up to 17th, ahead of Norwich on goal difference and Newcastle by a point. They bring a fully fit squad to The Britannia Stadium this Saturday afternoon knowing that they face a wounded Stoke side, both in player fitness and on-field results. The Potters are missing both of their top two goalkeeper choices for this match while Marko Arnautovic, who has been their key attacking player this season, is a doubt with a groin injury.

Stoke have conceded four goals in each of their last three matches as Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City have cruised past them and they will be aiming to get back to winning ways to end this season on a high, but with 14 goals conceded in four matches since Jack Butland was injured for England things are looking tough for Mark Hughes’ men. Sunderland have everything to play for and they bring a record of just one defeat in seven coming into this match. That loss came against Leicester and while they have drawn five of their other six games they have much more to play for and have shown they are tough to beat recently. As a result of this we can see The Black Cats take something home from Stoke this Saturday.

Our top Stoke v Sunderland tip is back Sunderland to beat Stoke on the Draw No Bet market at odds of 1.90 with 10Bet.com.

Newcastle v Crystal Palace: 2.05 – 3.45 – 3.85

With nine points left to play for and Crystal Palace eight points clear of the drop zone The Eagles will be confident about being assured of playing top flight football again next season and after booking their place in the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Watford last weekend they will be looking to keep their momentum going before that Wembley date by taking all three points in the league. Palace have lost just one of their last six matches in all competitions and their best result of the season came against Newcastle earlier in the campaign as they triumphed 5-1. That was the Londoner’s first win over Newcastle since 1998, now can they complete the double?

The Magpies come into this match with a side that was at one point spiralling out of control as they were the last side, by far, to record a win in the league in 2016 in good form having shown some battling qualities under Rafa Benitez. They have taken five points from their last three EPL clashes and are within touching distance of safety and as they have come from behind against Man City and Liverpool to draw recently they will not be easily rolled over by Palace.

We see a close and combative match that contains goals from both the two sides as their questionable defences are tested.

We are backing Both Teams to Score – Yes in this Newcastle v Crystal Palace match @ 1.86 with 10Bet.

Arsenal v Norwich: 1.26 – 5.95 – 12.00

The Canaries come into this match looking for their first ever win at The Emirates Stadium against Arsenal and for just their second win versus The Gunners since an away win in 1992. Their most recent victory saw a 1-0 win at Carrow Road in 2012 and they have since lost three and drawn one of their four meetings. The first clash of these two sides this season saw a 1-1 draw, but the last two visits to this ground have seen two and three goal defeats for the relegation threatened side. Norwich will need to better the results of Sunderland and Newcastle if they’re to make it out of the relegation zone, but can get some points against Arsenal this weekend?

Arsenal come into this match unbeaten in six games, having recorded four clean sheets in this time, but three of these clashes have seen them only draw, including failing to score against Sunderland last time out. They may not be in the best of form right now, but with Norwich having collected just eight points since January 2nd and having scored zero or one goal in 12 of these 15 matches they are not in the best of form either.

Of the two sides Arsenal have the better attacking and defensive players and they should win this match comfortably. If they are to do so then it will be attacking player Alexis Sanchez, who has three in three before this match, who will find the net and lead them to victory. As such, our pick is for the Chilean to score at least one at The Emirates this Saturday evening.

Our top tip on this Arsenal v Norwich game is back Alexis Sanchez to score anytime at odds of 1.90 in the 10Bet Sportsbook!

West Brom v West Ham: 4.00 – 3.40 – 2.00

Although the season is already over for the home side in this West Brom versus West Ham match at The Hawthorns they have thrown up some surprising results of late. The latest of these saw them throw a spanner in the works of Tottenham’s title challenge with a 1-1 draw on Monday night, and although they are now without a win in six matches you can be sure, as with any Tony Pulis side, that they will battle non-stop on the pitch even if there is nothing to be gained in a league position sense.

However, in West Ham they face one of their toughest tests of the season as The Hammers are unbeaten in nine matches and still have an outside chance of making a European place. In these nine games West Ham have scored 17 goals as key player Dimitri Payet has been creating goals, with nine assists this season, while Andy Carroll has netted five in his last three. The away side are the more creative and attacking of these two teams and we see them taking all three points in the Midlands.

Our money is on the away win at The Hawthorns @ 2.00 in this West Brom v West Ham match.

Everton v Bournemouth: 2.00 – 3.70 – 3.75

While these two sides occupy 11th and 14th places in the EPL table and have both taken 41 points this season Everton and Bournemouth have both had very different seasons. The Goodison Park faithful are unhappy with a lower half of the table return for Everton with the calibre of players that Roberto Martinez has at his disposal while fans of The Cherries will be delighted with their debut season in the top flight has resulted in a second season in the Premier League. Which of these two sets of fans will be the happier at the full time whistle in this game?

The home side are missing a number of key players in defensive and middle of the field positions with Phil Jagielka, Seamus Coleman and Gareth Barry all injured while Ramiro Funes Mori is suspended. They have not played as a team in recent times and have not won a match since beating the already relegated Aston Villa on March 1st. Confidence is low and Bournemouth, who have an injury hit season, will be looking to end some poor end of season form that has seen them lose four of their last five matches and only beat Villa in this time. With Everton’s poor form and the fact that Bournemouth have won three and drawn three of seven away games in 2016 we can see the visitors to Goodison Park taking something back down south from this match.

Our best bet on this Everton v Bournemouth match is back Bournemouth/Draw Double Chance at odds of 1.80 with 10Bet.com.

Watford v Aston Villa: 1.71 – 3.85 – 5.20

The first meeting of these sides at Villa Park this season saw Watford triumph 3-2 with Odion Ighalo and fan of Aston Villa’s local rivals Birmingham City Troy Deeney adding goals either side of an Alan Hutton own goal. Since then Watford have gone on to play at Wembley in an FA Cup semi final while Aston Villa have been relegated and will play in the second tier for the first time in almost three decades while being one of the worst sides that the EPL has seen in its history as they have taken just 16 points all season, while having as many managers as wins.

All of this combined makes us feel that Watford being available to win at odds of 1.71 despite only one win at home in the league in 2016 is excellent value and this is our pick this weekend.

Our top Watford v Aston Villa tip is back the home win @ 1.71 in the 10Bet Sportsbook!