Only one will go down Saturday!
The 2014/15 Premier League season comes to a close this Sunday afternoon and after Sunderland’s dogged draw at Arsenal in mid-week there are just two sides that can fill the final relegation spot. It will be one of Hull City or Newcastle United that will play their football in the Championship next season and with Hull needing to beat Manchester United and hope that Newcastle do not beat West Ham on home soil online bookmaker make Hull the 1.14 favourites to sink. Newcastle can be backed at odds 5.0 to be relegated, but will they be relegated?
We preview and provide our EPL picks both side’s closing matches to the season, as well as all other Premier League games, here. All odds shown are provided by Betfair.com.
Hull v Man Utd: 3.20 – 3.60 – 2.25
Hull are floundering at the end of the season and six defeats in their last eight games, including suffering a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Burnley and the conceding two goals against the run of play against Tottenham Hotspur as they were beaten 2-0 in their last two matches, sees them red hot favourites to return to the Championship after just two seasons in the top flight. With two back-to-back wins against Crystal Palace at the end of April things looked to have turned around for the club but they have lost three in a row coming into this game to see their feint hopes fade late on. They have lost three of four on home soil before this crunch weekend, but can they up their game against Manchester United?
Steve Bruce has never beaten Manchester United as a manager having drawn four and lost 16 of the 20 encounters while Hull have lost all seven meetings with the 20 time champions, conceding an average of three goals a game. Even with losses to Everton and Chelsea in two of their last three away Premier League matches Louis van Gaal’s side did manage to beat Crystal Palace in their last away trip to return to winning ways and we feel that the despite the side having nothing to play for in this final game of the season with the Champions League secured we can only see this match going one way. Back the away win at odds of 2.25 as Hull fall back to the second tier.
Newcastle v West Ham: 1.80 – 4.00 – 4.60
So, we see Newcastle remaining in the Premier League but there is little for fans of the club to celebrate as this will be down to the failures of other clubs rather than their own performances after forcing Alan Pardew out and replacing him with a man that has guided the club to just two wins in 18 matches and claimed just ten points in this time.
The side have lost nine of their last ten Premier League games and although their survival is at stake they will still struggle to raise their skill for this game, but with West Ham having stumbled to a close this season with just one win since March and their last away win coming more than six months ago we cannot see much happening in this game. It could go either way, but we’re backing few goals from two out of shape sides. Our money is on less than 2.5 goals to be scored at odds of 2.30 with Betfair.com.
Stoke v Liverpool: 3.50 – 3.60 – 2.20
At the other end of the table Liverpool require victory to ensure a place in the Europa League next season after the final match for Steven Gerrard at Anfield did not go to plan as they were beaten 3-1 by their bogey team Crystal Palace last weekend. They face a Stoke side with nothing to play for as they cannot reach eighth nor fall to ninth, but with Brendan Rodger’s side having lost two and drawn two of four on the road will they be able to secure all three points this weekend? Stoke have won four and drawn one of their last six at the Britannia Stadium and will prove to be tough to defeat for Liverpool having won three of the last four home league meetings with the Merseysiders. We foresee a close game and we’re backing goals from both teams in a thrilling end of season game from these two teams. Both teams to score is available at 1.70 in the Betfair Sportsbook.
Everton v Tottenham: 2.37 – 3.60 – 3.00
The away side at Goodison Park can ensure their place in the Europa League qualification stages with all three points away to Everton on the final day of the season, but with them having beaten just two of the bottom four sides in Newcastle and QPR away from White Hart Lane since January and Everton having lost only to Sunderland in their last home league game in 2015 we feel that the home team are most likely to end a disappointing season with all three points against a Spurs team that, according to manager Mauricio Pochettino, is desperate for an overhaul. We’re backing the home win at odds of 2.37 in this Everton v Tottenham match with Betfair.com.
Man City v Southampton: 1.57 – 4.50 – 6.00
Should our prediction of an Everton victory against Tottenham come true then the door is open for Southampton to claim the final Europa League spot and after netting six goals against Aston Villa last weekend, including breaking the Premier League fastest hat-trick record, they will be confident. However, that win saw them end a four game winless streak and they have lost five and drawn one of their last six away games, while their hosts at The Etihad have won five games in a row before this weekend. We feel that the home team have the edge in what promises to be a thrilling match and we’re backing another City win but with plenty of goals in the game. Our money is on Man City to win and + 2.5 goals in the match at odds of 2.05.
Arsenal v West Brom: 1.40 – 5.00 – 8.50
After failing to beat Sunderland in mid-week Arsenal have nothing left to play for as they will finish third in the league between the two Manchester clubs and while they are the big favourites to win this final game of the season they have not performed well in the closing stages. They have scored just one goal in their last three games as they drew with Sunderland and Manchester United following a 1-0 home defeat to Swansea. In fact they have scored more than one goal in a match only away at Hull over the last six weeks and with this Tony Pulis styled West Brom side having won three and drawn two of their final five matches of the season we feel that we may see an interesting result at The Emirates.
The Baggies have beaten both Crystal Palace and Manchester United as well as drawn at Newcastle in their last three away games and, if results go their way, they can finish in the top half with all three points this Sunday. We see them being the more motivated side and we’re backing them to take something from this match. Back West Brom/Draw on the Double Chance market at 2.90 with Betfair.com.
Aston Villa v Burnley: 2.10 – 3.60 – 3.70
Despite their 6-1 hammering at Southampton last weekend other results went the way of Aston Villa to ensure their safety in the Premier League for another season and you can be sure that Tim Sherwood will have his players up for this final home game of the season before next weekend’s FA Cup Final against Arsenal to make up for last weekend. They face a Burnley side that has a single goal in their last eight matches and has won just two away games this season, so with Christian Benteke in fine goal scoring form this season this should be a comfortable win for the home team at Villa Park. Back Villa to win and Benteke to score the first goal of the game at odds of 6.00 in the Betfair Sportsbook.
Chelsea v Sunderland: 1.36 – 5.00 – 10.00
After suffering a 3-0 defeat at West Brom last Monday you can be sure that Jose Mourinho, like Tim Sherwood, was on the warpath after that match and with Chelsea receiving the Premier League trophy at full time in this game you can be sure that his team will put in a better performance today. They will miss Cesc Fabregas who was red carded at The Hawthorns and Edin Hazard after having wisdom teeth removed, but they should still have enough to win this match.
With nothing on the line we expect Chelsea to be more adventurous than has been seen in recent weeks and with their Premier League survival no longer resting on getting something against the champions Sunderland will play a more relaxed game too. We can see goals from both sides, but for Chelsea to celebrate their league title in style. We are backing Chelsea to win and +2.5 goals in the game at odds of 1.90 with Betfair.
Crystal Palace v Swansea: 2.25 – 3.60 – 3.30
Palace ended a four game losing streak away at Anfield last weekend as they once again threw a spanner in the works of Liverpool by spoiling Steven Gerrard’s final home match and you can be sure that with a place in the top half available for the side manager Alan Pardew will be desperate to take all three points in this final home match of the season as his former side, Newcastle, struggles at the bottom of the league.
What we see in this match is goals as six of the last nine Premier League games for Palace have had at least three, while there have been 14 goals scored in the last four for Swansea. Betfair agree with this prediction too as they make +2.5 goals available at odds of 1.83 compared to 2.05 for two or fewer goals to be scored. There is certainly value to be had there as both sides have shown a little bit of inconsistency at the end of the season, so our money is on there to be goals in this match.
Leicester v QPR: 1.60 – 4.33 – 6.00
The final game from the 2014/15 Premier League season that we’re previewing sees a clash of the sides that pulled off the great escape and the side that sank without a trace. Leicester have taken six wins and a draw in their last eight EPL games to claim 19 points from the last 24 available and move up into 14th place in the league after looking dead and buried earlier in the season after four wins in the opening 29 matches, but coming into this final game of the season only Manchester City sit above them in the form table.
QPR, on the other hand, have a wealth of attacking talent, with Charlie Austin and the stunning Matt Phillips the standouts, but 68 goals conceded in the league has seen relegated. With manager Chris Ramsey and director of football Les Ferdinand having stated that they will have a major clear out over the summer many of the players will be playing to impress elsewhere so we see goals in this match, just like the 3-2 at Loftus Road in November, and we see Charlie Austin, after his England call-up this week, bagging at least one for the visitors at the King Power Stadium this Sunday afternoon at odds of 3.25 in the Betfair Sportsbook.