We’re Playing Newcastle! We’re Playing Newcastle!
By Antony Jordan
Due to the conflict between the Premier League and FA Cup Quarter Finals this weekend there are very few EPL games being played across Saturday, Sunday and Monday night with half of the matches postponed. However, there is still plenty of action happening at the top and bottom of the table and we’re previewing all five fixtures remaining this weekend with online sportsbook 10Bet.com to provide our top EPL picks.
Leicester v Newcastle: 1.55 – 4.15 – 6.40
The league leaders come into this weekend of EPL action five points clear of the other sides, although with Tottenham playing before them the gap may be down to just two points by the time that this Leicester v Newcastle match kicks off at The King Power Stadium on Monday Night Football.
There will be pressure on the home side in this match as there are just eight EPL games left for them this season and they are on the verge of something never seen before in Premier League history – in winning the title following on from a season where they spent long periods bottom of the table before saving themselves late on.
However, while the pressure for The Foxes will be intense it will be even worse for the away side in this match as the rumour mill at the time of writing was pointing towards Steve McClaren being fired and former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez being brought in to replace him. Time is running out for The Magpies as they too have just eight games to their season as they have failed to find consistency throughout the campaign and are a point from safety. They have been, and continue to be, hampered by injuries in their squad and with them away to the league leaders this Monday when they have lost all of their last six away league games and have a total of 11 defeats in 14 away games this season we do not see this ending well for Newcastle, whether they have a new manager or not.
Our best Leicester v Newcastle bet is back Leicester to win by at least two goals (Leicester-1) @ 2.50 with 10Bet.com.
Aston Villa v Tottenham: 7.50 – 4.30 – 1.47
The only match being played this Sunday in the EPL comes from Villa Park where we have a similar situation to that of the Leicester v Newcastle match as Villa are bottom of the league and Tottenham sit second in the table. The away side, despite having played a tough 90 minutes of football in Germany against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night, will fancy their chances at all three points in this match and 10Bet certainly agree with them according to their match odds. The Londoners have lost just one match since 2008 against Villa and have won 11 of the other 14 meetings in this time, including securing a 3-1 at home earlier this season.
Villa have lost all of their last four EPL games whilst conceding 15 goals in this timeframe and with them nine points from safety with nine games to play they must know that they are relegated and will be playing in The Championship next season. With Tottenham resting a number of key players on Thursday night, having the league title still to play for and the far better head to head record we see this game going only one way.
Our money is on the away win and Over 2.5 goals to be scored in this Aston Villa v Tottenham match at odds of 2.30 in the 10Bet Sportsbook!
Norwich v Man City: 6.25 – 4.15 – 1.55
This is another bottom versus top clash in the league with Norwich third bottom and Man City fourth in the five points behind Tottenham, although they do have a game in hand over Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester above them. The 10Bet odds for this Norwich v Man City match suggest that this game will be a straightforward away victory and with Norwich having the second worst defensive record in the league that has seen them concede 54 goals in 29 games we can see this being another easy win for a side near the top of the league.
Norwich have lost nine of their last ten games in all competitions and while City will be playing this match with their Champions League clash with Dynamo Kyiv in mind we still see them having too much for their hosts who have scored one and conceded 12 in their last four meetings with Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
Our top Norwich v Man City tip is back the away win and Over 2.5 goals to be scored @ 2.25 at 10Bet.
Stoke v Southampton: 2.70 – 3.15 – 2.80
This match sees a meeting of the teams sitting eighth and ninth in the EPL table in a match that promises to be a tight clash. These two sides have either drawn or been separated by a single goal in each of their last 13 encounters going back as far as October 2005 and the 10Bet odds suggest that this weekend’s game will be equally as close.
Stoke have won both of the last two meetings, including securing a 1-0 win at St. Mary’s earlier this season, and after taking ten points through three wins and a draw in their last four EPL matches they will confident about making this match three in a row against The Saints. Southampton have lost their way a little over the last month as they followed up five wins and a draw, all with no goals conceded, with two losses and a 1-1 draw in their last three games.
The momentum is certainly with the home side right now but they are still missing a number of key players, especially defensively, and we feel that this will make the vulnerable to a Southampton side that, although is out of form right now, can still score goals. As a result of this we feel that either side could take the points but the value is on goals.
We are backing Both Teams to Score – Yes at odds of 1.95 in this Stoke v Southampton match.
Bournemouth v Swansea: 1.95 – 3.40 – 4.25
Both of these two teams bring a two match winning streak to The Vitality Stadium and although they have moved 11 and nine points clear of the relegation zone respectively and are surely safe in the Premier League for another season they will both be desperate to claim a third successive win. Matches between the two sides generally produce goals as there have been 26 goals in the last six meetings, including four goals in the 2-2 draw earlier this season.
Bournemouth have been the team who have scoring the more goals lately with five netted in their two victories over Southampton and Newcastle, but wins against Arsenal and Norwich in their last two games to see them cut the bottom four teams in the adrift will have done wonders for Swansea’s confidence too. However, with their lack of goalscoring strikers being a big problem for the Welsh side we feel that the home side is likely to take all three points in what promises to another entertaining match this weekend.
Our best Bournemouth v Swansea bet is back the home win @ 1.95 with 10Bet.com.