And these will be very rich losers!
This week sees round 36 of the Premier League season, meaning that there are just two rounds of matches left after this round of football, and with Chelsea having already taken the title all that is left to decide is who’ll finish in the top four and who’ll find themselves playing in the Championship next season. There are big games at both the top and bottom of the EPL table and the best value on all of Saturday and Sunday’s games can is below. Here are our EPL picks with the odds provided come from WilliamHill.com.
Everton v Sunderland: 1.73 – 3.50 – 5.00
The opening match from the EPL this weekend comes from Goodison Park where Everton look to continue their fantastic home form in 2015 and close on a top half of the table finish. They are unbeaten in 11 matches on the blue half of Merseyside before this weekend in all competitions and after drawing all of the first five home games of the year they have now won six in a row, including recording four clean sheets in a row. Both Southampton and Manchester United have been beaten to nil in these matches and with just Steven Pienaar missing from the matchday squad they will believe they’re on course for another three points this Saturday.
Sunderland are missing captain John O’Shea and striker Steven Fletcher for this match, but should be more concerned about their away form. They have not won away in the league since before Christmas and although they have tightened up under Dick Advocaat they still have scored just three away goals in six games spanning three months. With Everton being in such fine form right now we cannot see the away side getting anything from this match despite the fact that they know a point will move them level on points with those outside the relegation zone. Back Everton to win at odds of 1.73 in the William Hill Sportsbook!
Aston Villa v West Ham: 1.95 – 3.40 – 4.00
Although they sit 14th in the Premier League table and have booked a place in the FA Cup Final the home team in this Aston Villa v West Ham sit just two points above the drop zone knowing that they must take all three points if they are to ensure their survival in the top flight. They have looked a completely different beast under former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood and although they are still inconsistent they are looking far more threatening going forwards. The manager has gotten the best out of Christian Benteke with seven goals in his last five games and if they’re to live up to their favourites billing against the Hammers they’ll need the Belgian to once again be on top form.
West Ham ended a two game goalless streak last weekend with a 1-0 home win over all but relegated Burnley, but with Sam Allardyce’s men having failed to win away from home in the league since the start of December they may very well in trouble at Villa Park this weekend. They have failed to score in five of their last seven away games and we feel that Benteke’s goalscoring threat will be deciding factor in this match and our pick is that the Belgian scores at least once in this game. Back Benteke to score anytime at 2.00 with WilliamHill.com.
Hull v Burnley: 1.95 – 3.40 – 4.00
Two of the bottom four sides in the English top flight clash at the KC Stadium on Saturday afternoon with both sides desperate to collect a victory, although with Burnley eight points from safety with just nine left to play for things are looking bleak for the side bottom of the league. Victory in this match will see them still have something to play for against Stoke in the penultimate game of the season, but with no goals in six matches plus eight losses and three draws on the road in the league this will be a tough match for the side only promoted this time last season.
Hull were well beaten in their last game at home to Arsenal on Monday night as they suffered a 3-1 defeat, but with wins over Crystal Palace and Liverpool in the two matches preceding that defeat they will have some confidence coming into this match and with Burnley having lost all ability to find the net of late we are unable to see any outcome of this match bar a home win and relegation for Sean Dyche’s men. Our money is on the home win at odds of 1.95.
Leicester v Southampton: 2.62 – 3.10 – 2.80
This match at the King Power Stadium promises to be an intriguing clash between sides fighting for their life and battling for a place in Europe respectively. With five wins in the last six matches, losing only to Chelsea since the start of April, Leicester manager Nigel Pearson has guided the Foxes from the edge of the abyss into safety and they will look to kick on from here and move four points from the drop zone with another victory this weekend. Pearson’s exploits in recent times, bar the rant about ostriches, has seen him claim the Manager of the Month award for April, but can he stake an early claim for May’s trophy too?
Southampton are listing at the end of the season as they are on a five game winless streak away from St. Mary’s having lost four and drawn one with Chelsea on the road since the start of February. They will miss James Ward-Prowse this weekend following his red card last weekend against Sunderland as the midfielder joins Morgan Schneiderlin, Dusan Tadic, Fraser Forster and Emmanuel Mayuka on the sidelines. It would not surprise us to see Leicester and their rampaging momentum cut through the Saints this weekend, but with Graziano Pellé showing his goal scoring touch again at this late stage of the season we’re backing goals in this one. We like both teams to score and +2.5 goals in the game at a tempting price of 2.20 with William Hill.
Newcastle v West Brom: 2.45 – 3.25 – 2.90
Things are not going well for Newcastle at the moment as they bring an enviable record of eight successive defeats into this clash with Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion at St. James’ Park this Saturday afternoon. To compound this both Mike Williamson and Daryl Janmaat were red carded in the 3-0 loss to Leicester last weekend and with a lengthy injury list they could be staring down the barrel of a nine game losing streak.
West Brom have impressed in recent weeks too as former Stoke and Crystal Palace boss Pulis has got the Baggies defence working as he’d like with three clean sheets in a row before this match. They have beaten both Palace and Manchester United away from home with a 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool in the middle of these two matches. With the poor form and internal conflict for the home side coinciding with West Brom finding their form we can only see an away win for the Midlanders in the North East. Back the away win in this Newcastle v West Brom match at 2.90 in the William Hill Sportsbook!
Stoke v Tottenham: 2.80 – 3.10 – 2.62
The final match from the afternoon kick offs in the Premier League this Saturday comes from the Britannia Stadium as Stoke look to retain their top half place in the table and Tottenham continue to battle with Liverpool and Southampton for European places next season. The home side have lost four of their last seven EPL games before this weekend and were beaten 2-0 at Swansea last time around thanks to two late goals and a red card for defender Marc Wilson.
However, with just two losses in nine home games while their guests have beaten only the hapless Newcastle United in four matches on the road over the last two months. The away team still have much more to play for though and will be up for this match, but if they can up live to their slight favourites billing they will need Harry Kane to return to his earlier red hot goalscoring form. We see this being a closely fought match, just as the odds suggest, with both teams going for the win. We expect there to be goals from both of these sides in a thrilling match, so put your money on at least three goals in this match (+2.5 goals) @ 1.91.