There are four games taking place this Sunday in the Premier League and football commentator & broadcaster Kieran Burke is here to give his thoughts on the upcoming games.
EVERTON v CHELSEA – 2.00
I’m going to start with the game at Goodison Park because I believe this is where the best value bet of the weekend is to be found. Chelsea were shambolic in their performance at Old Trafford midweek in a game that was littered with errors from both sides.
The Blues have been so up and done of late it’s difficult to know what Chelsea team will turn up from game to game with the stunning 4-4 draw with Man City being followed with the dour 4-1 loss at Newcastle before a gritty win with ten men at home to Brighton and then the horror show in Manchester.
Chelsea were so poor on Wednesday night that it’s difficult to see how they can possibly be priced favourites for this trip to a hostile Goodison Park with the hosts buoyed by their emphatic win against Newcastle last time out.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men haven’t kept a league clean sheet since October, they have a soft underbelly and can easily be got at.
Sean Dyce has praised his players for putting the clubs controversial points deduction to one side and keeping focus on on-field matters and they deserve such plaudits with the Toffees now seeking a third consecutive win and on a run of just one loss in seven in all comps with five wins in that period.
Everton’s recent record in this fixture is encouraging too with Chelsea claiming just one win in their last four against the Merseysiders and that record reads just one win in Chelsea’s last six trips to Goodison with the home side securing victory in the other five!
VERDICT: Everton (2/1)
LUTON TOWN v MAN CITY – 2.00
I predicted a tough night at the office for Arsenal on Tuesday as they visited Kenilworth Road and despite Declan Rice’s cruel late winner for the Gunners, you would have been on a winner if you followed my Luton +2 selection.
The Hatters have made their humble home a tough place to visit this term with Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal all struggling at the London venue in recent months.
However, the newly promoted side must now prepare to welcome a wounded animal in Manchester City with the Champions given a rare humbling at the hands on Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Expect a reaction from Pep Guardiola’s side…..
VERDICT: Manchester City -2 (23/20)
FULHAM v WEST HAM – 2.00
Two teams who will be filled with confidence following a fruitful midweek with Fulham blitzing Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Cottage while West Ham stunned their London rivals Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Up until recently, Fulham striker Raul Jiménez had gone over a year without a Premier League goal but the Mexican appears to finally have rediscovered the kind of form he showed prior to that horror head injury suffered as a Wolves player with Jiménez netting three goals in his last four games.
West Ham’s win at Tottenham was all the more impressive as they achieved it without the injured Michail Antonio but Jarrod Bowen again stepped up to the plate with his ninth league goal of the season. Mohammed Kudus also caught the eye in North London with the former Ajax man boasting six goals in all competitions this season.
With both teams eyeing victory here and with a couple of players on both sides in good goalscoring form, BTTS is the way to go here in what should be an even contest.
VERDICT: BTTS (13/20)
TOTTENHAM v NEWCASTLE – 4.30 – DOUBLE THE ODDS FIRST GOALSCORER
The injury ravaged derby takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening with both Spurs and Newcastle appearing as if the quantity of absentees in their ranks has seriously caught up with them in recent matches.
Tottenham looked in total control of their London derby with West Ham midweek only to yet again let a lead slip in a 1-2 defeat while Newcastle were torn apart at Goodison by Everton (3-0).
Despite a winless run of five matches, Tottenham continue to earn plaudits for how they approach the game under their new boss Ange Postecoglou and despite this rocky spell it’s clear the ex-Celtic boss has no intentions of changing his approach, which is great news for the neutral.
Already without a host of key players, Heung-min Son is reportedly doubtful for Tottenham tomorrow and without a clear picture available on the South Korean’s participation in this game it’s very difficult to give a proper verdict.
Should Son miss out then Richarlison is the most likely replacement but the Brazilian’s confidence is on the floor, as we again saw through his missed chance off the bench against West Ham.
While they looked blunt against Everton, a front three of Isak, Almiron and Gordon will carry serious threat in a game where space certainly won’t be at a premium.
Goals should be guaranteed and while I don’t have as firm of an opinion on this one as some of the others, I will narrowly side with a Newcastle win.
VERDICT: Newcastle win & BTTS (15/4)
A €5 stake on Kieran Burke’s four selections would return €244.33.