Every game is crucial now for Manchester City and Liverpool, as the two-horse race for the Premier League title continues. With both clubs also involved in the latter stages of the Champions League, there is plenty of permutations left in the season for everyone involved as TFA takes a look at this week’s fixtures.
Newcastle United v Liverpool Betting Tips
It seemed very unlikely that Everton would be able to get anything out of the Merseyside derby – and so it transpired. Frank Lampard’s team did play relatively well but there are not many sides that can get the better of Liverpool at the moment. They will travel to St James’ Park at the weekend confident of being able to catch City at the top of the table.
However, Eddie Howe has done a magnificent job at Newcastle after arriving under controversial circumstances. The Magpies were being tipped to go down at the time, but now face Liverpool as a club in the top half of the table and on the back of a four-game winning streak. The Reds should still be too strong on Saturday, but an away win with both teams to score looks good value at 21/10, and if you place a £10 bet with bet365 you will be rewarded with £50 in Free Bets.
Leeds United v Manchester City Betting Tips
Manchester City will still be on a high after their exhilarating Champions League semi-final first-leg victory over Real Madrid when they travel across the Pennines on Saturday evening. They will know if Liverpool have leapfrogged them in the table by the time the game kicks off – but nothing seems to faze Pep Guardiola’s players these days.
Leeds have now finally begun to enjoy a slight resurgence under new boss Jesse Marsch. They are still deep in relegation trouble, but there should be three worse sides at the end of the season and even if their five-game unbeaten run comes to an end, there are now some fresh hopes for next season. City should take all three points from this one quite comfortably though and the win to nil is priced at 13/10.
West Ham v Arsenal Betting Tips
There is an intriguing London derby to look forward to on Sunday as West Ham host Arsenal. The Hammers looked like they were about to break into the top four in March, but have fallen away since then and are winless in three attempts. Minds may well be on European glory, but there is still a chance to climb the table at home too.
Arsenal will be looking to stop that happening as they aim to continue a fine run of form that has seen the Gunners beat Chelsea and Manchester United in their last two games to consolidate a Champions League spot. The race for a top-four finish is far from over, but Arsenal are in pole position at the moment and an away win and both teams to score at 13/5 looks like good value.
Real Madrid v Manchester City Betting Tips
It seems as though you can never quite disregard Real Madrid until they are officially out of the Champions League. The first leg of this tie was about as far away from a defensive semi-final as you could get. City sprinted out of the blocks, only for Real to come back through that man Karim Benzema once again.
The late penalty from the French striker sets up this second leg perfectly and perhaps gives the La Liga side a slight advantage – as long as they can utilise what would seem to be an all-important home advantage on Wednesday. The way Los Blancos have played this season, you would not put it past them to give City a torrid time and come out on top. The home win is priced at a very reasonable 12/5 and you can receive £50 in Free Bets when you place a £10 wager.
Villarreal v Liverpool Betting Tips
Liverpool were definitely handed the easier-looking draw in the semi-final of this season’s Champions League and will be confident of booking yet another final appearance here. Villarreal have performed incredibly this season – beating both Juventus and Bayern Munich – but it looks like this will be the end of the line after a battling loss at Anfield.
The home side are sure to cause Liverpool a few problems, once again. But any market backing a win for Jürgen Klopp’s side should be investigated further.
Premier League Betting Tips
Watford’s Premier League status is looking increasingly frail and the Hornets will not be pleased that they now face a Burnley side who’ve woken up after the departure of Sean Dyche. But there is still a lot of points to be won for the bottom teams this season and this could end in a home win at 13/8 with a smart bet earning you £50 in Free Bets through bet365 when you bet £10.
Southampton managed to claw their way back into the south coast derby last weekend after trailing by two goals to Brighton. It was James Ward-Prowse who saved the day once again for the Saints, but they won’t always be able to rely on the free-kick master. Palace have built up a good reputation with their performances recently and look good for the away win at 21/10.
If ever there were a time for Philippe Coutinho to regain his form then the next two games would be perfect. Burnley are next up after this weekend’s home game against Norwich City, and it should be an opportunity to pick up the points needed to escape a more nervous end to the season. Back Villa to win at 2/5 with a £10 wager on any in-play bet to receive £50 in Free Bets when you join bet365.
Wolves still have a chance of making one of the European competitions this season, but last weekend’s defeat to Burnley will have knocked the wind out of their sails. A home game against Brighton on Saturday might be just as frustrating – and a draw at 21/10 could be the eventual outcome.
Everton don’t have the easiest run-in to the end of the season, so relegation from the top flight is a very pressing problem for the Toffees right now. Lampard will believe his team can win every game, but the results have not been positive so far. It looks like a Chelsea victory at 31/40 is the most likely outcome here too.
Manchester United fans at least now know that it will be Erik ten Hag who has the job of taking the club back to the glory days. But it has been a hard slog this season and it would not be a surprise if Brentford are able to take a point at Old Trafford. The draw is priced at 3/1.
