Sport

GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1×2 PICK15

GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1×2 PICK15

 

Aston Villa vs Sunderland

Head-to-Head: AST 81-45-54 SUN

Aston Villa are enjoying a fantastic run of form against Sunderland in recent years. From their last eight meetings, Aston Villa have failed to taste defeat with four victories and four draws to their name. Their confidence will be high this weekend knowing that Sunderland have endured a stuttered start to their campaign. Rumours surrounding the club suggest that manager Dick Advocaat could depart the Stadium Of Light as early as next week. Villa will be looking to capitalise on the side’s lack of morale and should prove to have too much on Saturday.

Selection: HOME

Bournemouth vs Leicester

Head-to-Head: BOU 3-0-6 LEI

Bournemouth will be buoyed by their recent victory over West Ham at Upton Park last weekend. The newly-promoted side showed tremendous fighting spirit to maintain their challenge and prevail with all three points. Leicester, likewise, have began their Premier League season is stylish fashion. Two wins from their opening three games sees Ranieri’s men sit second in the table, just two points behind leaders Manchester City. The Foxes are playing with a real attacking flair and are proving difficult for defences to contain. Granted Leicester turn up in similar form, they could take a bit of beating.

Selection: DRAW & AWAY

Stoke vs West Brom

Head-to-Head: STO 60-35-43 WBA

Stoke may be winless so far this season but it has been a solid start to their campaign. Respective away draws at Tottenham and Norwich have seen Mark Hughes’ men show tenacity in coming from behind on both occasions. West Brom were unfortunate against Chelsea last weekend where they came close to stealing at least a draw in the second half. On Saturday they travel to the Britannia Stadium in hope of securing their first three points. Stoke, however, are a tough side to dethrone at home and I expect their new look side to come through with all three points.

Selection: HOME

Liverpool vs West Ham

Head-to-Head: LIV 70-34-25 WHU

Liverpool are unbeaten against West Ham at Anfield since 1963; a statistic that will give the reds great confidence ahead of the weekends encounter. Brendan Rodgers’ men have yet to concede a goal in their three league games this season. Attacking midfielder Coutinho is proving to be amongst the best in the world and has threatened with nearly every counter-attack. West Ham will be disappointed by their own start to their league campaign. An opening day victory at the Emirates will have boosted the team morale, though they have failed to build on it since. Back-to-back defeats to Leicester and Bournemouth, respectively, have sparked rumours of a possible managerial departure at Upton Park. Slaven Bilic will be hoping for a response from his team but their recent record at Anfield suggests another home victory.

Selection: HOME

Bristol City vs Burnley

Head-to-Head: BCI 15-15-16 BUR

Bristol City will be looking to maintain the form that saw them beat Middlesbrough last weekend. The side performed exceptionally well in the first half and were unlucky to be leading by three at the interval. Burnley, who recently signed Andre Gray for £9m, will also be hoping to make it back-to-back successes in the league after beating Brentford. They looked a nervous team at times during the game but will no doubt improve knowing they have that first win under their belts. This could play out in to a lively encounter and I wouldn’t be surprised by a draw.

Selection: DRAW

Ipswich vs Brighton

Head-to-Head: IPS 30-13-23 BRI

Ipswich are enjoying a fantastic start to their season. Five wins from their opening six games, in all competitions, sees them atop of the Championship table. Mick McCarthy is pleased with his crop of players for the campaign ahead and so he should be. Their attacking line-up is looking strong when going forward and they should maintain a very good promotion push come next May. Brighton are also in fine form. They sit alongside Ipswich at the top of the league and boast a near perfect record with three victories and a draw from their opening four league encounters. Brighton will likely pose a serious threat to Ipswich this weekend but must do so following a Capital One Cup defeat to Walsall on Tuesday. Back the home side here.

Selection: HOME

Nottingham Forest vs Cardiff

Head-to-Head: NOT 14-10-24 CAR

Forest have beaten Cardiff just once in six meetings. Their recent form suggests improving upon that record may prove difficult. One victory from their first five games, in all competitions, have seen Dougie Freedman’s side sit comfortably in mid-table. This weekend they host a Cardiff side who are on a consistent run in the league. Two victories and two draws from their opening four games finds them sitting just outside of the play-offs and en route to Nottingham this week full of confidence.

Selection: DRAW & AWAY

Tottenham vs Everton

Head-to-Head: TOT 63-51-55 EVE

Tottenham host Everton on Saturday knowing that they are undefeated against the Toffees in their last five meetings. However, they will need to improve considerably on their current form to topple Everton again at White Hart Lane this weekend. Spurs are winless in three league games this season and have surrendered winning positions in their last two games. Everton, on the other hand, have enjoyed two successful performances against Barnsley and Southampton in the last fortnight and will fancy their chances in North London on Saturday evening.

Selection: DRAW

Real Sociedad vs Sporting Gijon

David Moyes’ side endured a closely fought draw against Deportivo last week and were arguably fortunate to come away with a point. They will need to sharpen up in defence when hosting Sporting Gijon this weekend who will be oozing in confidence after holding Real Madrid to a draw. Both sides are closely matched and may be happy to settle for a point-a-piece.

Selection: HOME & DRAW

Southampton vs Norwich

Head-to-Head: SOT 47-37-39 NOR

Speculation is mounting around Southampton that the board are becoming frustrated with their recent showings. They are without a victory in the league this season and were disappointing in Europe on Thursday. Ronald Koeman will be seeking an immediate response from his players who look a shadow of last year’s well-oiled machine. Norwich, on the other hand, are on a roll since their opening day defeat to Crystal Palace. Two wins from their last three games will give the Canaries plenty of confidence as they travel south on Sunday.

Selection: HOME & AWAY

Swansea vs Manchester United

Head-to-Head: SWA 9-5-11 MUN

Swansea will pose a major threat to Manchester United this weekend, their recent results provide plenty of evidence that victory over the Red Devils is well within their grasp. They are unbeaten in their four games this season and looked classy in beating York on Tuesday. Manchester United also enjoyed a confidence-booster this week when thumping Club Brugge 4-0 in their Champions League Qualifier. Wayne Rooney netted a hat-trick in the encounter and will be looking to continue such goalscoring form. This could develop in to an intriguing meeting between two teams high in confidence.

Selection: DRAW & AWAY

Roma vs Juventus

Juventus suffered a shock opening day defeat to Udinese last weekend where they looked mediocre at best. The departure of Pirlo, Tevez and Vidal has had a knock-on effect on the team who recently acquired Juan Cuadrado as a replacement. Roma drew 1-1 away at Verona last week but boast a fantastic home record, and will fancy their chances against a deflated Juventus side.

Selection: HOME & DRAW

Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid

Sevilla recently acquired the services of former Juventus talisman Fernando Llorente and will be hoping he can make an immediate impact when his new side host Atletico this weekend. Madrid gained three points over Las Palmas but will need improving upon to land a blow on Sunday evening. Each side are closely matched on recent form and squad depth which means a draw may be in inevitable.

Selection: DRAW

Monaco vs PSG

Monaco host the French champions on the back of three solids games to open their league campaign. One win and two draws finds Monaco in mid-table, though more will be needed on Sunday evening. PSG are yet to concede a goal this season and have won all three of their games. Laurent Blanc’s men look well equipped to deal with their opposition this weekend and should maintain their dominance in Ligue 1 for another season.

Selection: AWAY

Coventry vs Southend

Head-to-Head: COV 21-13-21 SOU

Coventry have started their season in fine fashion. Two good home wins as well as a widespread away victory at Millwall sees the teams sit in third place and full of confidence. They host Southend on Monday who have just two points from their opening four games. One draw and three defeats in their last four games will make life difficult as they travel to Coventry.

Selection: HOME