Sport
GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1X2 PICK15
GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1X2 PICK15
Aston Villa vs West Brom
Head-to-Head: ASV 77-35-53 WBA
Aston Villa endured a horror 17 minutes against Leicester last weekend when letting their 0-2 lead slip. The Foxes showcased fantastic persistency to come back in to the game and record a memorable three points. Tim Sherwood will be demanding an immediate response from his team who had showed glimpses of brilliancy throughout the encounter but ultimately paid the price for a lack of concentration in the closing stages. West Brom, on the other hand, earned a hard-fought draw against a slick Southampton side. Saido Berahino returned to Tony Pulis’ team but will need to find his scoring boots quickly as Albion had just the one shot on target all game. I fancy Villa here.
Selection: HOME
Bournemouth vs Sunderland
Head-to-Head: BOU 0-2-4 SUN
Bournemouth were the victims of an impressive Norwich performance last weekend as Eddie Howe’s men slumped to a 3-1 defeat. The Cherries were poor defensively at times and will need to improve upon their possession efficiency against Sunderland on Saturday. The Black Cats arrive on the south coast following a home loss to Tottenham recently and are on a run of eight league games without a victory. Their forward line are not taking advantage of their chances which could spell trouble for Dick Advocaat’s men.
Selection: HOME & DRAW
Newcastle vs Watford
Head-to-Head: NEW15-13-9 WAT
Newcastle are still winless in the league this season after suffering an away defeat to West Ham on Monday. The Magpies dominated much of the game but were short of ideas inside the final third. It leaves them bottom of the Premier League with just two points from their first five games, and desperately in need of a victory. Watford have enjoyed a consistent start to their campaign following just the once loss to Manchester City last month. The Hornets played well to beat Swansea last weekend and were defensively strong. The Welsh side went in to the game full of confidence but the Londoners were able to break them down successfully. I expect the home side to maintain their recent run of form.
Selection: HOME
Stoke vs Leicester
Head-to-Head: STO 33-31-31 LEI
Stoke City are another side without a Premier League win this season. Their recent defeat at the Emirates saw them adapt to very negative tactics in order to slow Arsenal down, however it failed to pacify the home side. Mark Hughes’ men have failed to get going this campaign and must host a team flying this weekend. Leicester produced a memorable comeback against Villa on Saturday and are full of confidence under new manager Claudio Ranieri. The Foxes sit in second place and unbeaten from their first five games and will be keen to maintain such a record here.
Selection: DRAW
Swansea vs Everton
Head-to-Head: SWA 1-7-14 EVE
Prior to last week’s defeat to Watford, Swansea had been in fine form. Victories over Manchester United and Newcastle, respectively, saw the Welsh side play with real fluency and self-belief. Manager Garry Monk has his side dominating possession in their games along with utilising a sharp counter-attacking style. They host Everton on Saturday who arrive on the back of a fantastic win over Chelsea. The Toffee’s were brilliant in defence during that game with centre-half John Stones performing with real professionalism. They could be tough to contain the Liberty Stadium this weekend.
Selection: DRAW & AWAY
Bristol City vs Reading
Head-to-Head: BCI 35-19-34 REA
Bristol City have lost four of the last five meetings with Reading and are in the midst of a poor start to their campaign. City are in 22nd place with just one league victory in their first seven games and are struggling for form. They’ve lost two of the last three and are in desperate need of a win. Reading, on the other hand, have won two of their last three including a 5-1 thumping over Ipswich a week ago. Their away form is solid with one defeat from five games, in all competitions. They travel to Bristol full of confidence and will be difficult to break down.
Selection: AWAY
MK Dons vs Leeds
Head-to-Head: MKD 6-8-14 LEE
MK Dons enjoyed a fantastic start to their season, though it has gone somewhat off the rails since. The Dons have lost their last three in the Championship and are beginning to lose their self confidence. Leeds are closely matched to their opposition on Saturday and are fairly solid on their own turf. Prior to their defeat to Ipswich on Tuesday, Leeds had drawn their three previous games at Elland Road. Uwe Rosler’s men are frustrating to play against and will be confident of prolonging their recent run of form on Saturday.
Selection: AWAY
Wolves vs Brighton
Head-to-Head: WOL 5-9-12 BRI
Wolves are without a victory over Brighton in their last four meetings. The Wanderers are in strong form at home though and will be eager to make a statement when the league leaders arrive at the Molineux on Saturday afternoon. They have just one defeat in five games at home this season but host a Brighton side which are flying at present. The Seagulls are unbeaten in the Championship and have won their last four league games. Chris Hughton’s men are playing with a real attacking fluency and are lethal on the counter-attack. An exciting encounter is anticipated between two sides in respective form.
Selection: DRAW
Sevilla vs Celta Vigo
Sevilla will be buoyed by their recent Champions League win over Borussia Monchengladbach after a stumbling start to their La Liga campaign. Two draws and a defeat from their first three games sees Sevilla sit in 18th place, and 15 places behind their opposition this weekend. Celta Vigo have started their season with a bang following two victories and a draw, respectively. However, the visitors conceded three goals against Las Palmas and Sevilla will be looking to capitalise on such inconsistency.
Selection: HOME
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace
Head-to-Head: TOT 22-13-10 CPA
Tottenham may have won only one league game this season, but they have been solid in many of their games. A lack of concentration has seen Pochettino’s men let slip of a lead against Leicester and Stoke, respectively. Spurs defeated Sunderland last weekend and will gain confidence from the outing. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are not short of confidence following fantastic showing against Manchester City and Chelsea in recent weeks. Last weekend at Selhurst Park, Pardew’s men deserved more than the score-line suggested against City and they’ll travel to North London full of self-belief.
Selection: HOME & DRAW
Liverpool vs Norwich
Head-to-Head: LIV 34-14-14 NOR
Liverpool boast a fantastic record against Norwich in recent years with nine victories and one draw from their last ten encounters. However, the Reds recent form suggests that a Norwich victory here will be no shock. Brendan Rodgers’ team fell victim to a Manchester United defeat last Saturday evening which preceded the thumping at the hands of West Ham at Anfield. Their manager is under immense pressure as speculation mounts regarding his future. Norwich will be pleased by their victory over Bournemouth recently and have enjoyed a pair of good successes on the road this season. They’ll be looking to pounce on Liverpool whilst their vulnerable.
Selection: HOME & DRAW
Southampton vs Manchester United
Head-to-Head: SOT 27-29-60 MUN
Prior to Southampton’s January victory over United, the Red Devils had gone 11 games unbeaten over the Saints. This season Southampton have been inconsistent. At times they have looked their smooth attacking self but have also showed real defensive instabilities – especially when defeated by Everton. Manchester United are similar. Louis van Gaal’s men looked good in beating Liverpool last weekend, but failed to get past PSV in the Champions League recently. Goals should be on the menu here.
Selection: HOME & AWAY
Napoli vs Lazio
Napoli are without a victory in Serie A this season following two draws and an opening day defeat. There seems to be plenty of weaknesses defensively for the Italian side which will need correcting as they host a hungry Lazio team on Sunday. Lazio, on the other hand, boast two victories and a defeat from their first three league games. They seem a much stronger team on their own turf following three consecutive victories – in all competitions – this season. Improvements in their away performances will be needed to win this weekend.
Selection: HOME
Marseille vs Lyon
Both Marseille and Lyon are closely matched on recent form which gives hope that this will be an exciting encounter. Marseille bounced back from defeat last month with a stylish victory over Bastia. They will gain great confidence from the performance and will hope that it kick starts to their Ligue 1 campaign. Lyon are playing with no consistency this season and will difficult to judge away at Marseille this weekend. Both sides are similar in ways and I can see a hardly fought draw playing out.
Selection: DRAW
Derby vs Burnley
Head-to-Head: DER 42-21-39 BUR
Burnley will be pleased to see their record against Derby in recent years. You have to date back to January 2007 for the last time in which Derby were victorious over Burnley. In the ten encounters since, Burnley have failed to taste defeat. Derby have enjoyed back-to-back wins in the Championship and have climbed up to 10th in the league. Burnley, likewise, have won their last four consecutive league games and are flying with confidence. I’m expecting a highly entertaining encounter.
Selection: DRAW
