For fans of the Premier League, the good news is that we now have a clear run of weekends between now and the end of the season with no interruptions (apart from FA Cup semi final ties).
That means over the next few weeks we are going to see the culmination of what has been a long, fragmented and let’s not deny it, unusual season.
The World Cup in the winter has divided the season into two slightly uneven halves and it has made this season seem so much longer.
In midweek we saw 12 teams in action, catching up on games postponed from earlier in the season and the results of those matches and the ones from last weekend are outlined below.
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Premier League Matchday 29
- Manchester City 4-1 Liverpool (Alvarez 27, De Bruyne 46, Gundogan 53, Grealish 74), (Salah 17)
- Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham (Tavernier 50, Solanke 79), (Pereira 16)
- Nottingham Forest 1-1 Wolves (Johnson 38), (Podence 83)
- Crystal Palace 2-1 Leicester City (Iversen 59 og, Mateta 90+4), (Ricardo Pereira 56)
- Arsenal 4-1 Leeds Utd (Jesus 35(p), 55, White 47, Xhaka 84), (Kristensen 76)
- Brighton 3-3 Brentford (Mitoma 21, Welbeck 28, Mac Allister 90(p)), (Janssen 10, Toney 22, Pinnock 49)
- Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa (Watkins 18, McGinn 56)
- West Ham 1-0 Southampton (Aguerd 25)
- Newcastle United 2-0 Manchester United (Willock 65, Wilson 88)
- Everton 1-1 Tottenham (Keane 90), (Kane 68(p))
Premier League Midweek Games
- Leeds United 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Harrison 20, Sinisterra 45+1) (Mangala 12)
- Bournemouth 0-2 Brighton (Ferguson 28, Enciso 90+1)]
- Leicester City 1-2 Aston Villa (Barnes 35), (Watkins 24, Traore 87)
- Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
- West Ham 1-5 Newcastle United (Zouma 40), (Wilson 6,46, Joelinton 13,90, Isak 82)
- Manchester United 1-0 Brentford (Rashford 27)
These results see Newcastle remain in third place in the Premier League table, level on points with Manchester United with the same number of games played (28), but with a much better goal difference (+26 to +5).
Aston Villa jumped up to 7th in the table dropping Liverpool down to eighth with the Reds without a win in their last three Premier League games. Chelsea are now 11th, while Leeds were the biggest movers in the relegation battle picking up three points to move out of the relegation zone up to 13th in the table.
All of which brings us neatly to the games taking place this weekend when we have a full complement of ten games across Saturday and Sunday.
Premier League – Matchday 30
All odds shown in the previews below were correct with bet365 Sport at the time of writing, but may have changed since the post was published.
Kick off times are at 3pm unless stated otherwise.
Saturday 8th April
Manchester United v Everton (12.30)
Everton come into this game with the better record of the two teams over the last four games, picking up six points to United’s four. However, United’s defeats have come on the road and they have been pretty strong at Old Trafford all season long. Sean Dyche will know just how tough this task is for his team but that point snatched against Spurs on Wednesday will give them some confidence here. That said, I still expect United to win the game.
Correct Score Tip – Manchester United 2-0 Everton – 13/2
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa have quietly become one of the form teams in the Premier League and they now sit in eighth position in the table on the fringes of the European places for next season. They face a Forest side struggling away from home, with manager Steve Cooper criticising their poor away form in recent times. With Ollie Watkins in great goalscoring form at the moment, it is hard to see any other result that a comfortable win for Villa here.
Correct Score Tip – Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest – 14/1
Brentford v Newcastle United
Newcastle come into this game in superb form at the moment and on the back of four straight wins which have seen them move up to third in the Premier League table. Brentford’s recent form hasn’t been as impressive but at home this season, especially against the top teams, the Bees have done very well. As such, I think they may well fancy themselves here to land another surprise win, but I think in the end a draw is the more likely result.
Correct Score Tip – Brentford 1-1 Newcastle United – 6/1
Fulham v West Ham United
After being given a somewhat unconvincing vote of confidence in midweek following their loss to Newcastle, David Moyes knows that this is a must-win game for the Hammers. Fulham, who will be without Aleksandr Mitrovic for almost all their remaining games, will miss the Serbian striker, but they have enough quality without him to earn a result here. West Ham need a win to save their manager but I am not sure they will get it.
Correct Score Tip – Fulham 2-1 West Ham United – 11/1
Leicester City v Bournemouth
These two teams are 18th and 19th in the Premier League table, with Leicester being the lower of the two teams and two points behind the Cherries. Bournemouth’s recent form is decent with two wins in their last four games, but both have come at home and their away form continues to be a huge problem. Leicester are sorely lacking confidence and without a manager, they need something to go their way here. They cannot afford to lose this game, and I think they won’t.
Correct Score Tip – Leicester City 3-2 Bournemouth – 25/1
Tottenham Hotspurs v Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham didn’t play in midweek and their 1-1 draw at Everton means that they could be six points behind Man Utd and Newcastle should their two opponents win their game in hand. As such, this is a must win game for Spurs. Not only that, if Brighton win their two games in hand on Spurs, they can usurp them in fifth place in the table. So there is a huge amount resting on this game and as such, I think this will be a very tight encounter.
Correct Score Tip – Tottenham 2-2 Brighton – 14/1
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
Wolves are in desperate need of points as they seek to ensure they stay up this season as they sit just one point off the relegation positions. Chelsea are looking for a win to kick start their ailing campaign which has seen them pick up just one point from two home games this week. A trip away may therefore benefit the Londoners, especially against a team that has struggled to score goals this season, so I am backing a Chelsea narrow victory here.
Correct Score Tip – Wolves 0-1 Chelsea – 6/1
Southampton v Manchester City (5.30)
Southampton have the worst home record of any team in the Premier League and it is this which sees them rooted bottom of the table. They face a Manchester City side who are in superb form at the moment, having thrashed Liverpool 4-1 last weekend, just a few weeks after a 3-1 win away to Arsenal. Can Southampton cause a massive upset then? No. Not a chance. I fully expect City to score a fair few in another big win here.
Correct Score Tip – Southampton 0-4 Manchester City – 12/1
Sunday 9th April
Leeds United v Crystal Palace (2.00)
Can either of these sides follow up a big win in their last game with another three points here. Roy Hodgson had a big impact in his first game back as Palace boss as a 94th minute winner saw off Leicester City, while Leeds midweek win over Nottm Forest moved them up to 13th in the table and out of the drop zone. Another win here for the home side would be huge in their quest for Premier League football next season and I think they will get it.
Correct Score Tip – Leeds United 2-0 Crystal Palace – 9/1
Liverpool v Arsenal (4.30)
Liverpool’s problems away from home are well documented, but the Reds have been pretty solid at Anfield this season, losing just the once. Arsenal though are a team in great form at the moment and have already beaten Liverpool once this season, 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium. However at Anfield, and with the backing of a partisan crowd, I am expecting a much better Liverpool performance here and I am backing them to give Arsenal a few problems.
Correct Score Tip – Liverpool to win 3-1 – 20/1
