The Premier League rolls onto Game Week 9 as a clear top three begins to emerge.
We’re forced to wait until Monday morning (AEST) for the match of the round when Liverpool looks to pile onto United’s misery with a result at Old Trafford.
Elsewhere, Arsenal is out to extend their unbeaten run when they take on Villa, City meet Brighton in a top-four battle, and the Hammers square off against the Spurs in a London Derby.
Our Offside Oracle has previewed all 10 Premier League fixtures this weekend and provided his best betting plays below!
Arsenal is out to extend their unbeaten league run to seven games when they welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates on Saturday morning (AEST).
The Villans have had the Gunners number in recent times, winning the pairs’ last three league meetings without conceding.
Ollie Watkins did some damage here last season, scoring three of his side’s four goals against Arteta’s side.
Despite Villa’s past dominance in this spot, their current form leaves much to be desired, with the task of replacing Jack Grealish’s output becoming a real headache.
For the first time in a long time, the Gunners are starting to show some real backbone, refusing to roll over when conceding first and fighting their way to results late in the play.
Aubameyang has found the back of the net in Arsenal’s last three home fixtures, and I’m backing the club captain to lead his side into the top end of the table with three points here.
Next up we are treated to a foregone conclusion as the Blues play host to the winless Canaries.
Chelsea are coming off a hard-fought victory against Brentford last time out, in a game where Edouard Mendy put on an absolute clinic in between the sticks.
The Canaries have lost on each of their previous ten trips to London, while their last league victory against the Blues came back in 1994!
There’s really no point in overthinking this one, Chelsea has the best defensive record in the league (3 goals), and Norwich has the worst offensive record (2 Goals).
I’ll be backing Mendy to have a quiet day at the office, with the Blues cruising to a 2+ goal victory.
Claudio Ranieri will be looking to restore some face in his second game in charge of the Hornets, following a 5-0 drumming at the hands of the Reds last weekend.
Despite a loss to the Hammers last week, the Toffees will stride into this fixture full of confidence, knowing they’ve gone four games without defeat against the bottom 6 sides in the league (3W,1D).
One man Rafa Benitez will be wary of is Ismalia Sarr, the Senegalese winger has registered 20 shots on goals this season, accounting for more than a quarter of his team’s total efforts.
Clean sheets have come few and far between for this pair, with only two shutouts across the 16 league games they’ve been involved in this season.
Watford will need to improve tenfold if they expect to come away with a point here, I’m backing Sarr to continue his solo resistance with a shot on target but have the Toffees ultimately taking home the chocolates.
Southampton host Burnley in the annual snooze derby.
The Clarets are one of three sides who are yet to record a win this season (3D,5L), failing to get their offence going with just five goals from eight fixtures.
The Saints have only found the back of the net on six occasions themselves, though their defense has excelled, keeping the likes of Man City and West Ham to nil on their way to seven competition points.
This one doesn’t look too complicated, neither team can hit the side of a barn at the moment, backing ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ looks a decent value play.
Newcastle heads to the capital as they prepare to take the field for the first time under their yet-to-be-named manager.
The Toons have conceded the most goals in the league this season (19), so it comes as no surprise that their fixtures average a league-high 3.63 goals.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are undefeated at Selhurst Park (1W,3D), and are unlucky not to have registered more wins this season.
Vieira’s boys came desperately close to securing a huge win away to Arsenal last time out, with an injury-time equaliser crushing their spirits.
Palace has picked up points against the likes of Arsenal, Leicester, Tottenham, West Ham, and Brighton this season, with a considerable step down in class here they should be able to bank a valuable win.
Leeds has entered this season looking like a shell of their former selves, one win from eight matches (3D,4L) represents their worst start to a top-flight season since 1981/82.
The Whites are still without key pivot Patrick Bamford, as they continue to struggle to find another avenue to goal.
Alternatively, Bruno Lage’s reign at Wolverhampton is starting to bear fruit, with his side winning three of their last four starts (1L) following a shaking start to the season.
The Wolves have shown real resilience of late, coming from behind to win their last two contests, and it’s evident the squad is buying into their new manager’s vision.
Despite all the facts pointing towards a Wolves’ victory, the Bookies have the home side as slight favourites, a market I am more than willing to take on!
Brighton has gotten off to their best-ever start to the season after an eight-game stretch, rubbing shoulders with Chelsea, Liverpool, and City inside the top four!
Though the Seagull faithful should not get too carried away, with their side stuttering to a goalless draw against the worst side in the comp last time out.
Man City enter this fixture off the back of a 5-1 UCL victory over Club Brugge, this was the fifth time the Sky Blues have scored 5+ goals in a match this season, not bad for a side without a dedicated striker…
The Citizens are yet to trail at halftime in the league this season and will be eyeing off a quick start against a team likely to sit back for the majority of the contest.
I’m backing City to take control of this match early with a halftime/fulltime play.
Leicester are out to back up an impressive display against Man U when they travel to Brentford this weekend.
The Foxes broke a four-game winless streak with a massive 4-2 result against a side looking to go 31 away games without defeat.
Jamie Vardy continued his rich vein of form, scoring in his fourth consecutive fixture, again proving age is no barrier.
Alternatively, Brentford suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea despite creating the lion’s share of scoring chances.
The Bees’ only two losses this season have both come at home to Chelsea and Brighton, a trend they will be looking to buck this time around.
The home side will be confident in finding the back of the net, as the Foxes have failed to keep a clean sheet across their previous 11 away games, with an average of 3.30 goals scored across the trip.
The jury is still out on the Foxes, their lack of consistency has me steering clear of the H2H market here, instead, I’ll be backing their defensive woes to continue.
West Ham and Tottenham meet at the Olympic Stadium in a must-see London Derby.
The Hammers are looking to avoid their third straight home defeat, after losing 2-1 to both Man U and Brentford.
Alternatively, the Spurs have resurfaced following a rough run of results, winning their previous two fixtures to Newcastle and Villa.
Defense has been an afterthought for Tottenham of late, with their previous five league fixture all seeing 3+ goals scored.
The same can be said of the Hammers, who have conceded twice in each of their last three home fixtures.
The Spurs are one of two sides who are yet to draw a match this season, which aligns with their gung-ho approach to games.
With both outfits looking more competent at the top half of the ground than at the bottom, I’ll be backing a big day for the scorekeepers.
Good things come to those who wait.
Game week 9 wraps up with the North West Derby, as Liverpool looks to dump United out of the top six.
The Reds are the only side to remain undefeated this season, with their unbeaten run extending back 18 games into last season.
Impressively, the visitors have scored 3+ goals across all four of their away fixtures this season, with Mo Salah leading the golden boot race with seven.
United’s last home PL win against the Reds came back in 2018 thanks to a Marcus Rashford double.
Liverpool are undefeated against Man U across the pairs’ last six league meetings (3W,3D), claiming this fixture 4-2 last season with both Firmino and Salah hitting the back of the net.
United looks like a trash fire through the middle of the ground, while Harry Maguire offers about as much resistance as a wet paper bag at the back, I’m backing this game to be the straw that breaks Ole’s managerial back!