The fixtures are flying in thick and thin as we get set for another mid-week round in the Premier League!
The Brentford vs. Man United match has already fallen victim to Covid19 protocols, fortunately, there is plenty of other action to sink our teeth into.
Man City attempt to pull clear atop of the league table with a victory over Leeds, Arsenal and West Ham meet in a London derby, while Chelsea will be hoping to knock a few past the Toffees.
We’ve previewed all the mid-week Premier League action and provided our best betting plays below!
Postponed due to COVID.
Game week 17 gets underway at Brentford Community Stadium on Wednesday morning (AEST).
Manchester United are out to build on a six-game unbeaten run since the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and their third straight win under the watchful eye of Ralf Rangnick.
Standing in their way is a side search for their first back-to-back victories of the season, following their 2-1 win against the Hornets over the weekend.
The Bees will still be without star striker Ivan Toney, and although they managed without him against a shambolic Watford squad, a resurgent Man United outfit may prove too stern of a test.
With a quick turnaround from GW16, I’m backing United’s squad depth to see them past the Bees here.
Dean Smith plays host to his former side, as the Canaries attempt to avoid three straight league defeats.
Alternatively, the Villans have won three of their last five league fixtures, narrowly losing out to both Liverpool and City across the trip.
Stevie G has instilled a level of belief into the Villa squad, who are playing their best football since the departure of Jack Grealish.
Aston Villa has won four of the last five meetings against the Canaries (1L) and should get the job done on the road here.
Manchester City is out to build on a run of six straight league victories and in turn, extend their lead at the top of the table when they take on Leeds United.
The Citizens have lost just once at home this season (6W,1D), keeping an impressive six clean sheets across eight games at the Emptyhad!
Meanwhile, the Whites have only managed one win on their travels this season (3D,4L), which came against the league’s bottom feeders, Norwich.
Leeds are struggling to get their offense going this season, with just 17 goals in 16 games.
This should be a straightforward win for the defending champs, and I’ll be surprised if Edison is forced to make a save in this fixture.
Watford travels to Turf Moore to take on the Clarets in a match worth missing.
Burnley are currently sitting in the drop zone with just one win for the season (8D,6L) and are staring down the barrel of four consecutive matches without a goal!
If the Clarets were ever to break their scoring drought, it would be against the Hornets, who have failed to keep a clean sheet across their last 26 Premier League fixtures.
Watford has managed to snag two away wins this season, they will be the only side on the pitch playing with any sort of attacking intent, as such I’m happy to take a punt on them at the price.
Crystal Palace can break into the top half of the table should they secure a result against the Saints at home.
Southampton has hit a mid-season slump, winless across their previous five league fixtures, a run that started with an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to the Canaries.
Meanwhile, the Eagles snapped their own winless streak with an emphatic performance against the Toffees over the weekend, Conor Gallagher had a stand-out performance bagging a double, taking his season tally to six goals and three assists.
The Saints have only one once across eight road games this season (2D,5L), a record I don’t see them improving on here.
Brighton is set to play their first fixture in 10 days after their match against the Spurs was postponed due to Covid.
They’ll face the Wolves, who narrowly lost out to Man City over the weekend thanks to a Raheem Sterling pen.
This game is one to avoid for the neutral supporters, as the two sides with the lowest goals/game ave take the field.
The last 11 games featuring either of these clubs have seen under 2.5 goals scored, while Wolverhampton’s last five fixtures have all seen less than 1.5 goals scored!
It comes as no surprise that the Wolves have failed to find the back of the net in their last four PL matches, to make matters worse they’ll be without their top scorer Raul Jimenez, who saw red against City in GW16.
This fixture has “First Goal Wins” written all over it, as such I’ll be backing under 1.5 total goals to be scored.
The Gunners can leapfrog the Hammers should they secure all three points in this highly anticipated London derby.
Arsenal holds an outstanding home record against West Ham, undefeated against their cross-town rivals over their last 11 meetings at the Emirates (10W,1D).
The Hammers limp into this game off the back of an uninspiring 0-0 draw against a struggling Burnley outfit, taking their winless run on the road to three games (1D,2L).
West Ham’s limited squad depth is proving a hurdle across this period of congested fixtures, with the likes of Antonio, Bowen, and Benramha looking lame!
I’m taking the home team to continue their dominance at the expense of the Hammers’ top-four aspirations.
What’s left of Leicester’s and Tottenham’s squads are set to take to the pitch at King Power Stadium on Friday morning (AEST).
Both clubs are currently battling covid outbreaks, with junior players expected to take the field.
Youri Tielemans’ return to the Foxes starting XI produced instant dividends, the star midfielder scoring two goals in his side 4-0 drumming of the Toons.
With more game time under their belt, Leicester is the smart option here, with the Spurs likely to enter this fixture flat.
Chelsea look to claim back-to-back victories for the first time since game weeks 9 and 10 when they play host to the disaster that is Everton!
After keeping eight clean sheets across their opening 12 league fixtures, the Blues have failed to shut out their opponents over their last four outings (2W,1D,1L).
Alternatively, the Toffees defence has been absolute trash all season, conceding 2+ goals on seven occasions.
Both teams to score has hit in the last three league games played by each side, and though there’s not much value backing the Blues in the H2H market, I can certainly see both sides conceding again here.
The Reds take on the Toons in what promises to be an Anfield massacre!
Mo Salah has scored in all four home appearances he has made against Newcastle, while the Egyptian King has either scored or assisted in his last 14 Premier League appearances, only Jamie Vardy has a longer streak (15 games in 2015).
Eddie Howe will not be relishing the trip to the Merseyside, losing his last six PL fixtures against the Reds with an aggregate of 19 goals to one!
You’ll yield a better return putting your money into government bonds than backing Liverpool at the current price, though with goals set to fly there’s an opportunity to land a juicy Same Game Multi!
I’ll be backing Salah to have his fingerprints all over another convincing Liverpool victory.