The Premier League has thrown together an incredible slate of fixtures for Game Week 24.
The round kicks off at Nottingham, as Forest look to bounce back against Brighton.
Elsewhere, giant killers Bournemouth host league leaders Liverpool, Tottenham hope to scramble clear of the drop zone with a win over Brentford, and Arsenal take on Man City in a high-stakes blockbuster.
The Offside Oracle has previewed all 10 Premier League fixtures this weekend and provided his best betting plays below!
Notts Forest were abruptly dragged back down to reality in Game Week 23, suffering a 5-0 blowout at the hands of fellow overachievers Bournemouth.
They’ll face a Brighton outfit who drew blanks in a 1-0 defeat to a rejuvenated Toffees side.
The Trees will be glad to be back at the City Ground this weekend, where they are six games without a defeat across all comps (5W,1D).
Similarly, the Seagulls are six games without defeat on the road across all comps (3W,3D).
Brighton lead the league in draws this season, playing out 10 stalemates across 23 starts, including a 2-2 draw against Forest back in GW5.
I think both sides will be looking to put their best foot forward this weekend, and a second draw is not a bad shout at $3.50.
The Reds travel south to Vitality Stadium, where they are set to take on the form side of the competition, Bournemouth.
The Cherries are unbeaten in 12 games across all comps (8W,4D), recently putting five goals past title contenders Forest, and four goals past the red hot Magpies.
They’ll have to have their scoring boots on once again here, with Liverpool winning 3-0 & 4-0 in the pair’s last two meetings.
Liverpool has enjoyed Bournemouth-esk form throughout the entire season, going 18 games without defeat in the league, while winning 24 of their last 30 games in all comps (5D,1L).
The Reds are more than capable of trading blows with the Cherries, and I’m backing them to take home the three competition points in what could be match of the round.
Newcastle look to break back into the top four with a victory over the inconsistent Cottagers this weekend.
The Magpies have won seven of their last eight league fixtures, keeping five clean sheets across the trip.
Meanwhile, Fulham have won twice across their last nine PL games (5D,2L), keeping just two clean sheets across the trip.
Newcastle had defeated Fulham in six straight meetings before falling to the Cottagers 3-1 earlier this season, and are undefeated against them at home in the EPL since 2009 (5W,3D).
I’m taking the Toon to win combined with under 4.5 total goals, a mark which has hit in 20 of the 23 league games both Newcastle and Fulham have been involved in this season.
Everton looks to collect three straight league wins for the first time this season when they host relegation threatened Leicester City at Goodison Park.
The Toffees backed up their home victory over the Spurs with a win on the road against the more fancied Seagulls last week, holding the attacking outfit to nil.
Meanwhile, Leicester put to bed a spell of seven straight league defeats with a win on the road to Tottenham, in doing so, lifting themselves clear of the relegation zone.
The last two league meetings between this pair have ended as a stalemate, with both sides scoring in each fixture.
Despite the Toffee’s recent success, I have no belief in their ability to generate genuine chances on goal, a penally shot was required for them to get past Brighton, while the Spurs played their worst game of the season at Goodison Park, and that is saying something.
I think this game is heading towards a third successive draw, a result neither team would turn down.
Bad takes on Worse in the relegation derby.
Ipswich Town are searching for their fourth victory of the season when they welcome the Saints to Portman Road.
Southampton are the only side yet to win a game on the road this season, picking up just two competition points across 12 starts, with a goal difference of -15.
Alternatively, the Tractor Boys’ home record of a win, four draws and seven defeats doesn’t breathe a lick of confidence into me.
I’m backing both sides’ defensive woes to come to the fore here, taking each team to score combined with over 2.5 total goals.
Wolves are at risk of dropping into the relegation zone, should they lose their fourth successive league fixture this weekend.
They’ll take on a Villa outfit looking to break a spell of two draws, and rise within a game of the top four.
Wolverhampton have been particularly poor at home this season, going 2-1-8 at Molineux Stadium, while failing to score in their two most recent home games.
The Villans saw off the Wolves 3-1 at Villa Park earlier this season, and I’m backing them to complete the league double on the road.
Man United host Crystal Palace in a mid-table showdown!
The winner of this fixture will still be firmly fixed inside the bottom half of the EPL table, a testament to how poorly both have performed this season.
Incredibly, the Red Devils are yet to win back-to-back league fixtures this season, an unwanted record which could end with a home victory here.
Easier said than done, with the Eagles going three games unbeaten in this fixture (2W,1D), while keeping a clean sheet across all three games.
Palace’s last five games have all seen under 2.5 total goals scored, while this pair played out a 0-0 draw earlier in the season.
I’m backing this fixture to be a difficult watch for the neutral, with defence dominating proceedings.
Backing the Unders.
It’s the last chance saloon for Ange Postecoglou, whose Tottenham side are facing the prospect of losing five straight Premier League fixtures.
The Spurs are now closer to the relegation zone (8 points), than the top half of the EPL standings (9 points), a troubling sign for a manager who is used to winning trophies in his 2nd season.
Meanwhile, the Bees claimed a win on the road to Crystal Palace last time out, keeping them within touching distance of the top half of the table (2 points).
Despite a poor recent run of form, Brentford still hold the 4th best home record in the league, winning seven of 12 matches at Brentford Community Stadium (2D,3L).
The writing is on the wall for Ange, with 11+ first team injuries, I can’t see him saving his job on the road against a quality outfit such as the Bees.
Match of the round sees the master travel to take on his apprentice.
Although, five years into his stint at Arsenal, and six points clear of Man City, it’s fair to say Arteta is a fully certified Premier League manager.
Regardless, he’ll still be eager to get one over his previous boss, something he has only achieved once in nine league fixtures (1W,2D,6L).
The Gunners are the only side yet to lose a league fixture at home this season (7W,4D), although they have dropped points in two of their last four games at the Emirates.
Meanwhile, the Citizens have arrested a horror run of league form, going six games without defeat (4W,2L), lifting themselves back inside the top four for the first time since game week 15.
Arsenal have the size through the middle of the park to trouble the Sky Blues, though their lack of polish in the final third has largely let them down this season.
Alternatively, the form of Foden and Haaland should pose several questions to the usually resolute Gunners back four.
The last two league games between this pair have finished without a result, and backing a 3rd successive draw looks to value play at $3.60.
The Blues look to claim a second league win in eight attempts (3D,3L) when they host the Hammers in a London Derby.
Chelsea have dominated the Irons in recent history, winning the pair last two meetings 3-0 and 5-0.
Both Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer have enjoyed taking the field against the Hammers, Jackson has scored four goals in his last two games against West Ham, while Palmer has chipped in with two of his own.
I’m backing Palmer to return to scoring form, combined with a win for the home side.