The Premier League returns following a successful international break, at least on the Socceroos front.
Game Week 30 gets underway on Wednesday morning (AEST), when the Gunners host the Cottagers in a London Derby.
Elsewhere, the Tricky Trees look to consolidate their position in the top four with victory over Man United, Newcastle brush off their League Cup hangover with a tough encounter against the Bees and Liverpool squares off against cross-town rivals Everton.
The Offside Oracle has previewed all 10 mid-week Premier League fixtures and provided his best betting plays below!
17th plays 16th as the Wolverhampton Wanderers host West Ham United on Wednesday morning (AEST).
The Hammers have bettered the Wolves in each of the pair’s last three competitive meetings, and have won five of the last six PL matchups (1L).
Despite sitting 17th on the table, the Wolves are comfortably clear of the drop zone, nine points above 18th placed Ipswich.
The Irons have made a habit of beating the Wolves, and I like them to do so again at a healthy price.
The Gunners look to keep their slim title dreams alive when they host Fulham in a London Derby.
The Cottagers haven’t feared coming up against the Gunners in recent history, going unbeaten across the pair’s last three meetings (1W,2D), scoring in each of those fixtures.
Arsenal’s attention and energy may be focused on their Champions League tie against Real Madrid on the following Wednesday, with just one win from their last four PL fixture (2D,1L) all but shattering their chances of domestic silverware.
Fulham have been no slouches this season, sitting eighth on the table, four points adrift of the top four, and boasting recent wins over Tottenham, Newcastle, Nottingham and Man United.
I like the visitors chances of stealing another point on the road against their more fancied neighbours.
Notts Forest look to complete their first ever double over Man United in the Premier League era when the pair meet at the City Ground on Wednesday morning.
The Tricky Trees are unbeaten across their last 10 home fixtures in all competitions (8W,2D), picking up results against Man City (W), Arsenal (D), Liverpool (D), Brighton (W), and Villa (W).
Meanwhile, the Red Devils have enjoyed a recent uptick in form under Amorim, going unbeaten in four games across all comps (2W,2D), while losing just once over their last eight away fixtures (4W,3D), with results against Real Sociedad (D), Arsenal (W), and Liverpool (D).
Man U enters this fixture with a rest advantage over their hosts, with Forest playing out a gruelling 120+ minute FA Cup tie against Brighton on Sunday night (AEST), eventually progressing through to the semis on penalties.
Question marks hang over the heads of two of the Tree’s most influential offensive players, with Chris Wood missing the FA Cup tie with a hip injury, while Morgan Gibbs-White was forced off in extra time with a knock.
Forest’s success this season has been built from the sturdy foundation of defence, which they’ll need to lean heavily on here.
I’m avoiding the H2H market in this one, instead backing the unders to salute for the 10th time in 15 home games for Notts Forest.
Crystal Palace go in search of a seventh straight win across all competitions when they travel to Southampton mid-week.
No side has lost more league fixtures than the Saints this season (24), and no side has won fewer games at home than the Saints either (1W).
This is the CEO of no-brainers, I’ll be taking the Eagles to swoop on all three competition points, combined with over 1.5 total match goals.
Two outfits with ambitions to play European football next season take to the field at the Amex Stadium as Brighton host Villa.
The Villans are off the pace in the Premier League as they attempt to compete on multiple fronts, with progression through to the FA Cup semi-final and the Champions League Quarterfinals.
Alternatively, Brighton’s defeat in pens to Notts Forest on the weekend leaves them with just the League table to think about, where the are just two points adrift of the top four, yet only three points clear of 10th, such is the competitiveness of the EPL this season.
Fortunately, Aston Villa bolstered their ranks during the January transfer window, a strategy that is already paying dividends, with both Marco Asensio (7G), and Marcus Rashford (2G,4A) hitting the ground running for the Clarets, allowing Emery to rotate his quad.
Both sides carry decent form into this fixture, and a fairly evenly matched across the pitch, but rather than backing them to play out a second stalemate of the season ($3.80), I’ll be backing the goals to arrive in droves!
Newcastle are floating on cloud nine at the minute, recently knocking off Liverpool in the League Cup Final to claim their first piece of domestic silverware in 70 years!
With the town still celebrating, can the Magpies refocus on the league? As they prepare to host the Bees in what promises to be a tricky fixture.
Brentford will be quietly confident entering this fixture, riding a wave of five straight road wins, and four clean sheets from their last six away fixtures (5W,1D).
That being said, Brentford’s last defeat on the road came at St. James Park, where the Toons beat them 3-1 in the EFL Cup on the way to ultimately lifting the trophy.
In fact, the Bees only ever away win over the Toon came back in 1934, in League Division Two.
I’m taking the Magpies stronghold over this fixture to continue, combined with over 2.5 total goals.
The Cherries will be looking to claim their first league win since mid-February, tumbling from 5th to 10th after picking up one competition point in four starts (1D,3L).
They have the perfect opportunity to do so here, against an Ipswich side who have picked up two competition points across their last 10 league fixtures, with their season flatlining at 18th.
These to outfits have met on seven occasions since 1989, with both teams scoring in all seven games, while Bournemouth remains undefeated across the trip (2W,5D).
I like the Cherries at home, and I’m backing them to claim all three competition points, but not without conceding.
The Foxes look to snap a spell of seven straight defeats across all competitions when they travel to the Etihad Stadium, where they have conceded nine goals across their previous two trips.
A win here for City would place them back inside the top four, be it until Chelsea play the following day.
Leicester have turned into one of the worst football teams in the country since the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy, becoming the first team in PL history to lose seven consecutive home fixtures without scoring!
The Citizens should win this game, the only question is, by how much?
The answer: a lot.
Despite looking like runaway Premier League title winners, the Reds still have a lot to play for against their Merseyside neighbours.
The Toffees are unbeaten in their last two games against Liverpool (1W,1D), after securing an 98th minute equaliser in the last Merseyside Derby to be played at Goodison.
Everton have won one game at Anfield since the turn of the century (10D,17L), and have lost each their last three visits by 2-0.
I’m backing the Reds to hold the Toffee to nil on their way to another home victory.
Game Week 30 wraps up on Friday morning (AEST), when the Blues host Spurs in a London Derby.
The Blues have a stronghold on this fixture, losing just once across their last 17 meetings with Tottenham across all competitions (12W,4D).
Sitting 14th, and 15 points off the pace of the top four, Ange’s job now hinges of the success of the Spurs in Europe, where his side have reached the quarterfinals of the Europa league.
This pair played out a seven-goal thriller earlier this season, and although I’m not expecting this fixture to be as open as the last, I am backing the overs to salute combined with another Blues victory.