the fascinating race for the uefa champions league places and the fierce battle for survival is starting to reach boiling point in the premier league. manchester city, who sit 16 points clear at the top, are on their way to the title, but everything else is still up for grabs in england’s top tier.
the likes of manchester united, liverpool and tottenham hotspur are in pole position to claim a top-four spot, but don’t rule chelsea out just yet. this saturday, the premier league weekend gets underway with a blockbuster match between man utd and liverpool at old trafford, while the blues host crystal palace. meanwhile, tottenham travel to bournemouth on sunday.
with our odds comparison, top tips and predictions, we have an in-depth preview on the biggest four games taking place in the premier league this weekend. we will also be checking out the latest and best odds in the battle for survival.
matches between old rivals man utd and liverpool never disappoint and this one at old trafford on saturday should be another thrilling encounter between the pair. jose mourinho’s united sit two points above the reds in the premier league table with nine matches left. which way will this huge contest go this weekend?
these two have stayed pretty close to each other all season, trading second place in recent weeks. liverpool’s 2-0 win over newcastle united briefly took them into second last week, but united’s comeback victory at selhurst park on monday night leapfrogged jose’s boys back into the runners-up spot.
jurgen klopp’s men are available at the very tempting price of 9/5 with bet365 but man utd are very hard to beat on their own patch. looking at the odds comparison, the best betting odds you can get on the home win are 17/10 with betfair, a price that we feel is too good to turn down.
antonio conte’s chelsea have been in poor form in 2018, but the blues go into this one against roy hodgson’s crystal palace at stamford bridge as the clear favourites with the bookies.
chelsea’s inept performance in their deserved 1-0 defeat at the etihad stadium last sunday has left them with a mountain to climb in the race for the top four. conte’s side are now five points adrift of fourth placed tottenham having picked up just three points from a possible 15.
as for the eagles, four defeats and two draws from their last six has seen them drop back into the relegation zone. palace head to stamford bridge as the 12/1 (unibet) underdogs as a result.
even though chelsea have lost four out five in the premier league, our prediction is an easy home win for the blues in this one. take a look at bet365’s tempting betting odds of 15/2 for the hosts to win 3-0 on saturday evening.
arsenal v watford: vital victory for the gunners on sunday
arsene wenger is currently enduring one of his worst runs in 22 years as arsenal manager. this sunday, the gunners will be desperate for all three points when they welcome javi gracia’s watford to the emirates stadium for a vital fixture.
arsenal are all but out of the race for the top four after five defeats in their last seven league matches. things have gone from bad to worse for wenger’s men, who have lost each of their last three in the pl. the london outfit now find themselves a staggering 13 points adrift of the champions league positions.
watford, who changed manager again back in january, have ultimately enjoyed another successful season in the top flight. despite chopping and changing coaches regularly, the hornets always seem to find a way to defy the odds. they make the trip to the emirates as 11/2 underdogs this sunday.
make no mistake about it, this is a must-win for wenger. in truth, we fancy the gunners to nick it, but only just. the 2-1 arsenal win is priced at 8/1 with bet365 according to our odds comparison.
tottenham may have been knocked out of the champions league in cruel fashion in midweek, but mauricio pochettino’s men are aiming to have another crack at europe’s elite club competition next season. spurs travel to the vitality stadium to play eddie howe’s bournemouth on sunday.
the lilywhites have done a great job in making fourth spot their own in recent weeks, they will now be looking to fend off chelsea and hunt down man utd and liverpool. the cherries, meanwhile, have improved since the turn of the year, with howe’s side now sitting six points above the drop zone in 12th.
looking at the odds comparison, bournemouth are available at decent odds of 11/2 with betfair to cause an upset, while you can get tottenham at 8/15 at ladbrokes. the draw, meanwhile, is priced generously at 18/5 (william hill).
we fancy tottenham to come through in this one, with harry kane getting his name on the scoresheet again. the england ace is available at 13/5 with coral to score first at the vitality.
with just seven points separating brighton & hove albion in 10th to crystal palace in 18th, we predict we are in for one of the tightest premier league relegation battles in years.
alan pardew’s west bromwich albion, who are just 1/14 for the drop, have slipped seven points adrift at the bottom. the baggies look nailed on to be an efl championship side next term, but who will join them?
stoke city, who face man city on monday night, look a decent bet at tempting betting odds of 4/5 (coral) to slip down a division. meanwhile, palace are 2/1, and you can get huddersfield town at 9/4 with bet365.