there are plenty of talking points coming into this weekend’s selection of premier league fixtures. things get underway as mauricio pochettino looks to maintain his side’s undefeated run at the emirates stadium when they take on arsenal. man united also have a streak to protect, their perfect home record, but newcastle will seek to put an end to this.
sunday sees the return of david moyes to the english top flight and his first test puts his west ham side up against watford at vicarage road. the hammers aren’t the only one with a tricky away game to deal with, stoke face a trip south to face a brighton side unbeaten in four games.
arsenal v spurs: plenty at stake in highly anticipated derby
for many years arsenal fans relished this fixture but these days it’s a game faced with some apprehension. former gunners emmanuel petit and ray parlour both recently admitted that spurs are best side in north london at the moment. tottenham have held arsenal to a draw on their last three visits to the emirates stadium and they approach the short journey this season with the league’s second best away record. the gunners are no pushovers on home soil however, in fact it’s been over eight months since they last lost a competitive game in front of the home crowd.
their respective home and away records suggests this game could easily head towards another draw and it’s a result you can back at best betting odds of 13/5 with coral. if the game does end all square it’s unlikely to be a goalless affair. both teams to score, something which has happened in 14 of the last 18 derbies, is available at odds of 8/15 with betfair via our odds comparison.
increasing the chances of the trend continuing is the absence of toby alderweireld at the back for tottenham as the spurs defence is never as strong without him. mauricio pochettino does however have a fit harry kane at his disposal and tottenham’s danger man already has six north london derby goals to his name. we predict that could be seven before long!
man united v newcastle: red devils aim to continue old trafford dominance
even the most optimistic united fans will be doubting if their side can catch up to rivals man city at the top of the table. the red devils are eight points off the pace but it’s not been their home form which is to blame for this.
jose mourinho has been able to transform old trafford back into a fortress and his players have won every test they’ve faced there in all competitions while conceding just one goal. admittedly almost all of those were games you’d expect them to win but their 1-0 win over an in-form tottenham showed they are not just flat track bullies.
can newcastle be the first side of the season to walk away from old trafford with any sort of reward? this seems very unlikely even with the possible absence of phil jones. jose mourinho has regularly been able to reshuffle his backline while keeping things tight and this game should be no exception. the toon army have only managed three goals away from home this season so a united clean sheet looks like a safe bet. combine it with a home victory for odds of 5/6 with betway, a top value bet for this match.
watford v west ham: will moyes enjoy a honeymoon period?
west ham are without an away win in the league but will a change in manager be enough to see a sudden change in fortunes? there’s no denying west ham needed a new face in charge and often doing this can give players a fresh start and a much needed confidence boost. this west ham squad should not be languishing as low as 18th in the table so it’s far from an impossible task for moyes to lift them out of the relegation zone. the scot will have to face this week without javier hernandez however as the mexican is out with a slight hamstring problem.
on the plus side, now is a great time to be facing watford who are in a poor patch of form. marco silva’s side have suffered defeat in their last three matches, the most recent being a particularly painful one as the hornets squandered a 2-0 lead to lowly everton. that, on top of a home defeat to stoke a week prior will perhaps shake the confidence of the home side for this contest. they could well be facing a rather revived west ham and it’s worth backing the hammers to grab something from this game, a win or draw available at 13/16 with unibet.
brighton v stoke: seagulls seek first win over stoke since 2001
few would’ve predicted that by this point of the season, brighton would be ahead of stoke in the table but the potters find themselves trailing by three points. brighton have exceeded expectations so far in their first ever premier league campaign and it’s their defence in particular which has coped well with the rigours of life in the top flight.
11 goals conceded in 11 games is a very respectable record, particularly for a promoted team. it’s part of the reason why the amex stadium has witnessed a lack of goals this season, five out of the six matches played there having two goals or fewer.
there’s little reason to think there will be an abundance of goals this time so stick with under 2.5 goals, an option you can back at betting odds of 8/13 with betfair. if you are seeking longer odds in this game though then a draw at 11/5 with sportingbet in our odds comparison is worthy of a gamble too.
stoke are yet to hit top gear this season and their showing on the road this term makes a ninth successive victory over brighton seem unlikely. although mark hughes is without keeper jack butland due to a broken finger, he may end up being the only major absentee for this test. the welsh boss should be able to name a side strong enough to claim a point in what will be a hard-fought contest.