Premier League preview: Saturday’s action including Man City, Liverpool and more
Newcastle vs Liverpool
It’s four straight wins for Newcastle, and Eddie Howe is being mentioned in some circles as a dark horse for the Premier League manager of the season. But even Fast Eddie has his limitations. His Magpies may struggle to maintain their winning run against another coach who looks a decent candidate for an accolade or two this season.
Liverpool remain in the frame for an unprecedented quadruple. And as they pursue Man City, Jurgen Klopp’s side daren’t drop any points in their remaining league games.
Sadio Mane has six goals for Liverpool in his last seven appearances. The Senegalese star is in razor sharp form, and is available at 31/20 to find the net at any time against the Mags.
Aston Villa vs Norwich
Villa held on for a goalless draw at the King Power last time out, and must surely take this opportunity for a first win in five matches.
In joining Villa, Steven Gerrard replaced Dean Smith – the man he will face on Saturday afternoon. And while Smith has failed to improve Norwich’s fortunes, Gerrard’s side have hardly excelled lately, and are currently 15th in the league table.
With two games coming up against Burnley, who are desperately trying to escape relegation, plus encounters with Man City and Liverpool in the next few weeks, Villa have some hugely challenging matches before the end of the season. The team still aren’t entirely clear of danger, either.
That means they need to make the most of their winnable games. And the Villans should have enough quality to overcome this opposition. After struggling for goals in recent outings – they’ve scored twice in five matches – this could be comparatively lively from the hosts. Norwich have leaked six goals in their last two outings. Combine Villa to win and over 2.5 goals at evens.
Southampton vs Crystal Palace
Southampton have won just one of their last eight league games, but Palace’s results have been a little lacklustre themselves since their fine victory over Arsenal at the start of the month.
The Eagles have scored one goal in their last four games in all competitions. So can they find the net against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side? Perhaps it’s a cannier move to back one of the Saints key men to be on target on Saturday.
James Ward-Prowse scored twice against Brighton last week, and is 7/1 to open the scoring here. If he can do so from a free kick, he’ll match David Beckham’s (and Laurent Robert’s) record of having scored five direct free kicks in a single season.
Watford vs Burnley
Burnley are on a roll since parting ways with Sean Dyche, claiming seven points from a possible nine. Meanwhile, Watford’s home record continues to be abysmal. The Hornets haven’t won at Vicarage Road since they beat Man United 4-1 back in November.
As things stand, Roy Hodgson’s side remain mired in the relegation zone. Burnley have momentarily moved clear, though that could all change pretty quickly.
Watford’s hopes of survival are wafer thin – so can they at least go down fighting? If the Hornets do lose, they’ll make unwanted history, becoming the first top-flight side to have lost 11 home games on the bounce.
Burnley are unbeaten against this side in their last four meetings, too. With the visitors looking reinvigorated under Michael Jackson, will this be a thriller, as it were? Either way, we “wanna be starting something” – by backing the Clarets. Burnley to win at 7/4.
Wolves vs Brighton
Each of Wolves’ last four away games have featured just one goal (with Bruno Lage’s side being on the wrong end of three of them). With Brighton hardly renowned for racking up the goals, the unders markets might seem an obvious option. Alas, it’s priced accordingly.
Perhaps a decent alternative is simply to back the draw at 11/5. Earlier this season Brighton earned a reputation for a mastery of the stalemate. They’ve had a bit of an iffy spell since then but normality seems to be returning with two draws in their last five games.
Wolves’ haven’t drawn a single game in 2022, as it goes. But if anyone can coax a low-scoring deadlock out of them, it’s surely Graham Potter’s boys.
Leeds vs Man City
Leeds are unbeaten in their last five. Can Jesse Marsch’s side keep that good run going against a Man City side that simply can’t afford to let up?
Last time these sides met Pep Guardiola’s men inflicted a painful 7-0 beating on the West Yorkshire team. But Leeds have tightened up with Marcelo Bielsa’s exit, keeping back-to-back clean sheets in their last couple of games.
Meanwhile, City had a memorable encounter with Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier this week. Will that potentially draining game mean that City are not quite at their sharpest for the tea-time kick off at Elland Road?
City have only scored three goals in their last three away games in the Prem. This could be another performance where the side win without running riot. It might be worth looking at City to win at both 1-0 at 8/1, and 2-0 at 6/1.
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