Premier League preview: Saturday’s games including Luton vs Aston Villa
Brentford vs Chelsea
“Billion-pound bottle jobs” is definitely a pithy insult. But not exactly a fair summation of what happened when Chelsea and Liverpool played each other last week. In a fine League Cup final where either side could have won it, Liverpool nicked it at the very end of extra time.
Of course, individual matches don’t exist in a vacuum. Chelsea have disappointed regularly this season, no doubt about it. So will the side pick themselves up and play Brentford off the park this week? Or are the Blues set for a more bemusing performance on Saturday?
Effectively, Chelsea have already had their bounce back moment, working hard to beat Leeds in the FA Cup on Wednesday night; maybe Brentford will offer a similar challenge at the Gtech.
But Pochettino’s side are currently in a decent run of form, while Thomas Frank’s team is edging closer to the wrong end of the table. The Bees have lost five of their last six matches, too.
It could be a good time to back Conor Gallagher to score for the visitors. After failing to find a single goal until February, Gallagher now has four goals in his last five appearances in all competitions. He scored against Leeds on Wednesday, and is 5/1 to get on the scoresheet here.
Everton vs West Ham
Everton have now drawn four of their last five matches. Sean Dyche will be hopeful his side can take at least a point against a West Ham team that have been floundering for much of 2024.
The Irons got their groove back against Brentford, winning 4-2 in the end; but neither David Moyes or Dyche are renowned for their swashbuckling approach. This is likely to be a less goal-heavy encounter.
After all, West Ham had failed to score in three matches before the Brentford win; and seven of Everton’s last nine matches in all comps have seen two or fewer goals scored. Backing under 2.5 at 19/20 seems a decent prospect, with nine of the last 10 league encounters between these sides featuring two goals or fewer.
Fulham vs Brighton
Fulham got under Man United’s skin at the weekend; with Erik ten Hag hoping to start the Ratcliffe era on a high, instead the West London club snatched a late win at Old Trafford.
The Cottagers are a quirky side in this campaign – hardly reliable, but able to stump decent teams on occasion. How they’ll fare against a similarly hit-and-miss Brighton side is a tough call.
When these sides met in the reverse fixture it ended 1-1. This could be another close match. And Brighton have won just one of their last seven away games in the Prem. The draw is a 13/5 shot.
Newcastle vs Wolves
After scraping past Blackburn in the FA Cup and losing away to Arsenal 4-1 a week ago, maybe Newcastle will be happy to return to St James’ Park. Except they haven’t had much luck on home turf recently either.
Eddie Howe’s side are winless in their last four home matches, most recently with Bournemouth holding the Magpies to a draw. Wolves may well sniff an opportunity, given they’ve won three on the bounce in all comps.
Gary O’Neil’s side have also won their last three away games, including league wins against Spurs and Chelsea. Wolves are certainly worth taking a chance on to win or draw in the Double Chance market at 19/20.
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool
If the visitors are to win on Saturday, they’ll need to buck a trend; Forest are unbeaten in their last 13 home league games against Liverpool.
In the here and now, Forest are fighting – but that battling spirit hasn’t always translated into results. While they won their last home game against a lacklustre West Ham, the hosts may struggle to keep Liverpool at bay.
Despite ongoing injury problems, Liverpool have won the League Cup and progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals in the last week. They remain theoretically in with a shot of landing a Prem and Europa League quadruple.
The Reds are top of the Prem too, and will know the importance of refusing Man City a chance to edge in front. The visitors can surely find a way to end that barren run at the City Ground on Saturday.
With each of Liverpool’s last seven league games all featuring at least four goals, backing over 3.5 goals at 6/5 looks a better bet than backing the result, however.
Spurs vs Crystal Palace
Palace were able to get the Oliver Glasner era underway with a 3-0 win last week, after Burnley were reduced to 10 men. Spurs are unlikely to prove so welcoming, but can Oli outmanoeuvre Ange nevertheless?
Spurs were beaten in their back yard last time out, Wolves nabbing a 2-1 win over the north London team. Do Tottenham come roaring back against a side that have mustered two goals across their last four away games in all comps?
Rather than back Spurs at a heavily odds-on price, it could be wiser to back Heung-Min Son to star; with a great record against Palace, he’s scored in three of the last four meetings between these sides, and is 3/1 to find the opener.
Luton vs Aston Villa
Luton’s never-say-die spirit can’t alter the fact they’ve just lost four on the bounce, with Man City crushing any attempt at a comeback in the midweek FA Cup encounter.
The Hatters don’t give up, and will surely deliver another determined display against Villa. And Unai Emery’s side has lost some of their lustre in recent months. Still, Villa have scored back to back wins against Fulham and Forest in their last two outings.
After a run of games without scoring, Oli Watkins is on song once again; the Villa striker has five goals from his last five league games, three in his last two outings. Watkins is 21/20 to find the net at Kenilworth Road.
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