It’s another cracking weekend of Premiership football action including the London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea on Sunday. A win for the Blues would put them on the brink of lifting the title and I shall be previewing that game separately.
Saturday’s action kicks off at 12.45 with a really tricky fixture between Southampton and Tottenham. Both sides have taken their foot off the gas in recent weeks as the dream of a Champions League spot disappeared over the horizon. Whatever magic Ronald Koeman used in the early months of the season at St Mary’s seems to have worn off and they are struggling for goals and points. Tottenham are totally unpredictable at present and this looks like a game to swerve.
While the title battle seems to be heading to a predictable conclusion, the same cannot be said of the battle for Premiership survival. You have to admire the battling qualities of Burnley and Leicester in recent weeks and the two sides clash on Saturday afternoon at Turf Moor.
The Clarets have home advantage but they are meeting a Leicester side with an incredible never-say-die attitude. Sometimes these games can be disappointing but I just have the feeling that this could be a thriller and it may be worth looking at some ambitious score draw prices.
QPR have also won many admirers with their battling performances in recent weeks. They are at home to London rivals West Ham who have lurched into obscurity after a promising first half of the season. It’s almost as if they reached their points total too soon and did not really believe they could maintain that level of form. QPR are in their position because of their horrific away form but they have always been difficult to beat at home. Take Charlie Austin to score in a home victory.
Aston Villa did this column a massive favour last week when knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup. Christian Benteke’s contribution helped us to a 20-point profit on the game and they now travel to Manchester City. Villa are still not safe from relegation so any thoughts of Tim Sherwood picking anything other than his best team are wide of the mark. City beat a lack-lustre West Ham to end their own miserable run but is this match really a foregone conclusion as the bookmakers suggest? Maybe we should re-invest a little of last week’s profits in the hope of another Villa upset.
Burnley 2 Leicester 2 @15-1 BetVictor
Burnley 3 Leicester 3 @80-1 BetVictor
QPR to beat West Ham @29-20 BetVictor
Charlie Austin to score and QPR win @3-1 Paddy Power
Christian Benteke to score at any time @7-2 Totesport
Christian Benteke to score and Villa win @20-1 Paddy Power
