This is the final English Premier League round before the start of the World Cup. Everyone is already thinking about the biggest football tournament in the world, but we are here to deliver the best picks and odds for this weekend’s EPL events.
The teams had mid-week challenges in the Cup, but they had enough time to rest and prepare for the final challenge before a one-month break.
Manchester City VS Brentford
The Citizens are in good shape, and what is more important, they have Erling Haaland back on the pitch following a pause. The Norwegian scored last week against Fulham, cracking the Cottagers’ defiance for a 2-1 victory. After that, City won in the EFL Cup, beating Chelsea, 2-0 without any problems. This was their fourth win in a row, the third with two or more goals scored.
Brentford suffered a massive shock in the EFL Cup, suffering elimination to Gillingham, and no doubt this is a hard hit for the Bees. It was the fifth consecutive game for this unit in which they couldn’t win. Overall, the Bees have just one victory in the past nine events, with five draws and four losses.
So, the bottom line here is that City has an excellent chance to end this part of the campaign with a confident and routine win, and that’s why we pick them to win and cover a 1.5-goal spread.
Pick: City -1.5 2/5 at BetXchange
Newcastle VS Chelsea
The Magpies have just one loss this year in 14 appearances. They won seven events, six with a draw and one with a defeat. Overall, Eddie Howe’s crew does a good job, and there is no need to explain his philosophy of not acquiring expensive stars but rather taking the other approach.
Chelsea slowed down very much in recent weeks. Apart from solid games in the UEFA Champions League, the Blues have lost pretty much all other contests. Three of their last four events ended with defeats, and in the past four EPL contests, Potter’s crew couldn’t win.
Newcastle is our pick here, and we want to take the risk and bet on the hosts’ triumph. Simply, all the facts are on their side, starting with Chelsea’s poor form, which is the most important one.
Pick: Newcastle wins 6/5 at BetXchange
Wolves VS Arsenal
The Wolves are in a hole right now, and we don’t see a way out of the crisis for this unit. They need to change many things in their game to get out of the relegation zone. A win over Leeds in the EFL is only a cover-up for six defeats in the recent eight events.
Arsenal is excellent, on the other hand, because Arteta’s crew isn’t slowing down. After defeating Chelsea at Stamford last weekend, they officially became a title contender. The Spanish manager willingly sacrificed the EFL Cup, and losing to Brighton wasn’t a big deal at all.
We strongly believe in Arsenal’s victory because they look very motivated before every event, and because they play better football than the Wolves at the moment. Much better football.
Pick: Arsenal 11/20 at BetXchange
Liverpool VS Southampton
The Reds are simply uncatchable for us bettors this year, and we haven’t seen a more unstable team than them. Jurgen Klopp’s unit is oscillating incredibly. Though, for the moment, they have three wins in a row, against Napoli, Tottenham, and Derby in the EFL.
On the other side, Southampton is one of the main contenders for relegation, and we just might see them out of the EPL at the end of the year. There is no doubt that this team doesn’t have the quality to compete with its competition and that some of the additions to the roster need to happen as soon as possible.
Liverpool isn’t certain, but we simply have to side with the Reds here, because they might end this game with five or six goals packed into the Saints’ net.
Pick: Liverpool -1.5 1/2 at BetXchange
