Football fans are treated to a full midweek fixture slate on Premier League week 21 between Tuesday and Thursday, kicking off with West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo facing another of his former clubs in Nottingham Forest after losing to Wolves last time.
On Wednesday, the crux of the action occurs, with eight matches on the menu, including a West London derby between Fulham and Chelsea and a potentially gripping tussle between Bournemouth and Spurs down south. Man Utd will also contest their first game since the sacking of Ruben Amorim when they take on Lancashire neighbours Burnley at Turf Moor.
Arsenal’s high-profile head-to-head with Liverpool should provide a fitting climax for the midweek mayhem on Thursday evening, with the Gunners favourites to confirm their status as clear title favourites there. As ever, we provide Premier League betting tips from experts who follow all the action unfolding in another crazy season
Premier League Week 21 Tuesday Game
West Ham vs Nottingham Forest
Bruised by a flattening 3-0 loss against his old side Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo must plan for another date with a former employer when the West Ham host Nottingham Forest in a relegation six-pointer on Tuesday evening.
Defeat for the Hammers (third bottom) would open up a gap of seven points between them and Forest, the club immediately above them in the table. With so much riding on Tuesday’s result, we expect both teams to approach this contest with caution.
West Ham have gone nine Premier League assignments without a win, failing to score in three of their last four games, while Sean Dyche’s Reds are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, netting only twice along the way.
Those records combined suggest action at the London Stadium is likely to be minimal, while the conservative approach of the two coaches should also play a part.
Nuno and Dyche have clashed nine times previously in the Premier League, and under 2.5 goals landed in seven of those encounters. That market holds promise again here at just shy of Even-money.
Prediction: Under 2.5 goals – 19/20 (1.95)
Premier League Week 21 Wednesday Games
Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur
The Cherries are currently on their longest jaunt without a win (11 games) in a single top-flight campaign; however, there are reasons to back Bournemouth to snap that run at Tottenham’s expense on the south coast.
Andoni Iraola’s side tend to perform better against the division’s bigger names. They won the expected goals battle in their narrow weekend defeat to Arsenal, did the same when holding Chelsea to a 2-2 draw and shared the spoils with Man Utd (4-4), all inside their last five fixtures.
Earlier in the campaign, Bournemouth also convincingly outplayed Spurs in the clubs’ reverse fixture. The final scoreline was modest (1-0), however, the Cherries manufactured 20 shots to 5, restricting the Londoners to just 0.20 in xG.
Tottenham, who have failed to win nine of their last 11 league games, have hit just three goals in their last five tests combined and they could be outgunned by a more dangerous Bournemouth frontline. Punters should oppose Spurs on football betting sites, and instead side with the Cherries at an attractive price here.
Tip: Bournemouth to win – 21/20 (2.05)
Brentford vs Sunderland
In-form Brentford counter-punched with precision in their superb 4-2 win at Everton at the weekend, though the Bees might find it tougher to break down a Sunderland side that will be ready to man the trenches in West London.
The Black Cats have become the division’s draw specialists. Their 1-1 comeback tie at Spurs at the weekend was their fourth draw on the spin and their seventh stalemate in 11 league fixtures overall.
Sunderland’s only defeats in 13 games came in a narrow reverse at Fulham (0-1) in November and a 3-0 loss with ten men at Man City last month, and Regis Le Bris’s side are dogged enough to dig in for a point during Premier League week 21.
Brentford, meanwhile, were held to draws in two of their last three outings on home turf, one of which was against another promoted outfit in Leeds (1-1). They lodged just 0.6 in xG that day and might find it similarly tough to get behind a Black Cats backline that likes to sit deep.
Big price hunters might consider the draw at 5/2 here, though taking Sunderland/Draw double chance still offers decent value at 10/11.
Tip: Sunderland/Draw Double Chance – 10/11 (1.91)
Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
High-flying Aston Villa have understandably been priced as favourites with the the best online bookmakers ahead of their trip to play an out-of-sorts Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, though this is a fixture the Midlanders have disliked in recent years.
Villa have lost three of their last four Premier League meetings with the Eagles, shipping 14 goals along the way, while Palace have also won nine of their 13 home encounters with the Villans, including six of the last seven clashes in Croydon.
In addition, Eagles star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has notched eight times in his last five appearances against this opposition. In fact, the Frenchman has lodged more goal contributions (9) against Villa than any other Premier League club.
Those stats suggest this could be an awkward test for Unai Emery’s side. Villa have also been doing things the hard way this term, especially on the road.
They conceded the first goal in each of their last seven Premier League away games, so it might be worthwhile to back Palace to break the deadlock on Wednesday.
Tip: Crystal Palace to score first – 6/5 (2.20)
Everton vs Wolves
Wolves finally ended their achingly long wait for a first win of the season on Saturday when they swept relegation rivals West Ham aside in an impressive 3-0 win at Molineux.
That triumph followed a 1-1 draw against Man Utd at Old Trafford in another display that suggested that this is a Wanderers side on the up, and Rob Edwards’s improvers should be buoyant enough to give Everton a run for their money on Merseyside.
Wolves’ upturn in results was probably overdue. They scored goals in five of their last six games, with four of those matches seeing over 2.5 goals overall and BTTS landing in four of the same fixtures.
Wanderers also played well in unfortunate defeats at Arsenal and Liverpool during that stretch. Facing the Toffees during Premier League week 21 asks less of them.
Wolves will have seen the damage Brentford did on the counter attack in the Bees’ 4-2 win at Everton at the weekend and will attempt to emulate, so goals could be in the offing again.
Five goals rattled the net when David Moyes’s boys edged out Wanderers in the Midlands in August’s reverse fixture, so something similar could unfold on Wednesday. Combining over 2.5 goals with both teams to score is the play here at a bumper 7/5.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals & both teams to score – 7/5 (2.40)
Fulham vs Chelsea
Wednesday evening’s West London derby skirmish between Fulham and the Blues should have an added layer of intrigue, with new head coach Liam Rosenior expected to be in the away dugout at Craven Cottage.
With the fabled new manager bounce likely to have an impact, Chelsea’s players are likely to play with added zeal in a bid to impress their new taskmaster, though punters shouldn’t expect Fulham to roll over.
The Cottagers traded blows with Liverpool (2-2) in the capital on Sunday and were well worth the late share of the spoils they eventually secured. Fulham have now scored in nine Premier League fixtures in a row and they should be good for at least a goal again here.
Chelsea rescued a late point of their own at Man City (1-1) at the weekend in their first outing since Enzo Maresca’s departure, and that was the fourth league game in a row involving the Blues where BTTS bettors were rewarded. We’re looking to the same market for success here.
Tip: Both teams to score 6/10 (1.60)
Manchester City vs Brighton
Man City let three points slip through their fingers when they conceded a 94th-minute equaliser against Chelsea at the weekend, though the title chasers can rebound with a victory at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
City have never lost in 15 Premier League games at home against Brighton (W12 D3) and, while they are backed to enhance that one-sided record even further, we don’t expect the hosts to keep a clean sheet.
Albion have scored at least once in six of their last seven meeting with City in league and cup, netting twice in each of the clubs’ last three tussles, including their 2-1 win over the Etihad outfit back in August.
City and Brighton have failed to score in only three and four Premier League fixtures this season respectively, so both sides have proven records in the final third.
Ultimately, City’s superior class should tell, however. Brighton’s only win in seven attempts came against a poor Burnley side on Saturday, while Guardiola’s team have lost only once since October. Linking a home win with both teams to score on the top betting apps could reap dividends in this one.
Tip: Man City to win & both teams to score – 7/5 (2.40)
Burnley vs Manchester United
The hierarchy at Manchester United finally pulled the trigger and sacked Ruben Amorim going into Premier League week 21, ending the Portuguese’s dismal 14-month stint in charge, and leaving Darren Fletcher to take the reins on an interim basis.
First up for Fletcher is a short hop across Lancashire to Turf Moor, where struggling Burnley provide the opposition. The Clarets have claimed only two of the last 33 points on offer and will have to untangle a tactical conundrum to beat United.
With long-term club devotee Fletcher calling the shots, the Red Devils are likely to return to a four-man defence against Burnley, with wingers and more attacking intent also possible.
The return of Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount from injury should also bolster the visitors’ attacking threat, so punters should expect United to get the job done in their first outing post-Amorim.
Man Utd are short-price favourites at 7/10 to collect three points here, but combining the away win with over 1.5 total goals pushes odds to Evens. Burnley have been conceding an average of 1.95 goals per game since their promotion, so expect the Red Devils to net more than once.
Tip: Manchester United to win & over 1.5 goals – Evs (2.00)
Newcastle vs Leeds
Back-to-back wins over Burnley (3-1) and Crystal Palace (2-0) have moved Newcastle into the top half, and the Magpies can maintain their upward trajectory with another victory when Leeds visit Tyneside on Wednesday.
The visitors have pieced together a seven-game unbeaten run, though a set of five draws during that sequence means positivity should be tempered for the time being. On the road, Leeds continue to flounder and they’ve failed to win 90% of their away assignments since the summer.
Six of Newcastle’s eight Premier League wins this term have come at St. James’ Park meanwhile, and they can harness home advantage in front of the Gallowgate End again here.
With players back from injury, Eddie Howe suddenly has a wealth of options at his disposal, particularly in attack. With impact players to call on from the bench, they can eventually grind Leeds down.
That energy in reserve made a big difference for the Magpies in their win over Palace at the weekend, with both goals coming after 70 minutes.
Something similar could unfold on Wednesday, which opens up an opportunity in the highest scoring half market, with the second 45 tipped to see more action at 11/10.
Tip: Half with the most goals: second – 11/10 (2.10)
Premier League Week 21 Thursday Game
Arsenal vs Liverpool
The midweek fixture slate’s showpiece contest sees title favourites Arsenal matched with defending champions Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Arne Slot’s visitors have risen to fourth spot and are unbeaten in eight in the Premier League, though they rarely pass the eye test and they were less than convincing again when drawing 2-2 at Fulham on Sunday.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are suddenly six points clear at the table’s summit and they dismantled a strong Villa side 4-1 when last seen in North London.
Indeed, the Gunners have been close to note perfect at home this term, winning 90% of their first ten Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium, with September’s 1-1 draw with Man City their only slight misstep.
Mikel Arteta’s troops have another chance to reaffirm their title-winning credentials here in what could be an evening of high entertainment.
That suggests Arsenal will need to plunder at least twice themselves to triumph, though they are more than capable of delivering. With that considered, backing Arsenal to win and over 2.5 goals to land is the preferred route.
Tip: Arsenal to win & over 2.5 goals – 13/10 (2.30)
