The English Premier League continues this weekend with teams forced to play their third game over the period of a week. A lot of sides will be affected by the travel whilst some will benefit from matches played close to home. Continue reading for our EPL Week 20 Preview and Betting Tips.
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West Ham United vs Liverpool (Saturday 11.45pm AEDT)
The Hammers broke a five game streak of draws in the Premier League as they picked up a much-needed victory against Southampton midweek. The side was able to show glimpses of its attacking best that had seen the team in the top three throughout the opening 10 weeks of the competition which included wins against Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. The last time these two sides met it was a 3-0 drubbing at Anfield for Liverpool, which would contribute greatly to the pressure being applied to former coach Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool’s inconsistent season continued last week as they defeated the top of the table Leicester City after losing 3-0 to Watford the week before that. The side has to show a lot of improvement on both ends of the field with their defence lacking whilst they have struggled to find the back of the net or create quality chances. There will be a lot changing throughout January with Jurgen Klopp likely to be chasing a lot of quality players to bring into the squad. To help Klopp’s push the Hammers will take the three points in this one.
TIP: West Ham @ $3.60 with Palmerbet
Manchester United vs Swansea City (Sunday 2am AEDT)
Louis Van Gaal’s reign at Manchester United seems all but over with rumours circulating every day that he will be replaced before seasons end. The team has lost faith in him whilst his strategy’s don’t seem to be paying dividends as the team has dropped to sixth place on the ladder and are now sitting five points outside of the top four.
Meanwhile Swansea is currently on a three game span without a loss, however they sit just above the relegation zone after having a disappointing season after selling their best striker halfway through last season Wilfred Bony and being unable to find a player to replace his goal scoring ability as they have scored the second least amount of goals this season with just one more than bottom placed Aston Villa. Despite the Struggles of the Red Devils they should be too strong at home and pick up a much needed win.
TIP: HT/FT – Manchester United/Manchester United @ $2.37 with Sportsbet
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea (Monday 12.30am AEDT)
Despite Chelsea parting ways with the “special one” Jose Mourinho their season hasn’t turned around as they continue to struggle for form as they were held to draws in their last two matches. Their defence is one of the worst in the league as they sit in 14th place and every team above them has conceded fewer goals than them. However, with the quality they have on the park this shouldn’t be apparent whilst they should have scored more goals then the 23 they have registered this season.
Meanwhile Crystal Palace has had a tremendous season and currently sits in 5th position on the ladder. They were able to beat Chelsea earlier in the season at Stamford Bridge, which was the beginning of the end for the defending champions. We are backing Palace to repeat that effort, although this time the two teams will split the points.
TIP: Draw @ $3.35 with Crownbet
Everton vs Tottenham (Monday 3am AEDT)
The Spurs have been able to bounce back in a big way since their disappointing loss to Newcastle United at home. They have won three straight matches and now find themselves in the top four and just four points behind Arsenal and Leicester City who are in top spot.
However, Everton have found themselves going in the opposite direction after a strong start to the season. They have picked up just the one win in their last six games, which includes two losses at home. They have been involved in high scoring games and have one of the best attacks in the league as they have registered 35 goals so far this campaign but it is their defence that is letting them down and if they can’t find away to shut down the Spurs sharp shooters they could be on the wrong end of another high scoring match.
TIP: Spurs @ $2.70 with WilliamHill
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
