After an interesting weekend of EPL matches, Chelsea retained their four-point lead over Tottenham at the top of the table with just four matches to play. Week 36 offers some great matchups that will be crucial to all the current races, we preview the key games and give our betting tips below.
EPL Week 36 Betting Tips
West Ham vs Tottenham (Saturday, 5am AEST)
Tottenham’s current winning streak has breathed life into this once dead EPL season and they now trail Chelsea by just four points. Their streak has now reached 9 games and they show no signs of slowing down after a great win over Arsenal on the weekend. The weekend they’ll come up against West Ham, who were one of the better middle ranked teams earlier in the year but a 1-4-5 record from their last 10 games now has them in 15th spot on the table.
With so much on the line for Tottenham combined with their current form, it’s extremely hard to look past them here. West Ham haven’t done much to inspire confidence lately and the Spurs have only lost 3 games away from home all year. West Ham have only beaten the Spurs once in their past 5 meetings and we don’t expect them to add to that tally here.
TIP: Tottenham -1 – $2.10 at Sportsbet
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace (Saturday, 9.30pm AEST)
Another team with a lot to fight for coming into the last few weeks of the season is Manchester City. The Sky Blues currently sit 1 point clear of cross town rivals Manchester United in fourth place, and will be determined to hold onto that position to qualify for next seasons Champions League. City have drawn their last two Premier League matches to leave the door ajar for United, who will have to play Arsenal away from home this weekend.
Manchester City have won 8 of their last 9 against Crystal Palace while visiting team have lost their last two Premier League games and are just 6 points clear of the relegation zone. Coming into the final few weeks of the season, it’s hard to bet against the big six teams in the league. They usually have so much on the line and just can’t afford to drop games to minnows, we like City to hold firm at home here.
TIP: Manchester City HT/FT - $1.72 at Ladbrokes
Arsenal vs Manchester United (Monday, 1am AEST)
The game of the round sees Arsenal host Manchester United at Emirates Stadium early Monday morning. Nearly all hopes of Arsenal qualifying for the Champions League have been dashed with an average run of form over the past few months. They currently sit six points adrift of Manchester City and look destined for yet another 6th place finish. Arsene Wenger’s head will firmly be on the chopping block unless a miracle can occur in the next three weeks.
Manchester United’s unbeaten Premier League streak now stands at an unbelievable 25 games and they’ll be looking for another win here to really put the pressure on Manchester City in 4th place. Manchester United lost on their last trip to Emirates Stadium, a 3-0 defeat back in October of 2015. Interestingly, they have not lost consecutive games at Emirates since November 2001 and we expect that trend to continue here as they secure at least a draw.
TIP: Manchester United + Draw - $1.80 at Sportsbet
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough (Tuesday, 5am AEST)
Chelsea would have thought they had the Premier League title wrapped up months ago, but the miraculous run by Tottenham has meant the Blues have had to put their foot back on the gas and showed they were serious with a dominant 3-0 win over Everton on the weekend. Luckily for them, they’ll get a change of pace this weekend as they come up against 19th placed Middlesbrough, who have won just one game throughout their last ten games.
Chelsea have won every one of their preview six meetings with Middlesbrough and we can’t see that changing here. Chelsea have allowed just 29 goals on the season so far, the 3rd least in the league while Middlesbrough have recorded a league low 93 shots and only netted 17 goals. Chelsea’s defence should be far too strong here and should only need to find the back of the net once to win.
TIP: Chelsea to win to nil - $1.72 at Ladbrokes
