The title race has taken another dramatic twist after Arsenal gave up a 2-0 lead for the second week in a row. The Gunners now only sit four points ahead of Man City, who have a game in hand on the league leaders. It’s an eight-game slate with the FA Cup on, but there’s plenty of action on Matchday 32!
EPL 2022-23: Matchday 32 Preview & Betting Tips
Arsenal vs Southampton
Emirates Stadium, Saturday 22nd April, 5:00am AEST
Arsenal’s grip on the Premier League title is slipping, after back-to-back draws seeing their gap at the top of the table shrink to four points. Fortunately for Arsenal, Manchester City’s fixture this weekend against Brighton has been postponed due to City's FA Cup Semi Final, meaning they won’t be making up any ground this weekend. The Gunners host bottom of the league Southampton, in what presents as a perfect opportunity to steady the ship.
The Saints 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Matchday 31, extended their winless streak to six games, with their last three games all resulting in losses. Southampton’s struggles this season have come from their lack of potency in the front third, the Saints have scored just 24 goals this season, the fewest in the Premier League. Coming up against the league’s second highest ranked attack (74 goals) and third ranked defence (31 goals conceded), this looms as a nightmare matchup for Southampton.
First versus twentieth, all signs point towards a big win for the Gunners, who will be desperate to bounce back after giving up four out of a possible six points from their last two games. Given the way Arsenal have drawn after leading 2-0 in both games, expect Mikel Arteta’s side to bounce back ruthlessly with their title hopes under genuine threat for the first time this season. Six of Arsenal’s last seven games have seen a total of at least four goals, and the only game that didn’t reach four, hit three. There’s been plenty of goals in Arsenal’s fixtures this season, and this should be no different.
Over 3.5 Goals
$2.23 (2 Units)
Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
Anfield, Sunday 23rd April, 12:00am AEST
A ten-game winless run has seen Nottingham Forest fall to eighteenth place on the Premier League table, and fighting to stay in the Premier League after being promoted last season. Forest are on 27 points, equal with seventeenth placed Everton, however their -32 goal difference in comparison to Everton’s -22 has Forest in the relegation zone. There’s only four points separating fifteenth placed West Ham from Forest so all hope is not lost, however Forest are in arguably the worst form of any side in the league at the moment.
Things don’t get any easier for Nottingham Forest as they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool. Liverpool bounced back from two straight draws with a 6-1 annihilation of Leeds, led by braces from Mo Salah and Diogo Jota. The Reds midfield has struggled this season; however, they were on song last week, recording 74% possession, allowing Liverpool to control a game where both sides had the same amount of shots on goal.
Liverpool were upset by Forest earlier in the season when the two sides faced off at the City Ground, and Jurgen Klopp’s men will be eager to bounce back. Liverpool have shown the capacity to put up huge victories having recorded 9-0, 7-0 and 6-1 wins this season. With the form Forest are currently in, it’s hard to see them being competitive against a star-studded Liverpool outfit.
Liverpool -2.5
$2.36 (1 Unit)
Newcastle vs Tottenham
St James’ Park, Sunday 23rd April, 11:00pm AEST
The biggest game of the weekend takes place at St James’ Park as fourth placed Newcastle host fifth placed Tottenham. After their shock defeat against Bournemouth last week, Spurs missed a golden opportunity to be level on points with Newcastle. Tottenham are three points behind Eddie Howe’s side; however, the Magpies have a game in hand on Tottenham.
Newcastle had their five-game winning streak ended by a rampant Aston Villa outfit in a 3-0 loss. It was only the second time this season that Newcastle had conceded more than two goals, and they were convincingly beaten across all facets of the game. Spurs conceded a 95th minute goal which saw Bournemouth walk away with all three points in a game where Tottenham had fifteen more shots on goal. The key factor in this game looms as the battle between Newcastle’s back four, against Tottenham’s front three.
Newcastle are the best defensive team in the Premier League, conceding only 24 goals this season, while Tottenham are the third best attacking side in the league, having scored 57 goals this season. After the way last week’s clash panned out, expect Newcastle to try and control the tempo of the game to suit their defence. Aston Villa were able to get speed on the game which stretched the Newcastle defence, and they will be eager to create a slow game that they can control. Despite their defeat last week, Newcastle have been in outstanding form, and will bounce back with a gritty win against an inconsistent Spurs outfit.
Newcastle to Win
$1.80 (2 Units)
More EPL Matchday 32 Tips
Fulham vs Leeds (Saturday 9:30pm AEST)
After suffering four straight losses, Fulham were able to bounce back last weekend with an impressive 3-1 win away at Everton. If they can replicate that sort of form this weekend, then they’ll have no problem whatsoever with beating a Leeds outfit that’s conceded a combined 11 goals in their last two outings.
Fulham to Win ($2.30 at Betr)
Crystal Palace vs Everton (Sunday 12am AEST)
It’s never too late to find some good form and that’s certainly the case for Crystal Palace. They enter Matchday 32 on a three-game win streak and now get a look at an Everton side that’s total devoid of confidence. I expect another win for the home side in this one.
Crystal Palace to Win ($2.05 at Ladbrokes)
Brentford vs Aston Villa (Sunday 12am AEST)
This is another fixture where one team can’t buy a point and the other is winning games for fun. In this instance, it’s Villa who are the form team having won five in a row and seven of their last eight games. They’re in simply sparkling form right now and deserve to be odds-on favourites, not $2.80 underdogs.
Aston Villa to Win ($2.80 at Neds)
Leicester vs Wolves (Sunday 12am AEST)
Wolves showed that their win over Chelsea was no fluke as they backed it up with a 2-0 win over the Bees last weekend. Their defence has been rock solid over their past three with only one goal conceded during that span. In contrast, the Foxes haven’t kept a clean sheet in 16 league matches and I don’t agree with them being priced as favourites as a result.
Wolves to Win ($3 at Betr)
Bournemouth vs West Ham (Sunday 11pm AEST)
Bournemouth and West Ham have both been in some of their better form for the season in recent weeks and will be eyeing off all three points when they do battle on Sunday night. I expect both sides to try and win the game and that should lead to a free-flowing and attacking affair.
Both Teams to Score ($1.83 at Neds)
