The Premier League season is gearing towards an epic ending with captivating battles in the title and relegation races. Matchday 35 has fixtures with huge implications at both ends of the table, and we’ve got you covered with our preview for this weekend’s action.
Catch our best bets for all Matchday 34 fixtures below and good luck to everyone following!
EPL 2022-23: Matchday 35 Preview & Betting Tips
Manchester City vs Leeds
Etihad Stadium, Sunday 7th May, 12:00am AEST
The defending champions swung the title race well and truly in their favour after a 4-1 demolition of Arsenal on Matchday 34. Manchester City backed up with a win over West Ham on Thursday morning, to take a one point lead at the top of the table, still holding a game in hand on Arsenal. Pep Guardiola’s men will be looking to maintain their stranglehold at the top of the table when they host Leeds, who are fighting for survival. Leeds are one of three sides sitting on 30 points, amongst the logjam of four teams between sixteenth and nineteenth.
This looms as a terrible matchup for Leeds, pitting the worst defence in the Premier League against the best attacking side. Leeds have conceded a league high 67 goals, while Manchester City have scored a league best 86 goals, led by Erling Haaland’s record breaking 35 goals. City’s attacking game has lifted late in the season, scoring eighteen goals from their last six games, with Leeds trending in the opposite direction conceding eighteen goals in their last five games.
Leeds bringing in a new manager with four games remaining in the season, shows where they are at, despite Sam Allardyce having plenty of experience in relegation battles it’s nothing short of chaos behind the scenes for Leeds. City are in red hot form having won nine consecutive games, and have won their last three games against Leeds with an aggregate score of 14-1. This clash could get ugly for Leeds, with the league leaders desperate to keep their spot at the top of the table.
Manchester City -2.5
$2.15 (1.5 Units)
Newcastle vs Arsenal
Emirates Stadium, Monday 8th May, 1:30am AEST
Arsenal’s dramatic collapse was capped off by a 4-1 defeat against Manchester City last week, and despite the Gunners backing up with a convincing win over Chelsea, they’re behind the eight ball with four games remaining in their Premier League campaign. Newcastle come into this clash having won eight of their last nine games after taking care of Everton and Southampton last week. The Magpies are in third place, and will be looking to improve their record against fellow top four sides this season. Newcastle have a 1-3-1 record against Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
The Gunners looked like a different side when they played Chelsea on Wednesday, with the Arsenal defence finally producing. Arsenal conceded eleven goals in their four game winless run leading into the Chelsea game, but were solid in defence in the 3-1 victory. Can the Gunners translate that performance against a top four quality side will be the biggest question, and can they get themselves up for this clash mentally after giving up the advantage to City in the title race.
Newcastle have played in eleven draws, the second most of any side in the league this season, while Arsenal have drawn three of their last five games. Newcastle are the best defensive team in the league and will be looking to make this clash a slow affair, to counter Arsenal’s strengths in the front third. If Newcastle can turn this game into a grind, it’s going to be difficult for an out of form Arsenal to find a way to win. This clash will be a tight affair, and given Newcastle’s habits of playing out draws this season, including their meeting with Arsenal earlier this season, the draw provides excellent value in this clash.
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton
City Ground, Tuesday 9th May, 5:00am AEST
It’s twentieth versus eighteenth as Southampton face off against Nottingham Forest. Southampton’s hopes of survival are all but gone, however Forest have a very real prospect of staying up, sitting equal on points with sixteenth placed Leicester. Southampton are winless in their last nine games with an 0-3-6 record in that time period, and are six points adrift from safety with just four games remaining. Forest have fallen off a cliff in the back end of the season, winning only one of their last thirteen games.
These two clubs rank bottom four in attack and defence this season, and with both teams fighting for survival, both sides will be looking to cover their defensive deficiencies. Both clubs average less than a goal per game this season, and they’re the bottom two ranked sides for possession this season. With a rare opportunity for these sides to gain control in the middle of the ground, expect a safe game from both teams who will be desperate not to make a mistake.
Forest came out 1-0 winners when the two sides met back in January, in what was a dour clash with only one shot on target registered between both teams. Forest were happy to concede possession and look to work the Saints over on the counter in transition. Both clubs are in terrible form at the moment, so the under is the market we’ll be targeting in this clash. Forest know even a single point will be crucial in their hopes for survival, and they’ll be desperate to remain sound defensively in this fixture.
Under 2.5 Goals
$1.79 (2 Units)
More EPL Matchday 35 Tips
Bournemouth vs Chelsea (Sunday 12am AEST)
Bournemouth have been in fantastic form over the past couple of months to pull themselves out of the relegation battle. They now get a look at a Chelsea outfit devoid of confidence and that clearly don’t deserve to be odds-on favourites. I’m keen to have something on the Cherries to do the business here.
Bournemouth to Win ($4 at Ladbrokes)
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace (Sunday 12am AEST)
The Spurs have been conceding goals for fun of late and are without a clean sheet in their last nine league matches. They’ll have a tough time stopping that streak when they host a Palace team that 4+ goals twice in their past five matches. Needless to say, there should be plenty of goals in this one.
Over 2.5 Goals ($1.67 at Betr)
Wolves vs Aston Villa (Sunday 12am AEST)
Any confidence and momentum the Wolves built was completely and utterly destroyed last start when they got thumped 6-0 by Brighton. It was just a woeful day for the club and I can’t see them bouncing back this weekend when they take on Villa who have been flying of late. I like the visitors to secure the three points in this one.
Asont Villa to Win ($2.45 at Ladbrokes)
Liverpool vs Brentford (Sunday 2:30am AEST)
It’s been an up and down season for Liverpool, but they’re currently going through one of their good patches. They’ve won four league matches on the spin and have banged in 15 goals in the process. Still, their defence remains a big concern as they’ve only kept one clean sheet from their last eight. With that said, taking both teams to score looks to be the play here.
Both Teams to Score ($1.66 at Ladbrokes)
West Ham vs Manchester United (Monday 4am AEST)
West Ham have lost a couple of close ones in a row to stall their momentum, although they’re still comfortably ahead of the drop zone. Still, their form doesn’t stack up well against a Manchester United team that has from four of their last five league matches. I like the Red Devils to secure their seventh straight league win over the Hammers.
Manchester United to Win ($2.05 at Neds)
Fulham vs Leicester (Tuesday 12am AEST)
Both Fulham and Leicester have been tough teams to get a read on this season and that makes this a tricky match to predict in terms of a result. However, there does look to be some value in the Both Teams to Score market, which has saluted in eight of the Foxes past nine league matches.
Both Teams to Score ($1.67 at Ladbrokes)
Brighton vs Everton (Tuesday 2:30am AEST)
The Seagulls continued their fantastic season with a 6-0 smashing of the Wolves last start. They’ve only lost three matches since Matchday 18 and are one of the form teams of the competition. They should have no problems making light work of the Toffees who are winless in their last seven.
Brighton -1.5 ($2.02 at Neds)
