THE Premier League is a little quieter this weekend, with two matches postponed due to the Capitol One Cup Final.
Liverpool takes on Manchester City in that one in the early house of Monday morning, February 29, and that means games scheduled between the Reds and Everton and the Sky Blues and Newcastle have been postponed.
But, fear not, there are still eight other matches to satisfy your Premier League hunger.
In the early game on Saturday night, rising West Ham takes on second bottom Sunderland in a match that could go a long way to deciding the Black Cats Premier League future.
Four games kick off at 2am with top of the table Leicester City has an easy one to bounce back from its defeat at Arsenal against lowly Norwich City, Southampton welcoming a rejuvenated Chelsea, Stoke taking on Aston Villa and Watford up against Bournemouth.
In the wee hours, Crystal Palace heads to West Bromwich Albion for a 4.30am jaunt.
Then it’s the big one on Monday morning, with Arsenal taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford and Tottenham Hotspur welcoming Swansea to White Hart Lane, both at 1.05am.
We’ve had a look through the eight fixtures and come up with a multi that hopefully has a good chance of helping you collect some coin.
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West Ham to defeat Sunderland ($1.83 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Leicester City to defeat Norwich ($1.50 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Chelsea to beat Southampton ($2.60 WilliamHill.com.au)
Watford to beat Bournemouth ($2.35 WilliamHill.com.au)
Four leg multi pays $16.77 with WilliamHill.com.au
West Ham United vs. Sunderland
Our tip: West Ham to win ($1.83 with WilliamHill.com.au)
The Hammers have only been in middling form, with a win a loss and a draw in their last three, but this one gets a little easier against a side that is in great danger of making the drop. And the Hammers will be hoping their sterling record against the Black Cats will hold them in good stead. They haven’t been beaten in the league in their last 10 matches at home (five wins, five draws) and, against Sunderland, they have won seven of their past 10 contests. But they suffered a scare last match day, having to draw on every thing just to get a share of the points with Norwich City. Down 2-0 with 16 minutes to go, the Hammers found some inspiration in Dimitri Payet and then veteran Mark Noble, the pair firing in within two minutes of each other to avoid the embarrassment of losing to the relegation struggler.
Sunderland did cause a boilover at Old Trafford when they beat Manchester United, 2-1, courtesy of a goal in the third minute to Wabi Khazri and an own goal to United goal keeper David de Gea. That win gave the Black Cats some hope of avoiding the drop, but, with Payet, who has scored or assisted on 12 league goals this season. With him bossing the midfield and the returns of striker Andy Carroll and prime mover Cheikhou Kouyate, the Hammers should have enough in the tank to get the job done. Sunderland has only one twice in its past 15 away matches in the Premier League and we double that will improve much after this one.
Leicester City vs. Norwich
Our tip: Leicester City to win ($1.50 with WilliamHill.com.au)
In a match that had every thing, Leicester’s perch at the top of the English Premier League table took a huge shake from Arsenal last match day. In the clash of first vs. fourth, the Foxes went up 1-0 thanks to a penalty to goal machine Jamie Vardy. But, when Danny Simpson was sent off for two quick yellow cards, the match changed and Arsenal peppered the goal, before winning it with the last touch of the match.
City couldn’t ask for a better opponent to get back on track. Leaking goals and only out of the relegation one on goal difference, we would say the Canaries had lost their way, but it appears they never knew where they were headed any way. Norwich had lost five in a row before finally grabbing some points with a 2-2 draw against West Ham. Robbie Brady and Wes Hoolahan put the Canaries 2-0 up just after the hour and it looked like they might finally win a game, but the Hammers had other ideas and came back with two goals in two minutes to steal a share of the points.
Leicester City possesses the two most potent men in front of goal in the Premier League, with Riyad Mahrez and Vardy being involved in 46 goals between them. Their potency, coupled with the Canaries’ ineptitude should result in a positive effort from the home team, who need to win to keep the lurking Arsenal and Tottenham at bay.
If they don’t win, it will be a massive surprise, with the Canaries having won just once in their past 12 Premier League matches, nine of those being losses, while Leicester is almost impenetrable, conceding just three times in their last eight league matches and they haven’t allowed a goal on their home ground for over six hours..
Southampton vs. Chelsea
Our tip: Chelsea to win ($2.60 with WilliamHill.com.au)
You would be hard pressed to find two hotter Premier League clubs, with both Chelsea and Southampton on a tear at the moment. The Blues’ foul season has finally turned the corner, with the players clearly deciding to play a bit harder for new man Guus Hiddink. The reigning Premier League champions aren’t winning any titles this season, but they do have the wood over Southampton, having beaten them in four of their past seven visits to St Mary’s (two draws, one loss). The biggest thing standing in Chelsea’s way is the remarkable form of goal keeper Fraser Forster. The 27 year old spent time on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, but he has not been beaten since he returned in mid January, putting together a run of six straight clean sheets.
While Forster is a gun, Southampton has not kept a clean sheet against Chelsea in its past 11 tries and we don’t think that will end here. We think Chelsea has the fire power here to put a couple past Forster, especially since the up turn in form thanks to Hiddink. The last time these two teams played, Southampton pulled off the then unthinkable, a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. Times have changed and that means Chelsea is in the box set in this one. The signs are ominous, with Chelsea slotting five goals past Manchester City in the FA Cup on the weekend.
Watford vs. Bournemouth
Our tip: Watford to win ($2.35 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Could Watford play in Europe next season? It is unlikely, but not impossible. Remarkable, considering the newly promoted team was one of the favourites to go straight back out of the top flight at the start of the season. But a sturdy defence, dependable midfield and a gun striker in Ighalo has them dreaming of a spot in the Europa League next season. They bounced back from a 1-0 loss at Tottenham to take out Crystal Palace, 2-1, last time out, Troy Deeney firing in twice to give his side the win. Watford is ninth, two points away from the top six.
Fellow promoted side Bournemouth has run into some poor form, toppled by Arsenal 2-0 and then smoked off the park by Stoke City, 3-1, both on they home decks. It still enjoys a four point buffer on the relegation teams. Watford should be too good at home, but will have to be on its game from the word go, though, because Bournemouth has scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches – with eight – than any other team in the Premier League.
Watford reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over Leeds United last weekend, but Bournemouth was knocked out by Everton in its third straight home loss in all competitions.
