WHAT a weekend of football the EPL delivered in match week 14.
The race to the 2016/17 title took a series of twists and turns as a series of huge results shook the standings and betting markets.
Chelsea shocked the league by coming back from one goal down to dismantle Manchester City at Etihad by three goals to one.
The win moved the Blues into outright favourites for the title at Sportsbet.com.au at the $2.25 and for the first time, moved the Sky Blues ($4) out to the second line of betting.
Chelsea’s win was astonishing, but Liverpool’s capitulation to battlers Bournemouth had to be seen to be believed.
The Reds led 3-1 midway through the second half on the weekend and blew that position to go down 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller.
Although Liverpool is still on the third line of betting ($5.50 at WilliamHill.com.au) our readers should not be forgiving them anytime soon after they cost us a $6.49 dividend last weekend.
All odds for the 15th week of the English Premier League season were provided by Sportsbet.com.au, which is offering punters a fantastic incentive to get their act together and sign up at one of Australia’s favourite online sports betting companies.New customers can get their first bet at Sportsbet matched up to the value of $501.
Selections for the week 14 EPL multi:
Arsenal to defeat Stoke ($1.36)
Manchester City to beat Leicester ($1.75)
Chelsea to beat West Brom ($1.25)
Southampton to win against Middlesbrough ($1.57)
Combined multi value: $4.67 @ Sportsbet.com.au
Arsenal vs. Stoke
Sunday, December 11 from 2am AEDST Emirates Stadium, London
Second-placed Arsenal host the perennial mid-table Stoke in the English capital to kick off our multi this week.
To call Arsenal’s match last week a statement would be doing Arsene Wenger’s men a huge disservice. The Gunners smashed the Hammers 5-1 away from home to record their second straight win.
It was typically the kind of match Arsenal would have thrown away over the last two seasons, given two fellow members of the top-four lost in week 14, so Gunners fans will be optimistic that the 2016/17 edition will have a mental resolve capable of closing out important games.
Sportsbet.com.au is not convinced on Arsenal yet however, placing the Gunners on the fourth line of betting at the $7.50 quote in the title market.
Stoke has been decent over the last fortnight without being spectacular. The Potters just scrapped home against the Hornets before registering a strong 2-0 win over the Clarets last weekend.
The Gunners are on an entire other level to Burnley though and we’re not sure the Potters can keep a Gunners side that has scored eight goals in the last two matches to a low enough score to be a true winning threat.
Arsenal should close the gap on Chelsea and get our multi off to the perfect start.
Arsenal to win – $1.36
Leicester vs. Manchester City
Sunday, December 11 from 4.30am AEDST King Power Stadium, Leicester
Last year’s premiers Leicester City host Manchester City at the King Power Stadium in a vital match for both teams.
The Foxes are just two points clear of the drop zone in the Premier League, but unbelievably they are thriving in the Champions League.
Given Leicester’s title defence has gone so poorly to date, it would be safe for punters to assume the Foxes’ focus is on the European competition until they are knocked out.
Manchester City’s title chance took a huge body blow last week in more ways than one.
Not only did they lose a borderline unlosable game against Chelsea after leading 1-0 and missing a host of chances, but they lost talisman Sergio Aguero for the next month after he received a red card for a dangerous tackle on Blue defender David Luiz.
Despite having their key front man out for the next four games, we’re confident the Sky Blues can bounce straight back from last week’s loss.
Manchester City should get its season back on track at the expense of last year’s title winners.
Manchester City to win – $1.75
Chelsea vs. West Brom
Sunday, December 11 from 11pm AEDST Stamford Bridge, London
League-leading Chelsea host a surprising seventh-placed West Brom in the third leg of our multi on Sunday night.
Chelsea’s win last week against Manchester City was its best win in the last two years. It was the ruthless, attacking Blues of two seasons ago who hoisted the Premier League trophy.
West Brom is unbeaten in its last month of football. A win against the Blues would hand Tony Pulis his fourth win from five games, only problem is the Baggies have not won at the Bridge in 38 years.
Chelsea is on fire at the moment, and while West Brom’s form is terrific, they are a glorified mid-to-bottom of the table team. The wheels could fall off at any moment, and this week could be the beginning of a bad run.
The Blues should win this one comfortably to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Chelsea to win – $1.25
Southampton vs. Middlesbrough
Monday, December 12 from 12.30am AEDST, St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Our multi ends on the English coastline this weekend as the Saints of Southampton host Middlesbrough in a quintessential mid-table matchup.
It has been a mixed bag of results for the Saints over the last three weeks. Southampton drew 0-0 alongside top four Liverpool, defeated Everton but lost last week to Crystal Palace.
If there is one thing the Saints need now more than ever it is consistency.
Middlesbrough has experienced the same set of results over the last three weeks as their Monday morning opponents, but their most recent outing was a 1-0 win against Hull, which means momentum is on their side.
This will be the first time the two teams have met in England’s top flight since the Saints won 3-1 back in March of 2005 and we are predicting a similar result here.
The Saints should salute to give us a winning end to our EPL multi.
Southampton to win – $1.57
English Premier League Promotions for game week 15
Last week our readers were absolutely stung by Liverpool’s inability to convert a 3-1 second half lead into a win to close out our multi, but thankfully customers who use our recommended betting agencies will have had their parlays refunded.
Those who did not use a company that offers cash back specials on the Premier League – do not be caught out again.
Sportsbet.com.au’s season long soccer money back special continues into the 15th week of the Premier League. Place a four or more legged multi result bet on any international soccer competition this weekend and you miss out by one leg you get your stake back up to $50.
Rather place a correct score bet this weekend? Sportsbet has your back.
Place a bet on the correct score market Monday morning’s blockbuster clash between Manchester United and Tottenham and if your team wins but you do not nail the score you will get your cash back up to $50.
Crownbet.com.au is running a multi insurance promotion this weekend which extends to all the big competitions – including the Premier League.
Place a four or more legged multi this weekend on the A-League, EPL, Seria A or any other big competition at Crownbet and if your parlay goes down by one leg you will get cash back in the form of bonus bets up to the value of $50.
