Sorry for the late post but here are Saturday's previews and best bets. I will add my final selections at the bottom of the page in due course. #BOLieve Premier League
12.00 Rangers vs Celtic - Prediction - 1.2 Best Bets - BTTS @4/7, BTTS and over 2.5 goals @10/11 Key Facts * Each of the last 4 league meetings at Ibrox (Since 2011) have seen BTS and over 2.5 goals scored * 5 of their last 7 most recent meetings (league and cups) have seen BTTS * Celtic have scored 2 goals or more in 8 of their last 10 meetings with Rangers * Celtic won 2.1 and 5.1 in both of last season's league meetings at Ibrox * Celtic have won 5 of their last 6 matches against Rangers in all competitions * Rangers have scored in 18 of their last 19 home league fixtures * Rangers have seen BTTS and over 2.5 goals scored in 10 of their last 11 home league fixtures since the end of April * Celtic have scored 4 goals or more in 7 of their last 14 fixtures including 3 of the last 4 * Celtic have won 18 of their last 19 away PL fixtures * Celtic have scored 2 goals or more in 14 of their last 15 away PL fixtures Final Verdict - Goals and an away win look likely Goals should be the order of the day as Rangers and Celtic get the ball rolling on a busy afternoon across Europe and with Celtic boasting such an impressive recent record over their great rivals, it's hard to see past an away win with Celtic so prolific on their travels domestically. The Gers have certainly improved in recent weeks with new signing Alfredo Morelos in great form following his £1 million transfer from HKJ Helsinki and they can definitely score against a Celtic defence that is far from impregnable. Rangers usually score at home and with Mexican signings, Pena and Herrera impressing in recent cameo roles, perhaps there is more to come from a team that is slowly adjusting to the methods of their Portuguese boss, Pedro Caixihna. Recent meetings at Ibrox have produced goals and I can't see that changing here so I am confidently backing BTTS @4/7 while this one should also go over so try the double @10/11 odds. Celtic can also be backed to score 2 goals or more @8/13 and considering they have done it in 18 of their last 19 away, and scored 5 at Ibrox on their last visit in April, that price looks a bit of a steal. Ultimately, Rangers have enough quality now to give Celtic a good game but if Celtic find their form, they should have too much in the tank but I expect a good, competitive fixture with both sides scoring, at least 3 goals being scored and a likely away win. 12:30 West Ham vs Tottenham - Prediction 1.3 Best Bets - BTTS, Spurs to score 2 or more @ Key Facts * West Ham have scored in 10 of their last 11 meetings with Spurs * Spurs have lost 5 of their last 9 meetings with West Ham including both of their last 2 away PL meetings (at Upton Park and London Stadium). Spurs won 3 of those 9 with just 1 draw * Only 2 of the last 19 meetings between these two sides have finished in a draw * Spurs have scored 2 goals or more in 9 of their last 13 away PL fixtures * Spurs have actually scored a remarkable 18 goals in their last 4 away PL fixtures and 34 in their last 13 on the road * Spurs have won 7 of their last 8 away PL fixtures having won only 2 of the previous 8 * Spurs won 3.0 in their most recent away PL fixture at Everton * Spurs won their last 14 successive home PL fixtures at White Hart Lane. They have won 0 out of 3 at Wembley this season Final Verdict You have to wonder what chances Spurs would have had to win the league had they remained just one more season at White Hart Lane. A team that wins almost all of its home games, has now added away day dynamism to its make-up and they should get a cracking contest here against local rivals West Ham at the London stadium in another early derby kickoff. I fancy BTTS with West Ham managing to score against Spurs in 10 of their last 11 contests but given Spurs quality, and the expectation that they will need to win on the road given their adaptation to Wembley, I fancy the visitors to come out on top in a fixture that often produces plenty of drama. 4/5 on BTTS is my favourite selection here and if Spurs do continue their fine away form, 2 goals or more @8/13 seems likely. 15:00 Everton vs Bournemouth - Prediction 2.2 Best Bets - BTTS @4/5, BTTS and over 2.5 goals @5/4 Key Facts * 3 of the last 5 meetings between these two sides have seen BTTS and over 2.5 goals including BOTH of the last 2 PL contests at Goodison. * Everton won 6.3 in last season's corresponding fixture, and 2.1 in 2015. * Everton have conceded 2 goals or more in their last 3 PL fixtures * Everton have lost their last 3 PL fixtures, scoring none and conceding 9 * Bournemouth have only won 2 of their last 15 away PL fixtures Final Verdict - BTTS looks likely Both sides have started the season in poor form but Bournemouth do seem to be on the up following successive wins over Brighton in both the league and cup and while they have struggled on their travels so far this season, drawing blanks at both Arsenal and WBA, I fancy they will score here against an Everton side that has struggled badly in recent weeks. Prior to Everton's 3.0-midweek win over Sunderland in the absurdly named Carabao cup, the home side had lost each of their last 4 fixtures, conceding 12 goals in the process while scoring a big fat 0 and it is evident that they are badly missing the services of the departed Belgian striker, Romelu Lukaku. That said, they should have enough about them to score against a Bournemouth side that have kept only 4 clean sheets in their last 26 away PL fixtures while they will not have forgotten that 6.3 drubbing suffered in their last trip to Everton. With both desperate for the points, and Everton struggling for form, goals are the way to go with Everton unbackable at just 13/20 odds. Instead, I expect both to score in a fixture neither side will want to lose and we could end up seeing a high-scoring share of the spoils. 15:00 Stoke vs Chelsea - Prediction - 1.2 Best Bets - BTTS @4/5 Key Facts * Stoke have scored in each of their last 6 meetings with Chelsea. 5 of those games also saw BTTS * Stoke have scored in 4 of their last 5 home fixtures with Chelsea. 3 of those games also saw BTTS * Against the traditional top 6, Stoke have seen BTTS in 6 of their last 8 home fixtures including in their most recent home contest, a 2.2 draw with Man United * Stoke have scored in 12 of their last 13 home PL fixtures * Chelsea won both of last season's contests (4.2 and 2.1) having failed to win their previous 3 meetings with Stoke * Chelsea have seen BTTS in 7 of their last 10 away PL fixtures including their last 2 * Chelsea have kept only 2 clean sheets in their last 10 away PL fixtures * Chelsea have won 7 of their last 8 away PL fixtures * Chelsea scored 2 goals or more in 6 of those 7 wins Final Verdict I fancy Stoke to score here @4/7 but Chelsea should also manage to find the net so BTTS @4/5 has to be the call here. The champions are strong on the road but Stoke have a habit of making life difficult for the Londoners and given their ability to score at home in 2017, we can back BTTS with a fair degree of confidence 17:30 Leicester vs Liverpool - BTTS @8/11 Bundesliga 14:30 Hoffenheim vs Schalke 04 - Prediction 2.1 Best Bets - BTTS @8/13 Key Facts * 5 of the last 6 meetings between these two sides have seen BTTS * Each of their last 6 meetings in Hoffenheim saw BTTS. 5 of those BTTS games also saw more than 2.5 goals scored * 9 of the last 11 meetings saw over 2.5 goals scored with BTTS in 8 of those 11 matches * Both sides have started the season well with Hoffenheim sitting 3rd on 11 points and Schalke 2 points behind in 6th place in the Bundesliga standings * Hoffenheim have seen BTTS in 5 of their last 6 competitive fixtures * 4 of those games also went over 2.5 goals with 22 goals produced in those 6 fixtures * Hoffenheim kept clean sheets in 6 of their last 8 home Bundesliga fixtures * However they have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 6 competitive fixtures (against Bayern Munich!) * Hoffenheim remain unbeaten in their last 20 home Bundesliga fixtures * Schalke have seen BTTS in 9 of their last 13 away Bundesliga fixtures * This fixture is Hoffenheim's 5th in the past 14 days. By comparison, Schalke are facing their 4th fixture in 23 days Final Verdict Hoffenheim are pretty strong at home but this fixture has a habit of producing goals so I'm taking BTTS @8/13. 14:30 Werder Bremen vs Freiburg - Prediction 2.1 Best Bets - Over 2.5 goals @3/5, BTTS and over 2.5 goals @10/11 Key Facts * 18 of the last 22 meetings between these two sides have gone over 2.5 goals. 16 of those games also saw BTTS * 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two sides have seen BTTS * 11 goals were scored in last seasons two league meetings with Freiburg winning 3.1 in Bremen and Bremen winning 5.2 in Freiburg * Bremen * Bremen have drawn only 1 of their last 23 home league fixtures * Bremen have lost their last 3 home league fixtures, having won their last 5 * Bremen have seen BTTS in 6 of their last 8 Bundesliga fixtures including each of their last 3 * Freiburg have failed to win any of their last 7 league fixtures * Freiburg have seen over 2.5 goals scored in 8 of their last 10 away league fixtures including each of their last 5 * Freiburg have lost each of their last 5 away league fixtures Final Verdict Historically this fixture usually delivers in all of my favourite goal markets so I will be taking the 2 selections presented. Neither side has started the season well so these selections will be on some lower stakes accas this weekend. 17:30 Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia M.Gladbach - Prediction 3.1 Best Bets - BTTS and over 2.5 goals @4/5 Key Facts * MGB have scored 2 goals or more in 5 of their last 6 away Bundesliga fixtures * MGB have lost only 2 of their last 12 away Bundesliga fixtures (Since Jan 2017) * MGB have seen BTTS in each of their last 6 away Bundesliga fixtures. 5 of those games also went over 2.5 goals * Each of the last 5 meetings between these two sides saw more than 2.5 goals scored. 4 of those games also saw BTTS * Dortmund have won 10 of their last 11 home league fixtures, scoring 30 goals in the process including 17 in their 4 most recent home Bundesliga games * Dortmund have seen BTTS and over 2.5 goals scored in 3 of their last 6 home league fixtures Final Verdict Historically this fixture has been good for goals and I fancy Moenchengladbach to be the first side to score against Dortmund in the Bundesliga this season. The visitors have been in good away form in 2017, losing only twice and scoring in 10 of those 12 away fixtures and with Dortmund using such a high defensive line this season, you would expect a team like Moenchengladbach, who operate well on the counter, to have chances to score so I'm taking BTTS @8/13 and the double with over 2.5 goals @4/5. Dortmund usually score at least 2 at home while 7 of their last 10 have also seen over 2.5 match goals and that's the outcome I expect here with the visitors helping themselves to a goal in a fixture that should produce a home win with goals. Comments are closed.
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