Premier League: Match Day 13 Treble
With another underwhelming International break happily out of the way, this week sees far more entertaining fare on offer, as the Premier League returns with a mouthwatering set of fixtures. The weekend kicks off with a bang as Manchester City host Liverpool in the early Saturday kick-off, whilst elsewhere, Newcastle vs Chelsea at St. James Park and the Spurs vs Villa clash in North London catch the eye.
Ten fixtures on offer means ten punting opportunities, and here we pick out our best three options in an effort to sail into the Christmas period riding the wave of a winning treble.
Newcastle vs Chelsea: Saturday 3pm – Chelsea to Win @ 17/10
First up is what promises to be a firecracker of a fixture in the northeast as Eddie Howe’s men bid to bounce back from a pre-international defeat to Bournemouth. The fact that the Magpies were so comprehensively outplayed by a side we rate as solid relegation candidates is the strongest sign yet that an ever-lengthening injury list is beginning to take its toll. Even the international break may not be enough to help the Magpies here. Without Sven Botman and Dan Burn at the back, Newcastle look far more vulnerable, whilst Callum Wilson misses out at the other end of the pitch and news is awaited on Alexander Isak. Tonali is, of course, out in midfield, Sean Longstaff is doubtful, and Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton return from an arduous trip to South America with the national side.
This looks like a great time to play Newcastle, even at St. James Park, and Chelsea arrive on the back of their most impressive display of the season when proving a match for Manchester City in that thrilling 4-4 draw. The Blues are one of the season's leading sides on the xG numbers, and those stats now look to be filtering through to results on the pitch. Take the improving visitors to pick up all three points.
Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion: Saturday 3 pm – Nottingham Forest to win @ 21/10
Another side hit hard by injuries is Roberto Di Zerbi’s Brighton outfit. Lewis Dunk, Solly March, Danny Welbeck, and Pervis Estupinan are amongst those on the sick list, whilst key midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud also misses out through suspension. All of which points to a difficult afternoon at the City Ground, particularly as, following an excellent start, the Seagulls are now without a win in six in the league.
Steve Copper’s Forest are unbeaten in five at home, with their latest performance here being much the best when seeing off in-form Aston Villa. On current form, and with all those injuries, this doesn’t look any tougher an assignment, and the Tricky Trees can do enough to knick what may be a tight affair. At bigger than 2/1, the home win looks solid value.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Cilla – Aston Villa to Win and Both Teams to Score @ 16/5
Finally, we head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for what promises to be a thoroughly entertaining affair in front of the TV cameras. Keeping up the theme of opposing injury-ravaged sides, we suspect the hosts may come up short in this one. The injury to the excellent Micky van de Ven has been compounded by the suspension of centre-back partner Cristian Romero; all-action midfielder Yves Bissouma also sits out due to a red card, but the biggest blow is the loss of creative ace James Madison.
That’s a lot to overcome for Ange Postecoglu’s men, particularly facing a side as dangerous as Villa. No doubt Unai Emery’s side are a more potent force at home but the Villains have already picked up a win at Chelsea this season, and a return of 7 points from 5 away games represents a reasonable return if they can maintain that pace over the course of the season. At full strength, we still rate Spurs as the better side, but they aren’t anywhere near that here and may pay the price. With just one clean sheet in six on the road, Villa seem likely to concede, but Ollie Watkins and co can do enough at the other end to pick up the points.
A £10 Treble on the above three selections returns £351.54 with bet365.
