As much fun as the international breaks are, it feels good to say that they are done and we are ready for the run home in the Premier League season.
Scriptwriters could not have set up a more intriguing run home with every team still with something on the line over the remaining ten matchweeks.
Arsenal will be looking to stave off the challenge of Manchester City as they seek their first Premier League title since the 2003/2004 Invincibles.
Every club from third placed Manchester United right down to Aston Villa in 11th will be harbouring ambitions of European football next season.
Crystal Palace sits in 12th place on the table but are just four points ahead of last placed Southampton with no club in between feeling safe from the threat of relegation.
It’s a massive week of football coming up with six midweek catch up matches following on from a full weekend of action.
Read on for our previews and predictions for every contest below.
There’s no time to waste with this blockbuster kicking this off in the very palatable early window.
Not only are City still chasing the Premier League title, but they are in the FA Cup Semi Final and Champions League Quarter Final, setting the stage for a potential treble.
However with an eight point deficit to overcome (including a game in hand), they will need to be almost perfect to take out this domestic honour.
Liverpool’s disappointing season could still yield Champions League football if they can find a way to close a seven point gap on Tottenham, but as has been the case all season, consistency remains a massive issue.
City have not defeated Liverpool in the Premier League since February 2021 but this is the time for them to turn it all around.
They won’t have it all their way and we are going to back a SGM with City winning, both teams scoring and Erling Haaland as an anytime goalscorer because, well he’s pretty damn good.
SGM: City to Win, Both Teams to Score, Erling Haaland Anytime Goalscorer @ $3.84
We will see a tangible impact on the title race and relegation battle at the Emirates Stadium with both sides desperate for all three points for very different reasons.
Despite a last up win over Wolves, there’s no reason to jump on the Leeds bandwagon this weekend with an already tough assignment being made even more difficult by a lengthy injury list.
American midfielder Tyler Adams is the most notable name on that list with a couple of other first team players racing the clock after picking up injuries while playing for their country.
Arsenal got through the break relatively unscathed (despite Rodri’s efforts to hamper Martin Odegaard) and Bukayo Saka continued his stellar form in attack.
Leeds will not roll over in this match but with a midweek fixture against Nottingham Forest on the horizon that is far more likely to yield points, they may opt for the conservative option here.
It might not be a completely ruthless and clinical performance but it will be enough to get the hosts over the line.
Back Arsenal to Win -1 Goal @ $1.80
On paper this should be a proper mismatch with ninth placed Fulham taking care of business against second-to-last Bournemouth.
However Fulham will be severely undermanned up front with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Willian suspended after their FA Cup red cards as well as manager Marco Silva.
That brings Bournemouth right back into consideration here, especially with Fulham riding a three match losing streak in all competitions into this match.
In the last three matches between these teams they have been unable to be split with all three fixtures ending in a draw.
That should end here, at this time of the year you have to factor how desperate each side is when making your picks and the Cherries are far and away the more desperate team.
Back Bournemouth to Win @ $2.55
Few would have expected these two clubs to be competing for European football this late in the season but it is a very realistic possibility for both of them if they can finish strong.
Brighton will be eager to exact some revenge on their rivals after a 2-0 defeat earlier in the season, and their five match unbeaten run, it’s easy to see why they are clear favourites in the market.
However Brentford’s ability to cause all sorts of problems in any given match cannot be underestimated.
It was not that long ago they went to the Emirates Stadium and came away with a draw and they should be about to get after Brighton.
There’s value to be found in backing the draw and that is the play for this match.
Back the Draw @ $3.90
There is a very real possibility that Patrick Vieira might not have been the problem at Crystal Palace and it is even more possible that wheeling out Roy Hodgson for the umpteenth time is not going to solve the issue either.
Whatever is plaguing the club will need to be solved sooner rather than later with the threat of relegation still looming.
Leicester’s situation is not much better with the side that many expected to be placed much higher on the Premier League table in all sorts of trouble.
They have not won a match since mid-February and have scored a grand total of three goals in their six match slide.
Perhaps Brendan Rodgers will have cooked something up over the break and Leicester will look like the team we all expected them too but right now you just cannot have any faith in either of these teams.
Defensively they have both had their issues and expecting either of them to keep a clean sheet does not seem like a good idea so we do have a play to take in this match.
Back Both Teams to Score @ $1.83
Neither of these teams have shown a lot of defensive solidarity of late which makes the price on the total goals market a bit of a surprise.
Wolves have kept just the one clean sheet in their last seven matches and conceded four against a relatively hapless Leeds side.
Forest have gone six games without a clean sheet and have given up multiple goals in their last four outings as well.
While both sides have questions in attack, they should both give up enough chances to allow even the most average of strikers to convert.
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.40
It has taken three quarters of the season but it looks like Chelsea have finally straightened things out with the side unbeaten in their last four matches.
For those playing at home, with three wins and a draw, that makes it their most profitable run since October and it might just suggest that Graham Potter is turning the ship around.
Of course he still has work to do and Aston Villa will not roll over, on a similar run with 10 points from their last four in the Premier League.
With a spot in the top half of the table on the line, you have to give the benefit of the doubt to Chelsea, but it will not be easy by any stretch and Villa should be able to get themselves on the scoreboard.
Back Chelsea to Win and Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.65
It might be seen as slightly insulting to Southampton that they are $5.00 outsiders against a team that is just one point ahead of them and still in the relegation zone themselves.
Especially when you consider both teams have taken five points from their last five in the Premier League and the Saints have shown plenty of fight with two of those points coming against Manchester United and Tottenham.
We have two of the worst attacks in the Premier League going at it and the unders looks like it is the way do go.
The Irons have scored a grand total of 24 goals this season with 17 coming at home, while the Saints have registered just nine goals away from St Mary’s.
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ $1.78
This is going to be a fun match to dissect whichever way it goes as both combatants will want to win to further entrench themselves in the race for Champions League football.
Newcastle needs the win a lot more, but with both sides having two games in hand over Tottenham, it is not quite last chance saloon for either of them yet.
For that matter, we may not see both sides go out guns blazing with a draw potentially favouring both teams in the long run.
Newcastle might want to get some revenge for their defeat in the Carabao Cup Final but they are still playing the long game.
There is not a lot between these teams and a point apiece looks like the way to go.
Back the Draw @ $3.30
Tottenham have become the latest candidates for the “managerial sacking bounce” with Antonio Conte’s expected departure following his rant about the club.
The pressure is now on the likes of Harry Kane to deliver Champions League football to White Hart Lane once again, but a determined Everton side will make life very tough for them.
Sean Dyche knows how to frustrate the heavy hitters in England and he will have spent a fortnight working out the best way to stymie the Spurs attack.
At Goodison Park with a raucous support behind them, hoping to see Everton get a bit of breathing space in their quest to stay up, this has the makings of an upset.
Back Everton to Win @ $3.30
*POSTPONED ROUND 7 FIXTURE*
In the race for European football, Brighton will have mixed feelings about their draw with Brentford on the weekend.
While they moved up to sixth and avoided the Bees leapfrogging them with Alexis Mac Allister’s 90th minute penalty, they will feel like it was still two points dropped.
Bournemouth escaped the relegation zone for now after their win over a depleted Fulham side.
Given who was missing for the Cottagers, it is tough to take too many positives from that fixture and Brighton have plenty of momentum and goodwill at their backs.
They have lost just once in their last 14 matches and they can score for fun, which is not a good sign for Bournemouth’s leaky defence.
Back Brighton to Win & Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.35
*POSTPONED ROUND 7 FIXTURE*
It’s a battle between the team that rarely wins and the team that never wins, at least judging by their form lines over the past month.
Forest has taken a grand total of three points from their last seven matches, including their 1-1 draw with Wolves on the weekend.
In that same time frame, Leeds have picked up seven points but were punished for not capitalising on a fast start by Arsenal, going down 4-1.
Neither side has been able to keep opposing attacks at bay with Leeds conceding 10 goals in their last three matches and Forest allowing 12 in their last five outings.
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ $1.98
*POSTPONED ROUND 7 FIXTURE*
The Brendan Rodgers era has come to an inglorious end with the Foxes suffering a sixth defeat in their last seven matches at the hands of a previously hapless Crystal Palace.
Perhaps the only reason to justify the Foxes favouritism over a Villa side that is unbeaten in its last five, is the expectation that the managerial change will spark some of Leicester’s star players to perform up to their potential.
Unai Emery’s impressive start to his second Premier League stint continued with a 2-0 win at Chelsea on the weekend and it’s tough to back against the hot hand.
Perhaps if the prices were the other way around there is a case to be made for backing the hosts but until they show they have turned it around, Leicester remains a stay away.
Back Aston Villa to Win @ $2.75
*POSTPONED ROUND 8 FIXTURE*
Calling this the “look how far they have fallen derby” might be a little bit harsh to some, but when these alleged powerhouse sides occupy eighth and tenth on the table, it’s tough to see it as anything else.
Chelsea needs a much bigger change to their setup than sacking Graham Potter and it’s unlikely to revitalise a highly dysfunctional team.
Even when it looked like Potter had started to sort things out, a couple of poor results saw upper management pull the trigger on their second managerial change of the season.
Conversely, the one stable thing at Liverpool this season has been Jurgen Klopp’s presence in the technical area, but his skills have been tested in a rough season.
A 4-1 battering at the hands of Manchester City consigned the Merseysiders to their third consecutive defeat.
With a very strong case to be made against both teams, it’s worth staying on the fence for this one and taking the draw because neither club inspires a whole lot of confidence after the last few days.
Back the Draw @ $3.40
*POSTPONED ROUND 25 FIXTURE*
Manchester United’s season has been full of extremes at both ends of the scale and it all began in August when they went to Brentford and were smacked 4-0 by the Bees.
Now they simply have to find a way to muster up a response in this catch up fixture following another defeat on the weekend at the hands of Newcastle.
After taking a point off Brighton on the weekend, Brentford will have plenty of motivation of their own as they have their sights set on European football.
However one of the most impressive parts of United’s performances this year has been their ability to bounce back from a poor showing.
The last time they lost back to back competitive matches was in the opening two weekends of the season and they have only dropped points in consecutive matches once since then.
Back Manchester United to Win & Over 1.5 Goals @ $1.91
*POSTPONED ROUND 7 FIXTURE*
While nobody on Tyneside is getting ahead of themselves, the Magpies push for their first Champions League berth since 2002/2003 received a massive boost with their win over Manchester United on the weekend.
However that positive momentum can evaporate in an instant if they cannot go on with the job in London this Thursday morning (AEST).
That was their third consecutive win however West Ham will offer up plenty of resistance in this match, with the Irons unbeaten in their last four in all competitions.
Sitting just one point above the relegation zone, West Ham has to keep picking up points however the desperation angle is somewhat negated based on the fact Newcastle has plenty on the line here too.
It looks like the market is giving West Ham a bit more respect than I am, but that just plays into the theory that in a situation like this, you back the better team.
Back Newcastle to Win @ $2.10