It’s coronation time in the United Kingdom this weekend, and while Manchester City cannot officially claim the Premier League title, they can move closer to the crown with two matches on the cards.
Their run continues with a catch up fixture against West Ham Thursday morning (AEST) before hosting Leeds on Saturday night and you would expect them to come away with all six points on offer.
Arsenal faces a tough test with a trip to Newcastle as they seek to keep the title race alive, but their recent form is not exactly encouraging.
We’ve got you covered with previews and best bets for every Premier League match below.
*POSTPONED ROUND 28 FIXTURE*
Currently on the second longest winning streak in the Premier League, Liverpool is finishing the season with a wet sail as they chase an unlikely Champions League spot.
For better or worse they are fast becoming the league’s entertainers with their last three matches all featuring plenty of goals and being decided by a single goal.
Even with a lengthy injury list Fulham should be able to give them plenty of troubles but the form and quality at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal should see them over the line.
It is no coincidence that their revival has coincided with the renaissance of Mo Salah who has scored five goals in his last five matches.
We’ll start the extended matchweek off with a SGM backing Liverpool to win another high scoring game with Salah making it (at least) six from his last six.
SGM: Liverpool to Win, Over 2.5 Goals, Mo Salah Anytime Goalscorer @ $2.50
*POSTPONED ROUND 28 FIXTURE*
West Ham’s defence will be dreading this trip to the Etihad having just conceded four goals to Crystal Palace.
City might have only scored two against Fulham on the weekend without Kevin De Bruyne but West Ham have shown that when they struggle, they concede goals in bunches.
The market knows that as well so it is no surprise to see City at the unbackable price of $1.20 to win.
Which means that the punters will have to take a deep dive to find some value and even though he may only be involved for an hour with Pep Guardiola having one eye on the Champions League, Erling Haaland is the player to back.
He managed a brace on the opening weekend of the season at the London Stadium and we’ll back him to replicate that in front of his own fans.
Erling Haaland 2+ Goals @ $2.63
*POSTPONED ROUND 28 FIXTURE*
They went close to doing it in the FA Cup Semi Final and we’re going to back Brighton to get the job done in the Premier League encounter.
They shook off a rough week where they lost on penalties at Wembley and dropped points away at Nottingham by belting Wolves 6-0 thanks to a ruthless first half.
If they can play close to that level once again, they should put on a clinic that United with struggle to match and their away form is far from convincing.
They have lost or drawn after 90 minutes in five of their last seven away from Old Trafford and Brighton will be heading into this one with revenge on their mind.
Brighton to Win @ $2.00
It is absolutely insane to think that the market for this match is as close as it is when you consider the recent history of these clubs prior to the current campaign.
Under most circumstances, Chelsea would be $1.50 if the bookies wanted to be generous but their disastrous run, combined with Bournemouth looking half decent at times suggests the pricing is about right.
And after Chelsea’s dire showing at the Emirates on Wednesday morning (AEST), where the only reason they came back into the match was because Arsenal took their foot off the accelerator, Bournemouth are every chance of adding to Frank Lampard’s misery.
The interim boss at Chelsea cannot oversee a win at the moment and this is a very good opportunity to take them on here.
Bournemouth to Win @ $3.40
Right, another instance of asking yourself, “how much are you willing to back City to win by?”
Big Sam might now be in charge of Leeds but it’s unlikely he is going to conjure up any miracles at the Etihad here (sorry Gunners fans).
In fact, his main job is probably just ensuring that Leeds do not get blown out of the water like they did on their last trip to this stadium, going down 7-0 in December 2021.
Try as he might, City are just ruthless at the moment and should comfortably account for their relegation threatened opponents.
Manchester City to Win -2 Goals @ $2.15
Make that four matches in a row where Spurs have dropped points and they reached a new level of spectacular collapses last week, conceding the winning goal barely 60 seconds after scoring an equaliser.
Palace came out on top in their own wild match last weekend, flexing their attacking muscle in a 4-3 win at home over West Ham.
Working in their favour is the fact that Spurs just look utterly bereft of confidence and there’s a real concern last week’s collapse might kick start something even more severe.
Palace will be eager to atone for a 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park earlier this season and there is value backing them to come away from this with at least a point.
Crystal Palace/Draw Double Chance @ $1.95
We know that Aston Villa will be ready to put up a fight on their trip to Molineux, but the big question hanging over this fixture is what version of Wolves will show up.
If it’s the one that defeated Chelsea, Brentford and Crystal Palace at home then we could be in for a classic match.
However if it’s the one that went to Leicester and Brighton and came away with a pair of bad defeats then this could be really ugly.
Considering the pretty clear split between their home and away form, it looks likely that the good version of Wolves will be the one to show up here.
Even if that is the one that does turn up to play, Aston Villa is still a good side and a draw seems like the best result Wolves can hope for.
Draw @ $3.10
It might not always be the prettiest of performances, but Liverpool is on a tear as they seek to hunt down a top four spot.
The Reds won their catch up fixture midweek over Fulham thanks to a Mo Salah penalty for their fifth victory in a row.
That was their fourth win in a row by a one goal margin, each of which have been decided by a different score and it was also their first clean sheet since the start of April when they played Chelsea.
With no shortage of firepower on both sides of the pitch we should see plenty of goals but in their current form, it’s nearly impossible to back against Liverpool.
Liverpool to Win and Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.00
By the time this match kicks off, Arsenal could be four points adrift of the top of the Premier League table or they could be in position to (temporarily) retake the lead in the unlikely event of a City slip up.
Whatever situation they are facing in terms of the table, getting anything from their trip to St James’ Park where the club has had some nightmare moments in the last few years.
Late last season the Magpies essentially ended their top four hopes with a 2-0 and there was the famous 4-0 collapse to 4-4 back in 2011.
Newcastle has won its last four at home and it’s no surprise to see them start as favourites here, and they are the tip for the match.
Newcastle to Win @ $2.35
West Ham is probably safe from relegation, sitting four points clear of the drop zone but they would need another win over the next month just to be on the safe side.
But it seems like a much longer shot to occur this weekend than the market for this match is suggesting.
United’s Premier League run has been quite strong, with Erik ten Haag’s side picking up 13 of their last 15 league points available to sit in fourth spot.
Compare that to a West Ham side that has lost its last three matches and is starting to fall apart defensively and it’s tough to see why this is so close in price.
Manchester United to Win @ $2.05
It is so tempting to back Leicester to win simply because this match means so much more to them than it does to Fulham.
The Cottagers are locked in to a mid table finish but Leicester needs to pick up some points to give themselves a bit of breathing room in the relegation fight.
Generally speaking you would back the more desperate side but the Foxes have been so bad at times that you cannot have the required confidence in their ability to win the match.
Where there is a bit of value to be found is in the total goals market, with the over hitting in 22 of Fulham’s and 21 of Leicester’s matches.
Fulham has not kept a clean sheet in any match since March 1, while Leicester’s run goes back even further to January 28 in the FA Cup.
Over 2.5 Goals @ $1.82
Thanks to their matches in hand, Brighton is still a chance of sneaking into the Champions League however a Europa League spot seems like a much more likely landing spot.
Easily the story of the season is their successful run brought on by shrewd recruiting, something Everton wishes people were saying about their squad building.
With just one win in their last ten matches, Everton is an easy team to back against and that’s exactly what we’re going to do here.
Brighton to Win and Over 2.5 Goals @ $1.91
Forest may never have a better chance to secure their Premier League safety than this weekend when they take on Southampton.
In their last home game they defeated Brighton, a far tougher opponent than the last placed Saints.
When playing in front of their own fans, Forest have been a decent side with six wins and six draws so far this season, good enough for 80% of their points this season.
Compare that to Southampton’s 11 defeats on the road from 17 matches and it’s a pretty straightforward tip.
Nottingham Forest to Win @ $2.05