Can Leicester get their season back on track when they travel to Chelsea on Saturday, at 12.30pm on Sky Sports 1?

There has been an air of inevitability about Leicester’s title defence. Heavy 4-1 losses against Man United and Liverpool have been joined by a shock defeat to Hull, and 0-0 draws against Arsenal (their one decent result) and Southampton. Their only wins have come against Swansea and Burnley; both sides likely to be involved with the relegation battle come May next year. Compounding this faltering form is the struggles of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez who, at Super Mega PGMs of 15-19 and 13-17, have only managed 3 league goals between them.



As for Chelsea, well, there have been 2 sides to Antonio Conte’s team this season. Against ostensibly lesser opposition they have run rampant with wins over West Ham, Watford, Burnley and Hull. However, when up against their title rivals they have struggled, their limp loss to Liverpool followed by Conte’s one real embarrassment, their 3-0 hammering at Arsenal. Nevertheless in Diego Costa they have the league’s top scorer, his 6 goals in 7 games leaving the brutish Spaniard with a Super Mega PGM of 47-55.

The Blues have already beaten the Foxes this season, knocking the latter out of the EFL Cup following an extra-time brace from Fabregas. And looks like it will be 2 in 2 come Saturday, with Spreadex offering a Chelsea/Leicester Goal Supremacy spread of 0.95-1.15 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.

Saturday afternoon then sees West Ham chase their first away win of the season when they visit Crystal Palace at 5.30pm on BT Sport 1. Neither Slaven Bilic nor the Olympic Stadium have provided what was expected of them, with West Ham scraping together a measly 4 points from their first 7 games and conceding more goals (17) than any other side in the league in the process. The one positive has been Michael Antonio who, at a Super Mega PGM of 16-20, has scored 8 of the Hammers’ 8 goals.



Crystal Palace, on the other hand, are knocking on the door of a spot in Europe, taking 11 points from a potential 21; a win against West Ham would equal their best ever Premier League run. Christian Benteke is also starting to find his footing and, at a Super Mega PGM of 43-50 after scoring a hat-trick for Belgium mid-week, will be looking to add to his tally on Saturday. It looks like Alan Pardew is set to heap more misery on the Hammers, with Spreadex offering a Crystal Palace/West Ham Goal Supremacy spread of 0.3-0.5 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.65-2.85.

Looking to Sunday and it’s not one for the neutrals, with Middlesbrough hosting Watford on Sunday, at 1.30pm on Sky Sports 1. Boro have done as well as, well, a side that just got promoted into the Premier League; draws against Stoke, West Brom and West Ham were complimented by an away win over Sunderland. Less cheery were the side’s losses to Palace, Everton and Spurs. What’s worrying for Boro is that, those latter 2 teams excluded, Boro have looked limped against the sides that will likely surround them by the end of the season.



Watford have fared a bit better with one of the more difficult league schedules. Unexpected blockbuster 4-2 and 3-1 wins over West Ham and Man United were joined by more predictable losses against Chelsea and Arsenal, a shock defeat to Burnley and respectable draws against Southampton and Bournemouth. Home advantage, however, seems to have won out in the eyes of our traders, with Spreadex offering a Middlesbrough/Watford Goal Supremacy spread of 0.2-0.4 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.2-2.4.

Finally Southampton will be aiming to continue their upswing when they take on Burnley at 4pm on Sky Sports 1. As is to be expected for a side that faced their umpteenth upheaval over the summer, it took the Saints a bit of time to bed in at the start of the season, taking 2 points from their first 4 games. Since then, however, things have begun to look up; they’ve beaten West Ham and Swansea, and drawn against Leicester, in the league, knocked out Palace in the EFL Cup and, best of all, are joint top of their Europa League group.



Last season’s Championship champions Burnley, meanwhile, have had their own adjustments to make. Wins over Liverpool and Watford are to be applauded; less so losses to Swansea, Leicester and Arsenal (admittedly not that shameful a run). Buoyed by Charlie Austin, who has a Super Mega PGM of 46-54, the Saints are expected to prevail, Spreadex offering a Southampton/Burnley Goal Supremacy spread of 1.3-1.5 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.5-2.7.