Sports Blog 15/05/2015: Match Preview – Premier League Weekend, Saturday 16th to Sunday 17th May 2015

The penultimate weekend of this season’s Premier League competition is upon us, and unsurprisingly for most sides there is little left to play for beyond honour, pride and a slightly better finishing position.

Saturday’s first game sees two sides that have a tiny speck of something to play for, just at opposite ends of the table, as Southampton host Aston Villa at 12.45pm on BT Sport 1. The Saints, in a perfect world, could still nab 5th from their current 7th place position, but only if Liverpool and Tottenham both fail to win their final two games. Frustratingly for Southampton, it all could have been so much easier than this; in the first half of the season the Saints were the wonder club, overcoming the odds of a pre-season exodus to brawl with the big boys. Cut to now, and the Saints have lost 4 of their last 6 games, and only have 3 clean sheets in 11.



Aston Villa, on the other hand, have undergone somewhat of a turnaround since the appointment of Tim Sherwood, and need just 3 more points to put them completely clear of relegation. They also, impressively, have an FA Cup final to look forward to, something that makes this season look a lot more bearable than it has been for Villa fans. Despite the fact that Villa have scored 12 goals in their last 6 games, the gulf between the two sides league positions has led to a Southampton/Aston Villa Goal Supremacy sports spread betting quote of 0.7-0.9 with a Total Goals spread of 2.5-2.7.

The other televised game on Saturday is very special, but for some non-league related reasons, as Crystal Palace travel to Liverpool at 5.30pm on Sky Sports 1. The Reds are sitting in 5th, and can solidify this position with a win at the weekend. However, this isn’t the reason why Saturday is so important. Come roughly 7.20pm, Steven Gerrard will have played his last competitive game at Anfield as his Liverpool career comes to a close. Another season without silverware is hardly the way Gerrard would have wanted to leave Anfield, and he will have to settle with trying to help his side secure a place in Europe.



Liverpool will be facing a Crystal Palace side that have gone off the boil in the last month, losing their last 4 games on the trot. Since the Pardew-inspired resurgence lifted them into the safety zone Palace have lacked some of their spark; nevertheless sitting in 12th they still have a chance of marginally improving on their finishing position if Everton and West Ham mess up their final run in. However, given the wealth of emotion that is likely to be felt at Anfield on Saturday, the Reds are clear favourites at a Liverpool/Crystal Palace Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 1.15-1.35; and considering that Palace are the 5th highest scoring away side in the league, Spreadex are offering a healthy Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.

Looking ahead, Sunday sees a couple of slightly more influential games; first up is a trip to Wales as Manchester City visit Swansea at 1.30pm on Sky Sports 1. Swansea look set to finish with, at the very least, a comfortable top 10 finish and, at the very mostm a top six finish. They also had the added bonus of ending Arsenal’s unbeaten run with a scrappy win on Monday. The Welsh side will be keen to earn another scalp at the weekend, but will be facing a City side that have finally found some kind of form.



With 4 wins in a row, City have left it a bit too late for it to really matter; however, they do still sit in 2nd and need to put some distance between them and Arsenal, who are hot on City’s tale, 3 points behind with a game in hand. Focus will be on City’s star man, Sergio Aguero, who basically already has the Golden Boot wrapped up with Harry Kane 5 behind Aguero’s 25 goal total with only 2 games to go. Aguero has also scored first in his last 5 games, leaving him as favourite to score first at 14/5 with a Super Mega Player Goal Minutes spread of 55-63. The strength of Aguero’s current form, and their late in the season winning streak, as left the Manchester side favourites at a Man City/Swansea (h) Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.75-0.95 with a Total Goals spread of 2.95-3.15.

Finally, the weekend’s biggest, and likely most important, game comes at 4pm on Sky Sports 1 as Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. United are 4th on 68 points having played one more game than Arsenal and will be chasing automatic qualification for the Champions League after last season’s costly miss. They are back on track after ending their losing streak against Crystal Palace last weekend, and will be confident they can overcome Arsenal; in fact, United have lost just 1 of their last 11 home games against Arsenal.



However, that loss was their last meeting in the FA Cup, a classy win for the Gunners that has culminated in their cup final appearance on the 30th May. Wenger and co. will have been incredibly disappointed at their 1-0 loss to Swansea on Monday, something that ended their best run since the ‘Invincibles’ back in 03/04. Wenger has already said a runner’s up medal this season is vital, and on 70 points, 3 less than City with a game in hand, Arsenal need a win on Sunday to ensure a 2nd place finish isn’t in the hands of a City slip up. Yet given the struggles Arsenal have routinely had at the Theatre of Dreams, the home side have the slimmest of advantages at a Man United/Arsenal Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.05-0.25 with a Total Goals spread of 2.75-2.95.