Sports Blog 20/02/2015: Match Preview – Premier League, Saturday 21st to Sunday 22nd February 2015

After a busy week in Europe saw a string of positive results for English sides, attention returns to the Premier League, with some key match-ups in the top half of the table.

The only televised game on Saturday sees a shaky Manchester City take on an even worse Newcastle United at 5.30pm on Sky Sports 1. City may be in 2nd, but there is a big 7 point deficit between them and league-leaders Chelsea. Losses against Arsenal and draws against Hull and Everton didn’t help the situation, and being dumped out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough just made matters worse. A 4-1 victory over Stoke will have restored some confidence, as will the fact that in their last 10 meetings City have beaten Newcastle every time. To secure a win Aguero (21 goals, 9/4 to score first), Wilfred Bony (9 goals, 14/5) and most importantly a returning Yaya Toure (9 goals, 4/1) all need to elevate City from their recent limp form.



If Manchester City have been inconsistent, the Toon have been just plain bad, wining only 2 of their last 12 games, and losing 7 of those fixtures. This includes a loss against Leicester, who have spent most of the season rock-bottom at 20th. Despite this Newcastle are still in 11th, and a win against Hull and draws against Palace and Stoke may have stalled the bad form the Toon have been in. Papiss Cisse got his tenth goal of the season in that draw against Palace, and at 9/1 to score first will be hoping to build on this figure. Our traders are offering a Man City/Newcastle Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 1.65-1.85, and we have surprisingly seen a flurry of bets in favour of the Toon.

The first of three televised games on Sunday is a London derby, with West Ham visiting White Hart Lane to play Tottenham at 12pm on BT Sport 1. Spurs have been mixed of late, with wins against Arsenal countered by losses to Liverpool and Leicester; most recently Tottenham drew 1-1 with Fiorentina in the Europa League, a solid result that gives the Italian side a narrow advantage going into the second leg. Spurs are now 2 points off of 5th place Arsenal, and will need a win against the Hammers to keep up the push for a European spot. Unsurprisingly Harry Kane is favourite to score first, with his 21 goals this season putting him at 3/1.



West Ham have slipped to 8th in the New Year, and have seen the same spotty form as Tottenham in their past 6 games. Frustratingly for the Hammers, a 4-0 thrashing by West Brom saw them exit the FA Cup last weekend, and will leave them in a weakened position ahead of Sunday’s game. They will also be without striker Andy Carroll after he recently underwent knee surgery; this leaves the pressure on Diafra Sakho (10 goals, 11/2), Stewart Downing (5 goals, 14/1) and Enner Valencia (4 goals, 9/1) to perform. With both teams in similar form, Spurs have a narrow advantage at a Tottenham/West Ham Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.65-0.85, with a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.

Following this Everton host the struggling Leicester City at 2.05pm at Sky Sports 1. Despite sitting in 12th in the league, Everton have been a different team in Europe. On Thursday they managed to get an impressive 4-1 result away against Young Boys, who had previously won their past 7 home games in Europe. This should give the Toffees the confidence to defeat the bottom-place Leicester, and with Lukaku getting his first hat trick for Everton against Young Boys, he will be looking to continue this form back at home.



Leicester are not only in 20th place, but are 4 points off of Burnley one place above them. If the Foxes are to stand any chance of avoiding relegation they need a win against Everton. Leicester looked like they could be on a new path after beating Tottenham in the FA Cup, but since then have lost 4 in a row, including exiting the FA Cup at the hand of a newly managed Aston Villa last weekend. Given their emphatic victory in Europe mid-week, Spreadex are offering a slim Everton/Leicester Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.6-0.8. And with the fact that Everton’s last 6 games have finished with under 2.5 goals, we have a Total Goals spread of 2.5-2.7.

Finally, a 4.15pm kick off on Sky Sports 1 sees 4th place Southampton take on 7th place Liverpool at St Mary’s Stadium. The Saints have only conceded 8 goals at home this season, and given Liverpool’s struggles in front of goal could provide the difference between the two sides come Sunday. Southampton lost against Liverpool on the first day of this season, but since then their fortunes have switched; and after having an 11 day rest between their last game and Sunday’s fixture, will be well-rested compared to the Euro-busy Liverpool. The Saints’ Graziano Pelle is at 5/1 to score first with 12 goals, whilst Sadio Mane is at 7/1 on 5 goals, and France’s Morgan Schneiderlin is on 4 goals at 40/1.



Whilst still in 7th place, a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Besiktas in the Europa League, and a scrappy 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup has seen Liverpool reach 17 games with only one defeat. After missing the mid-week game captain Steven Gerrard could return, whilst former-Southampton start Adam Lallana is expecting a frosty reception as he returns to St Mary’s for the first time since his summer transfer. Daniel Sturridge hasn’t fully returned to his peak form since he came back from injury, but is favourite to score first at 5/1, with Raheem Sterling at 15/2 on 9 goals alongside Jordan Henderson on 3 goals at 11/1. With both teams having a strong 2015 so far, the spread is very narrow, slightly in favour of the home team at a Southampton/Liverpool Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0-0.2, with a Total Goals spread of 2.35-2.55.