Sports Blog 30/10/2015: Match Preview – Premier League, 31st October to 1st November 2015

There is arguably only one all-star game in the Premier League this weekend, but it has enough narrative tension that to ask for anything more would be greedy.

Of course, that game sees the league’s petulant old(ish) guard take on the smiling face of one of its newest arrivals as Liverpool travel to Chelsea at 12.45pm on BT Sport 1. A first half goal from Nathaniel Clyne gave Liverpool a slender mid-week win over Bournemouth in the League Cup, gifting Jurgen Klopp his first victory since taking over the reins at Anfield.

Yet despite playing decent opposition in the form of Tottenham, Southampton and Rubin Kazan in his opening trio of games, Saturday’s visit to southwest London should be the biggest test, psychologically and otherwise, of Klopp’s nascent tenure. A win, however, would be a major coup (well, not as major as it once would have been) for the German manager, an immeasurable confidence builder heading into the winter session. The return of Christian Benteke should provide the Reds with a bit more bite upfront, and the Belgian goes into the weekend at a Super Mega PGM of 22-27.



If Klopp is full of starry-eyed potential, then Mourinho is living in the sour environs of Chelsea’s current reality. The Blues’ near-unbelievably terrible start to the season showed no signs of improving this week; an undisciplined display against the consistently strong West Ham last weekend was complimented by a penalties defeat to Stoke in the League Cup on Tuesday, making it 7 losses in 15 competitive gains across all competitions for the moody Chelsea manager.

Whilst it would have been unthinkable at the start of the season, Saturday’s game has the genuine spectre of an abrupt dismissal for Mourinho hanging over it. He may have become more embattled in his comments to the press, but the fact is people (i.e. Brendan Rodgers) have already been fired for better records this season. To rectify this situation, in part, Mourinho will need the brutish Diego Costa, at a Super Mega PGM of 28-34, to be a bit more effective going forwards.

A home advantage and the unavoidably transitional nature of Liverpool at the moment may just give Mourinho the win he needs. Our Spreadex traders and clients alike seem to think so, plumping for a Blues victory at a Chelsea/Liverpool Goal Supremacy spread of 0.35-0.55 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.45-2.65.

There is a bit less intrigue in Sunday’s televised games; first up sees Everton host Sunderland at 1.30pm on Sky Sports 1. Sam Allardyce’s return to the club he briefly played for in the early 80s has gotten off to a fairly mixed start. His first game was a limp 1-0 loss to West Brom, Sunderland’s 6th league defeat in 9 matches and hardly the rejuvenation that is meant to greet a new manager. The Black Cats’ next game, however, was a huge improvement. Scoring 3 goals and keeping a clean sheet would have been good enough; the fact it was over bitter rivals Newcastle will have gone a long way to putting Allardyce in the fans’ good books.



Everton, on the other hand, will likely be relishing the opportunity to play a slightly easier team. In their first 10 league games they have had to play Southampton, Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea, Swansea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal; that is the top 8 sides from last season, an unenviable string of games for any side. Losses against the Gunners and Untied put an end to a solid string of games for the Toffees, but a hard fought League Cup penalties win over Norwich and an in-form Lukaku (at 3/1 to score first with 7 goals so far this season) stands them in good stead going into the weekend.

Our Spreadex clients clearly think Allardyce’s win over Newcastle was no fluke, opting for the Tyneside team despite Spreadex offering an Everton/Sunderland Goal Supremacy spread of 1.1-1.3.

Finally Sunday afternoon sees a new kind of south coast derby, as Bournemouth travel to Southampton at 4pm on Sky Sports 1. There hasn’t been anything too special about Southampton this season; yet a solid run of form, including a victory over the nightmare-ridden Chelsea, sees them at 8th in the league. The Saints notched up another win mid-week, a 2-1 League Cup victory over the permanent manager-less Aston Villa, complete with a goal from star man Graziano Pelle, who goes into Sunday as 15/4 favourite to score first.



Sadly for Bournemouth it’s been a classic case of post-promotion shock since they joined the country’s top league. Their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup makes it 3 defeats in a row for the Cherries, the other 2 being back-to-back 5-1 wallopings at the hands of Manchester City and Tottenham. The added complication of a long-term injury to frontman Callum Wilson makes Eddie Howe’s job even more difficult, and adds an extra serving of pressure on the shoulders of Gelnn Murray, at a Super Mega PGM of 14-18.

A win for Howe is much needed but, according to our clients, is likely to remain elusive, with Spreadex offering a Southampton/Bournemouth Goal Supremacy spread of 1-1.2 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.