English Premier League Round 8
English Premier League Round 8

Leicester vs. Manchester United, Saturday 16 October 16:00

The Foxes are all the way down in 13th place on the table after their recent dismal form. They have only managed eight points in their seven matches so far which includes a 2-2 draw away to Crystal Palace, a 2-2 draw at home to Burnley, a 2-1 loss away to Brighton, a 1-0 loss at home to Manchester City and a 2-1 win away to Norwich. As there recent results suggest, defense is a big problem for Leicester right now and they have let in a total of 12 goals so far this season which makes them the third worst team in the league defensively.  They will need to put in a massive effort on defense this week against a side like Manchester United and hopefully the international break would have helped them to regroup and get their campaign back on track.

The Red Devils would be disappointed with their form heading into the break after their promising start to the season. With 14 goals and 14 points they are still clinging to the Top 4, but a 1-1 draw at home to Everton and a 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa saw them lose vital points in their race towards the title. Prior to that they were unbeaten in the EPL and they managed a 2-1 win away to West Ham, a 4-1 win at home to Newcastle, a 1-0 win away to Wolves and a 1-1 draw to Southampton. On the positive side, Man United have managed to keep their defense quite tight and they have not let in more than one goal in any of their matches this season. However, their attack has not been as potent as of late with just two goals in their last two matches. This is compared to 13 goals in their first five matches which is an average of over two goals per match. 

In the last five clashes in the EPL between the two sides Manchester United have won three, Leicester have won one and one match has ended in a draw. Two of these wins came at the King Power Stadium for the Red Devils and they have only lost once at this venue in the league since Leicester rejoined the EPL in 2014.

Despite Manchester United’s shaky form I believe the international break would have given them a good chance to get their attack sorted and I expect them to win this match. Leicester’s defense is just too poor right now. If you factor in that Man United have no problem finding the net at this venue they seem like the obvious choice. I do expect Solskjaer’s men to concede at least once this match, but for me the visitors will come out stronger after the break and net at least a couple.

BetOlimp Best Bets

Manchester United to Win – 2.09
Victory and both to score: Yes and Manchester United – 3.65
Over 2.5 Goals – 1.80

Brentford vs. Chelsea, Saturday 16 October 18:30

EPL new-bees Brentford would be pretty happy with their season so far and they currently sit in 7th place with 12 points. They went into they break with a 2-1 win away to West Ham and prior to that they managed a very impressive 3-3 draw at home with Liverpool, a 2-0 win away to Watford, a 1-0 loss at home to Brighton and 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa. Defensively they are the third best team in the league with only six goals let in, but their attack just needs a little something extra to take them to the next level. Nonetheless with 3 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw up until now the boys from Brentford can be content with their performance. They host another big opponent this week and they would love nothing more than to hold them to a draw just like they did to Klopp’s men a few weeks back.

The Blues went into the break with 16 points and despite losing their first match at the end of September they are still at the top of the table. Their recent form includes a 3-1 win at home to Southampton, a 1-0 loss at home to Manchester City, a 3-0 win away to Spurs, a 3-0 win at home to Aston Villa and a 1-1 draw away to Liverpool. Although their defense has started to show a few cracks in the last couple of weeks they still have only conceded a total of three goals and remain the top team defensively along with Man City. Their goalless performance against the Sky Blues, which was their first EPL match where they failed to find the net this season, saw them lose the title of the top scoring team in the league. However, they are still second best with a total of 15. On Saturday they will no doubt try to reclaim that title and I expect Tuchel’s men to come out firing after the break.

The two teams have never met in the EPL but they have clashed in the FA Cup three times since 2013. The last occasion they met was in 2017 where Chelsea won 4-0.

Brentford really impressed at home against Liverpool, but if you look at the rest of their home form it’s not that great. I am not expecting them to pull off another shock result against a big side and I am firmly in the camp of Chelsea for this one. It’s interesting to note that if you disregard the three goals they conceded against the Reds, Brentford would have only conceded three goals for the entire season. This suggests that we might get a close game on Saturday, but ultimately the Blues will come out on top. It’s quite hard predicting goalscorers for Chelsea since they have so much variety in their attack, but I am going to go with Lukaku for this match since I think he is due to find the net.

BetOlimp Best Bets

First Goalscorer: Romelu Lukaku – 3.60
Total Goals and Result: Chelsea and Under 2.5 Goals – 3.25
Both Teams to Score: No – 1.73 

Newcastle vs. Tottenham, Sunday 17 October 17:30

The Magpies have had a horrific season and currently sit second to last in 19th place with just three points. They are yet to register their first win and their only points so far have come from a 1-1 draw away to Watford, a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds and a 2-2 draw at home to Southampton. Other results include a 2-1 loss away to Wolves and a 4-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Along with Norwich they have the worst defense in the league with 16 goals conceded so far, while on attack they have only managed a total of 8 goals. For a team that is at the bottom of the table you would think that they have issues finding the net, but surprisingly Newcastle have managed to score at least one goal in all but one of their matches to far this season.

Spurs managed to go into the break with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa which helped move them back up to 8th place in the standings. Prior to their win they were stuck in a losing streak which included a 3-1 loss away to Arsenal, a 3-0 loss at home to Chelsea and a 3-0 loss away to Crystal Palace. After a strong start to the season Tottenham gave the impression that they have one of the best defenses in the league, but in their last four matches they have conceded 10 goals and are now far from the best. Despite netting two goals against the Villans, finding goals are still an issue for Spurs and they have only managed six goals this season. Their match on Sunday presents a wonderful opportunity to get some more goals under their belt against a team that have massive holes in their defense. A win could potentially send them back to the Top 4 and relieve some pressure for manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

In the last five EPL clashes between the two sides Newcastle have won once, Tottenham have won twice and there have been two draws. One of those wins for Spurs was a 3-1 win at St. James’ Park last year, while the most recent encounter in Newcastle ended in a 2-2 draw.

What immediately grabs my attention is the fact that Newcastle have scored in all but one of their EPL fixtures this year. If you add in the fact that three out of the last five clashes have seen both teams find the back of the net, it looks very likely that we will see both teams scoring in this clash. Although Spurs have been struggling, I feel that they have got some momentum back on their side and considering Newcastle’s poor form a bet on Tottenham at just over even money looks like a good play to me as well. Hueng Min Son has been in the thick of things for his side with two assists against Aston Villa as well as scoring his sides’ only goal against Arsenal. I feel that if Spurs are going to find the net in this game then he will be the man.

BetOlimp Best Bets

Tottenham to win – 2.11
Victory and both to score: Yes and Tottenham – 3.70
Anytime Goalscorer: Hueng Min Son – 2.34

 

 
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