After a pretty miserable Champions League week for English teams, it is time to look toward Matchday 31 of the Premier League season.
Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham were all dumped out of Europe, with Arsenal and Liverpool the pair to progress.
Of course, City and Arsenal are not in top-flight action this weekend due to the EFL Cup final, and we will be previewing Sunday’s Wembley showpiece in a separate blog.
But for now, here are our eight Premier League picks from the remaining games on Matchday 31, all of them based on the latest football odds.
And remember you can boost your potential winnings from a combo bet with NetBet’s Acca Boost feature, part of the way in which we help users play their way.
*All odds are subject to change
Bournemouth vs Manchester United: Player to score or assist – Bruno Fernandes @ 1.75
In case you were unaware, Fernandes is recording goal contributions at a frightening rate this season. The Portuguese star is up to 16 assists for the campaign, just four short of equalling the Premier League’s single-season record. Fernandes assisted two goals in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa and has contributed in eight of the previous 10 top-flight matches. So even though Bournemouth have tightened up at the back recently with three clean sheets in four games, we still fancy Fernandes – a strong PFA Player of the Season contender – to weave more magic on the South Coast.
Brighton vs Liverpool: Total goals – Under 2.5 @ 2.07
Liverpool arrive at Brighton fresh from a 4-0 win over Galatasaray, which secured their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals. And the Reds also beat the Seagulls 3-0 in the FA Cup fourth round back in February. So you may be asking; why are we predicting a low number of goals? Well, four of Brighton’s last five Premier League matches saw under 2.5 goals scored, while only one of Liverpool’s previous four away matches across all competitions saw this selection fail to land. The stats suggest a low-scoring thriller in Saturday’s early kick-off.
Everton vs Chelsea: Enzo Fernandez to have over 0.5 shots on target @ 1.91
Even if he is deployed in a slightly deeper role for this fixture, we expect Fernandez to tally at least one shot on target at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Argentine has achieved the feat in three of the last five Premier League matches, including each of the last two on the road vs Arsenal and Aston Villa. Furthermore, Everton’s home record this season is pretty poor, with only five wins from 14 matches and 19 goals conceded. With no more European distractions, a strong performance from Chelsea and Fernandez on Merseyside beckons.
Leeds vs Brentford: Double chance – Brentford win or draw @ 1.53
Leeds are in serious trouble, with wins and goals incredibly hard to come by for manager Daniel Farke. The Whites have lost each of the last two home games to Manchester City and Sunderland, both 0-1, and are five overall without a win in the top flight. Brentford drew 2-2 at home vs Wolves on Monday evening, but have performed better on the road in recent weeks, winning three of the previous four – a run which includes huge victories at Aston Villa (0-1) and Newcastle (2-3). However, we still do not feel confident enough to tip a Brentford win outright, so playing it safer with a double chance selection looks the way to go.
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