The English Premier League has entered the closing stages of its 2022 campaign.
The race for the top-four took an interesting twist when third-place Chelsea and fourth-place Arsenal lost matches to lesser opponents over the weekend, opening the door to challenges from Tottenham, Manchester United, and West Ham United.
European action will occupy the midweek schedule, but the attention will soon turn to a thrilling weekend of domestic action. Here are the best bets for when the EPL returns on Saturday.
Top Match-Winner: Manchester United (-130)
Manchester United vs. Everton Predictions
Frank Lampard’s tenure at Everton has not gotten off to the start that he, and everyone involved, would have hoped for. The Toffees look like one of the most inept teams in the league, and although they can string together impressive moments, their overall lack of discipline and poor decision-making have led them to their 17th-place standing in the table.
Man U has not been leaps and bounds better than their counterparts, but they should be able to secure three points against such a lethargic side, even if they do not have a fit striker. United needs every win it can find to keep its hopes of entering the top four alive, and that starts with a win on Saturday.
Top Match Total: Southampton / Chelsea Under 2.5 goals
The Southampton-Chelsea match is the most glaring opportunity for bettors to make money in the over/under market.
The Blues were just beaten 4-1 by Brentford and would not have scored at all if defender Antonio Rudiger had not banged in the longest goal in the Premier League’s last 15 years of play. Chelsea also has a Wednesday match against Real Madrid in the Champions League, which will steal their focus and likely cause some sort of emotional hangover.
To make matters worse (or better for the under), Southampton will not be able to deploy striker and second-leading goal scorer Armando Broja, a Chelsea loanee, because of stipulations. There is only one choice when it comes to the over/under here.
Top Asian Handicap: Brighton +0.5, +1 (+104)
Arsenal is in trouble; their recent loss to Crystal Palace sent them out of potential Champions League qualification as SPurs leapfrogged them in the table and exposed their faults.
The Gunners are light in the back because of injuries to Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, which could force Bukayo Saka— the team’s greatest attacking threat— to drop back and play as a left wing-back in a five-at-the-back formation should manager Mikel Arteta choose to adapt his formation.
Brighton has dropped in form lately but is still a solid outfit that makes it hard on its opponents. They may not snag a win on the road, but all they need to do is draw to win the bet, which they are more than capable of.
Parlay: Tottenham (+125) / Watford (+170)
Tottenham has been playing well in recent months, and Harry Kane is in blinding form. Spurs will be spurred on by the club’s recent move into the top four and knowing they need to keep winning to make it into the Champions League.
Watford vs Leeds is not as cut-and-dry, as both teams are fairly inconsistent and can rise or fall on the occasion; however, Watford has turned in better performances, even in losses against superior teams, over recent weeks, which is why they get the slight nod— that and Leeds’ unbelievably open defense.