It’s been a jammed packed week of English football and it continues through the weekend with Matchday 26 of the EPL season. Manchester United and Liverpool headline this weekend’s slate of fixtures, and we’ve got you covered with our best EPL tips for all 10 games!
EPL 2022-23: Matchday 26 Preview & Betting Tips
Manchester City vs Newcastle
Etihad Stadium, Saturday 4th March, 11:30pm AEDT
Manchester City are going to need to be near perfect in the back of the season if they’re to claim a third consecutive Premier League title, after Arsenal extended their lead to five points after a 4-0 win over Everton during the week. City faces a massive challenge when they take on fifth placed Newcastle, who will be desperate to get themselves back in the race for fourth position. Newcastle haven’t played a Premier League game since the 19th of February, with playing in the Carabao Cup final last weekend against Manchester United.
After a bright start to the season which saw them inside of the top four for the majority of the season, Newcastle are winless in their last four Premier League matches, which has seen them slip to fifth place. These two sides played a thrilling 3-3 draw when they last met back in August, and this game looms massive in the fortunes of both clubs' seasons. This match pits the league’s best defensive side in Newcastle (15 goals conceded) against the best attacking side in the league in Man City (64 goals scored).
Newcastle have scored only three goals from their last seven games in the Premier League, which has seen them win just one of those seven games. Regardless of how strong they are defensively, they’re not capable of beating the best teams with their lack of potency in attack. In comparison, City have scored eighteen goals in their last seven games, winning five of those matches. The defending champions have well and truly dominated Newcastle over the last 18 years, with a 24-5-1 record against the Magpies since 2006. Newcastle are in a rough patch of form, and despite their defensive excellence this season, it’s going to be an almighty task to keep a rampant City attack at bay.
Manchester City -1
$2.20 (1.5 Units)
Arsenal vs Bournemouth
Emirates Stadium, Sunday 5th March, 2:00am AEDT
It was a successful week for the Gunners with a 1-0 win over Leicester on Matchday 25 followed up with a 4-0 smashing of Everton. The two wins has seen the league leaders create a healthy gap between themselves and Man City, and after looking like they were faltering a couple of weeks ago, Arsenal are back on track. The league leaders host nineteenth placed Bournemouth, in what is a major mismatch.
Arsenal are the most balanced side in the league this season, possessing the 2nd ranked attack (56 goals scored) and the 2nd ranked defence (23 goals conceded). Bournemouth are the worst defensive team in the Premier League this season (48 goals conceded), and have scored only 23 goals, ranking 16th.
The Gunners come into this game on the back of three consecutive wins, scoring nine goals across those three wins. Bournemouth on the other hand, are 1-2-6 in their last nine games and look destined for relegation. Not only are their current form lines favouring the Gunners, Arsenal have had the wood over Bournemouth across the last eight years. Arsenal are 8-2-1 against Bournemouth in the Premier League, and with how dominant Arsenal have been this season, it’s tough to see Bournemouth finding a way to keep this game close. The Gunners have been scoring with ease, and will have a day out against Bournemouth.
Arsenal -2
$2.70 (1.5 Units)
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Anfield, Monday 7th March, 3:30am AEDT
One of football’s greatest rivalries headlines Matchday 26 as Manchester United head to Anfield to take on a resurgent Liverpool side. Liverpool have won three of their last four games, and have leapt into sixth place after a 2-0 over Wolves on Thursday. Manchester United haven’t played a Premier League fixture since the 20th of February, with the Red Devils winning the Carabao Cup final last weekend, and winning their FA Cup fixture during the week.
Liverpool’s form spike has come on the back of their defence finally getting it together. After conceding nine goals through a four-game winless run, Liverpool have kept four consecutive clean sheets in their current four game unbeaten streak. Liverpool have also had the wood over United in the Jurgen Klopp era, with a 4-1-1 record in their last six Premier League fixtures against the Red Devils.
Despite United’s excellent form, this does loom as a potential schedule loss with United having played two cup games during the week and having not played a league game for quite some time. Pair that with Liverpool’s outstanding record against them in recent seasons, and this has the makings for an upset. Liverpool are in form, and provide some excellent value in this clash. The Red Devils congested fixture is going to rear its head, and Liverpool will be too good at home.
Liverpool
$2.40 (1.5 Units)
More EPL Matchday 26 Tips
Chelsea vs Leeds (Sunday 2am AEDT)
Chelsea will be out to snap a five-game winless run and have a fantastic opportunity to do just that when they host 17th placed Leeds. Despite their poor form, Chelsea are clearly the far better team in this matchup and they should be winning this 9/10 times on their home deck.
Chelsea ($1.61 at Ladbrokes)
Brighton vs West Ham (Sunday 2am AEDT)
West Ham returned to form in a big way last start with a 4-0 win over Forest. That was just their sixth win from the season from 24 attempts. Still, the Hammers have only lost once in their last five Premier League starts and will be confident they can at least come away with a point against a Brighton side slightly out of form. They’re great value to do just that.
West Ham or Draw ($2.03 at Betr)
Wolves vs Tottenham (Sunday 2am AEDT)
Tottenham were too good in a drama-filled clash against Chelsea last weekend to make it back-to-back 2-0 Premier League wins. They’ve also now won four of their past five and have kept clean sheets in all of those wins. They now head to the Molineux where they’ve won four of their last five EPL games against the Wolves. On current form, I expect the Spurs to taste success once again.
Tottenham ($2.20 at Neds)
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace (Sunday 2am AEDT)
Aston Villa put an end to a three-game losing streak with a much-needed 2-0 win away at Goodison Park last weekend. The losing streak wasn’t as bad as it seems considering their last two losses were against the top two sides and they still managed to score a combined three goals against them. Villa have a much more favourable matchup this weekend when they host Palace who are winless in their last eight league matches. Villa should be too good in this one.
Aston Villa ($2.05 at Ladbrokes)
Southampton vs Leicester (Sunday 4:30am AEDT)
Two out of form sides will clash on early Sunday morning, with Southampton playing hosts to Leicester. The Saints enter this game having lost 10 of their last 12 league fixtures, while Leicester have lost six of their last nine. Both teams will see this as a rare opportunity to secure three valuable points, so I’m expecting a back and forth contest with both teams having plenty of chances in front of goal.
Both Teams to Score ($1.73 at Betr)
Nottingham vs Everton (Monday 1am AEDT)
Both Nottingham and Everton lost their recent Premier League matches 4-0, which sets up an intriguing battle on early Sunday morning. However, putting aside their recent loss to West Ham, Nottingham have been a lot more reliable and consistent compared to Everton this campaign. With that in mind, I’m keen to back Forest to get the desired result on this occasion.
Fulham ($2.45 at Ladbrokes)
Brentford vs Fulham (Tuesday 7am AEDT)
Brentford were unable to get all three points against Palace last start, but they did avoid defeat for the 11thstraight time in the Premier League. The Bees are having a fantastic campaign and are currently only four points outside the top six. Meanwhile, Fulham are only goal difference outside the top six and are also enjoying a hugely successful season. This should make for a competitive game with both teams scoring.
Both Teams to Score ($1.74 at Neds)
