Wednesday marks the middle evening of three nights of Premier League football, with four fixtures to look forward to.
There’s a battle at the bottom at Turf Moor, the potential for another tough evening for Southampton at Selhurst Park and a meeting between two mid-table outfits on the south coast.
Those matches all kick off at 19:30, but the late game really catches the eye, with plenty to play for at the Emirates.
London Derby the Headliner
As mentioned, the final game of the evening at eight o’clock stands out, as West Ham head five or so miles west to face top-four rivals Arsenal.
The Gunners responded to defeats against Manchester United and Everton by beating Southampton 3-0 on Saturday but have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons in recent days after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy following a disciplinary breach.
Alexandre Lacazette could get the armband and, having netted in the last two renewals of this game, is 17/10 in the anytime market.
West Ham cross the capital on the back of Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Burnley and are 11/5 to record a first Emirates win since the opening weekend of the 2015/16 season.
David Moyes’ men sit two points and two places above their neighbours and will fancy themselves, having beaten both Liverpool and Chelsea already this season.
Both fixtures last term produced over 2.5 goals and a repeat is 5/6 and with these two well-matched, it could even be a benefit to go bigger with the 2/1 for over 3.5.
Clarets Can Boost Survival Hopes
Burnley have won just once this season but that came at Turf Moor and they will look to make home advantage count against Watford.
The Clarets held West Ham to that stalemate and are 11/10 to go one better. A victory on Wednesday would help them climb out of the relegation places, with Watford the team to replace them.
Sean Dyche’s men sit 18th, two points and a place behind Watford, who have lost six of their last seven Premier League games.
The most recent of those was Friday’s 2-1 defeat at Brentford when William Troost-Ekong’s late lunge gave the Bees the victory through a Bryan Mbuemo penalty.
One bright spot for the Hornets has been the form of Emmanuel Dennis, who has netted four times in his last five Premier League outings.
Dennis is 19/10 to net at any time, but the body language of the Watford players post-Brentford suggests that even with their on-form Nigerian striker, it could be a tough evening at the Turf.
All Good for the Eagles
Crystal Palace ended a three-game losing run on Sunday with a sensational 3-1 victory over Everton and will be confident they can repeat that performance against an ailing Southampton.
Saints lost 3-0 at Arsenal on Saturday and have failed to win any of their last five games, a result that has seen them slip to 15th.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have taken five points from a possible 24 on the road this season but will be tempting for some at 13/5, especially as they have won three of their last four trips to Selhurst Park.
However, the odd one out in that run was last season when Wilfried Zaha netted the only goal in a 1-0 win and another Eagles victory is 21/20.
Conor Gallagher netted twice in that victory over Everton and the England man is always someone to look for. The 21-year-old’s ability to find space in and around the box suggests he could exploit what can sometimes be a rigid Saints midfield and he is 2/1 in the anytime betting.
The last six Selhurst meetings have finished without both teams scoring, with a continuation of that being 20/21, and a home win to zero is 43/20.
Cagey Contest on the South Coast
Finally, and it could be a tough watch when Brighton host Wolves due to neither being prolific.
Add in that Raul Jimenez will be suspended and it is difficult to see this clash being particularly enthralling.
There has been under 2.5 goals scored in Brighton’s last five games, while there have been under 2.5 goals in Wolves’ last six. That outcome comes in at just 10/19 and looks sensible, while a ‘No’ in Both Teams to Score is 20/27.
It seems hard to split these sides and a draw, as was the case last term, might be worth a look at 21/10. That game was 3-3, but 0-0 on Wednesday is 6/1, and that’s an outcome that has occurred in two of the last five meetings.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
