The FA Cup at Wembley takes centre stage on Saturday but there are still three big Premier League matches with West Ham’s European hopes on the line at Brighton and Leeds looking to maintain their top-half status with a positive result at Turf Moor.
Bielsa’s Boys Worth Backing at Burnley
Safety was secured for Burnley on Monday with a 2-0 win at Fulham, but Leeds will provide a very different test and it’s the visitors to Turf Moor who are worth backing for victory.
A top-half finish would be a fine achievement for Leeds and tenth-placed United have shown few signs of slowing down with only one defeat in the last eight matches.
Their recent run includes wins over Manchester City and Tottenham and draws with Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Leeds were superb in the 3-1 success over Spurs and at 6/5 look fair enough given Burnley have lost four of their last six. That includes defeats to Southampton and Newcastle and they were totally outplayed despite the scoreline reading only 2-1 in the loss to West Ham.
Fulham Flops No Match for Saints
Fulham’s relegation was confirmed with the loss to Burnley and it was totally predictable stuff from Scott Parker’s powder-puff outfit.
They have scored just 25 goals all season and only eight in the last 15 outings. The Cottagers look demoralised and with so many loanees at the club Parker has a job on his hands to make sure the players maintain focus for the rest of the season.
Southampton showed a lot of fight in the 1-1 home draw with Leicester after playing the majority of the game with ten men and turned Crystal Palace over 3-1 in midweek with Danny Ings returning from injury to bag a double.
Saints are a good bet at 21/20 and Ings is worth a nibble at 10/1 to score two or more, something he has managed in two of his 15 home outings this term.
Future Bright for Albion
Brighton are better than the league table suggests and can deliver a hammer blow to West Ham’s European chances by winning at odds of 2/1.
West Ham have lost three of the last four and looked to have run their race in the top-four battle. They are still on course for a Europa League spot, but this is a tricky game despite the absence of suspended home duo Lewis Dunk and Neal Maupay.
Brighton sit 17th after the defeat to Wolves last week when Dunk’s red card changed the game completely.
At home Albion are a tough nut to crack with three straight clean sheets, whereas West Ham have managed only one shutout in their last 11.
Expected goal stats are not for all punters to enjoy, however, it does help to shine a light on Albion’s misfortune. Graham Potter’s side are fifth in the expected points table and those figures suggest the future is bright for Brighton even if the league table suggests otherwise.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
