Sunday and Monday serve up more Premier League fare with the highlight set to be the North London derby.
There’s also second against fifth to look forward to, before Liverpool aim to put their Anfield blues behind them on Monday at Molineux.
Goals Galore at the Emirates
Arsenal against Tottenham at 16:30 on Sunday opens our preview and with neither particularly reliable, it looks set to be a cracker.
Jose Mourinho’s men shut the Gunners down in December as they ran out the 2-0 winners but have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight on the road in all competitions.
Spurs also have a poor away record against Arsenal, winning just two of the last 26 but have scored two or more in five of the last six meetings.
The 10th place Gunners have been either feast or famine at home, failing to score against Crystal Palace and both Manchester clubs. However, they netted a combined seven goals against Newcastle and Leeds in that time.
Both sides are chasing the European spots and will know how important Sunday’s game is. Rather than make things cagey, that could open things up and a repeat of last season’s 2-2 draw is 35/4.
It’s also worth mentioning that Harry Kane is the all-time leading scorer in north London derbies with 11 goals in 14 appearances.
That tally includes his strike earlier this season and, despite doubts over his fitness, the England captain is still worth considering at 6/4 in the Anytime Goalscorer market.
Attacking Issues Could Hinder United
Manchester United are currently the ‘best of the rest’ in the Premier League and the visit of West Ham is one of two games in hand on Manchester City, who they trail by 17 points.
Sunday’s opponents sit fifth in the table and a first victory in 13 league trips to Old Trafford would see them move on to 48 points alongside fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Hammers’ form has been encouraging, taking 26 points from their last 12 games, five more than the Red Devils in the same period.
David Moyes’ men forced their opponents to extra-time in February’s FA Cup tie, while they also drew 1-1 at Old Trafford last term, so their 10/11 in the Double Chance market is sure to interest punters, while another tie is 49/20.
That game last season also featured a penalty, Michail Antonio converting for the visitors. In fact, there have been three spot-kicks in the pair’s last two Old Trafford league meetings.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have real attacking worries with Edinson Cavani sidelined and doubts over Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
A spot-kick could therefore prove their salvation, Bruno Fernandes converting 12 of his 13 attempts since signing in January 2020, and Over 0.5 Penalties in the Match is 6/4.
Reds Can Put Anfield Woes Behind Them
Having previously gone unbeaten in 68 in the league at Anfield, their six straight defeats have caught everyone by surprise and it feels as if playing away from home could prove their salvation this season.
Prolonging their European hopes is the Reds’ task on Monday as they head to Molineux searching for an eighth straight league win over Wolves.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are a handy outfit though, beating both Chelsea and Arsenal at home this season, and seem to be finding ways to grind out results, with just one defeat in their last seven.
Happily, Raul Jimenez has been back in training this week as he looks to recover from a fractured skull and that will have given the hosts a lift.
However, having won five of their last six games away from Anfield – including both fixtures in their Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig, played on neutral territory in Budapest – this could be a chance for Liverpool to reignite their top four hopes.
An away win on the evening is 5/7, while look out for Diogo Jota who could start as Roberto Firmino continues to struggle with a knee injury.
Jota himself has just returned following a similar issue and, playing at Molineux for the first time since switching sides in September, is 6/4 as an Anytime Goalscorer option.
*All odds correct at time of writing
