Liverpoool battle Totthenham as Swansea set to pull Leicester into relegation waters

Tottenham were able to defeat Middlesbrough last weekend to keep their title chase alive as Chelsea had earlier defeated Arsenal at the Bridge to extend their lead at the top. That win for the Spurs made sure they didn’t let the Blues out of their sights as it helped them keep the points differential at nine. However, Tottenham will have to perform a harder task this weekend, which will be to beat Liverpool at Anfield, if they hope still be in the running for the title. It’s been a terrible start to the year for the Reds as they are yet to win a league game in 2017 and have slipped to fifth on the table, just one point above Manchester United. It doesn’t get any easier for them as they come up against high-flying Tottenham this weekend.

Leicester City will face their biggest fear of this season tomorrow, when they take on Swansea. The Foxes are now officially in the relegation battle and could be second from bottom before they kick a ball this weekend, depending on the results of the teams below them. As usual, I will preview all ten games this weekend and give you my betting tips you can use on

www.nairabet.com to make some cool cash for yourself.

ARSENAL vs. HULL CITY
The first game of this weekend will see Arsenal host Hull City at the Emirates in a 1:30pm kick off Nigerian time. The Gunners will go into this game on the back of two consecutive losses in the league and a third loss will not be in their plans as they know that the battle for Champions league places is intensifying by the week. They are expected to bounce back from their mini slump with a victory today as anything short of that should officially terminate any dream they harbor of still challenging for the title. The Tigers on the other hand are now playing with a new found sense of belief as they are now better organised and defensively more solid. They built on their impressive draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, with an outstanding 2-0 victory at home to Liverpool last weekend. Their January signings are making a difference and Oumar Niasse is already looking like the player Everton paid £13.5million for just over 12 months ago, the toffees’ loss is now the Tigers’ gain. Arsenal should be able to get a victory over Hull today as I do not see them missing the host of chances Manchester United missed against the Tigers. I would advise on a bet of an Arsenal win and over 2.5 goals for this match on www.nairabet.com

WEST HAM vs. WEST BROM
The Hammers will aim to close the gap on the Baggies when both teams meet today at the London Stadium. West Ham are five points behind West Brom and a win today will cut that lead to two for the Hammers and also boost their hopes of finishing in the top half of the table. They have won three of their last four league matches and will want to continue that decent run of form to show that the loss of Dmitry Payet has not adversely affected them. West Brom have lost just once in their last six league games and that was against Tottenham, they face another London side knowing that a victory will see them increase the gap over their opponents and cement their top eight position at least for the next forthnight. Five of the last six matches between these sides at the homeground of West Ham have ended in draws and I don’t see this game turning out any differently. I would advise on a bet of an outright draw and over 1.5 goals for this game

MANCHESTER UNITED vs. WATFORD
The last time these two teams met, Watford came out victorious to hand Manchester United their third consecutive loss in all competitions back then. However, since that defeat in September of 2016, only Chelsea have been able to beat Manchester United in the league and they are currently on a run of fifteen games without a loss in the EPL. That loss to Watford was Manchester United’s first to Watford in their last nine games and the Red Devils will be eager to defeat the Hornets and banish the memory of that anomaly. This weekend represents a big chance for United to climb up from the sixth position they’ve been in since October because a win will see them leapfrog Liverpool, albeit temporarily, as the Reds host Tottenham later in the day and depending on that outcome, they might just stay there for a longer period. Watford have never won at Old Trafford in the league and I don’t see them changing that statistic today, so my betting tips for this game will be a Manchester United win and over 2.5 goals.

MIDDLESBROUGH vs. EVERTON
Middlesbrough will welcome Everton at the Riverside today knowing that anything short of a victory might push them into a relegation position, which they seriously want to avoid. Everton were in attack mode last weekend, putting six past Bournemouth and they would want to continue in that form and do the double over Boro this season. Calum Chambers recovered from his injury to start against Tottenham last week and should continue at the back today while Boro coach, Aitor Karanka may revert to the 4-5-1 formation that gave his side some success earlier in the season as they edge closer to the relegation zone. Everton are unbeaten in their last seven league games, although they haven’t been too impressive away from home. They have only won by more than one goal away from home twice all season and have just won just two of their last 10 on the road in the League. A double chance bet and under 2.5 goals will be my tip for this game.

STOKE CITY vs. CRYSTAL PALACE
The Eagles were left shell shocked last weekend as they were mauled by the Black Cats at their home ground of Selhurst Park. That defeat left them level on points with Sunderland and firmly entrenched in the relegation wars. They will be desperate to produce a better performance and we should expect a markedly improved performance from them today. They have a fantastic recent record against Stoke, winning five and drawing one of their last six meetings and would want to keep that record going. Stoke have won just two of their last ten in league games and their main problem has been converting draws into wins. They are unbeaten in their last six league matches at home but only two of those have been wins. I will go for a double chance bet on Crystal Palace and over 1.5 goals.

SUNDERLAND vs. SOUTHAMPTON
The Black Cats will be brimming with confidence after last weekend’s mauling of the Eagles away from home. They will be hoping to build on that result with a win today against the Saints as they tey to fight their way out of relegation. They will have to perform up to the standards of last weekend as they do not have a good record against the Saints, winning only once in their last six meetings against the South coast side. Adnan Januzaj picked up a hip injury last weekend, but Moyes will hope to have the Belgian available, while January signings Darron Gibson and Joleon Lescott could be set for their first starts as a result of the injuries to Rodwell and O’Shea. Southampton are poised to sign Uruguayan free agent, Martin Caceres, on a deal until the end of the season as Claude Puel looks to strengthen his defence, which has looked shaky since the departure of Jose Fonte to West Ham and the loss of Virgil Van Dijk to injury. The Saints have lost five of their last six games and need to start getting results if they hope to stave off the threat of relegation. A double chance bet on Sunderland and under 2.5 goals should pay out well on www.nairabet.com and that is my prediction for this game.

LIVERPOOL vs. TOTTENHAM
The marquee fixture of the weekend will happen at Anfield later today when Liverpool hosts Tottenham. Spurs will aim to worsen Liverpool’s dreadful start to the year and extend their own unbeaten run to twelve games. Liverpool hit a new low when they lost 2-0 to Hull last weekend and anything short of a victory today against Spurs will not be appreciated by the Kop faithful. The Reds are now out of the top four and both cups and are in danger of slipping to sixth position this weekend. Liverpool could not break down an organised Hull defence and i wonder how on earth they will manage to break down a Tottenham defence that is the best in the league. Tottenham have hit a dry patch in terms of goal scoring and that should give Liverpool some sort of confidence. A win for Spurs will see them extend their gap over Liverpool to seven points, something Harry Kane wants to see as he said after the Middlesbrough match. However, all three clashes between these clubs since Klopp became Liverpool boss have finished all-square and this could be another. My tips for this game are a double chance bet on Liverpool and over 1.5 goals.

BURNLEY vs. CHELSEA
If you follow the sequence of Burnley’s last six matches, you will come to the conclusion that they will win tomorrow’s game against Chelsea. The Clarets have won three and lost three in their last six and they will settle for a draw against this high flying Chelsea team that has won sixteen of its last eighteen league matches. Burnley have the third best home record in the league and that has been largely responsible for the twelfth position they occupy on the table. However, they will be facing the team with the best away record in the league and few will bet against Chelsea leaving Turf Moor with all three points. For Burnley, Steven Defour will likely sit out this tie with a hamstring problem, alongside Dean Marney and Kevin Long, while Jeff Hendrick is serving a three-game ban after being sent off in the defeat at Watford. Eden Hazard and David Luiz have both been playing through the pain barrier for Chelsea and Antonio Conte may be tempted to rest one or both of them for this fixture. A double chance bet on Chelsea and over 1.5 goals on www.nairabet.com should be my safe tips for this game.

SWANSEA vs. LEICESTER CITY
This weekend might just be the beginning of the end for the Foxes in terms of their top flight status. The Champions could find themselves bottom of the table by the end of the weekend if they lose to Swansea and other results go against them. This time twelve months ago, the Foxes were on a run that would culminate in their first ever EPL title and now they are fighting for survival in the league, how times have changed. The Foxes are on a four game losing streak and a fifth loss is a very real possibility for them as they have been woeful away from home this season with three points from an available thirty-nine. On the other hand, Swansea have the second worst home record in the league, but the fortunes of the Swans seem to have changed with the appointment of Paul Clement as they have won two of their last three games, which included a win over Liverpool at Anfield. They lost to an injury time goal last weekend against Manchester City and with their new found form, few will bet against them taking all three points in this game. Leicester have won five of the last six games between these sides, while Swansea have won three of the last four at home. A double chance bet on Swansea and over 1.5 goals are my betting tips for this game.

BOURNEMOUTH vs. MANCHESTER CITY
Pep Guardiola’s City side are on a decent vein of form, winning three games on the bounce in all competitions. They were almost held by Swansea last weekend, but were saved by a late winner from new kid on the block Gabriel Jesus, who is keeping Sergio Aguero out of the starting XI. Guardiola seems intent on using his front three of Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane (JSS), which has led to rumours of the impending exit of Aguero, I’m sure the Catalan wouldn’t be bothered about the Argentine as long as he’s getting the needed results from his preferred attacking trio. Bournemouth, on the other hand, are sliding down the table at a disturbing rate, having claimed just two points from their last five Premier League matches. The departure of Nathan Ake has greatly affected the stability of the defence and the Cherries need to start winning games to avoid being thrown headlong into the relegation battle, however, I don’t think they will start winning this week as they have lost all three of their EPL fixtures against Manchester City, scoring just once and conceding thirteen goals. They also have never beaten City in a competitive fixture. Except an upset of monumental proportions happens (which isn’t impossible since the Cherries have beaten Liverpool and drawn with Arsenal on their home turf), my prediction for this game will be a Man City win and over 2.5 goals.