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Premier League predictions
- Brighton -1 vs Burnley – 13/10 with Betfred
- Sheffield United/draw double chance vs Brentford – 21/20 with Unibet
- Mario Lemina to be shown a card v Nottingham Forest – 12/5 with William Hill
- Everton draw no bet v Chelsea – 6/5 with BetMGM
- The fourfold pays over 33/1 with BetMGM
The landscape of the Premier League title race has shifted significantly since the November international break and could change once more this weekend.
Aston Villa have emerged as the surprise title contenders, beating Manchester City on Wednesday to move up to third ahead of a mouth-watering clash with leaders Arsenal on Saturday evening.
The Gunners hold a two-point lead entering the weekend but could be down to second by the time they kick-off at Villa Park if second-placed Liverpool win at Crystal Palace earlier in the day.
A little further down the standings, Manchester United could go level on points with City in fourth if they beat in-form Bournemouth on Saturday. The Cityzens are heavy favourites with football betting sites to snap a four-game winless run at Luton on Sunday.
It’s not quite as tight down at the bottom of the table, where Sheffield United prop up the rest of the division, just behind Burnley.
Both sides face tricky games against Brighton and Brentford on Saturday, but we’re backing one of the relegation-threatened duo to avoid defeat as part of our Premier League predictions for the weekend.
Brighton vs Burnley predictions
(3pm Saturday)
Burnley’s joy from their biggest-ever Premier League win over Sheffield United was short-lived following a 1-0 loss at Wolves on Tuesday and they face another tough away day at Brighton.
The Clarets rarely threatened their hosts at Molineux and have been left counting the cost of that defeat after losing promising winger Luca Koleosho to a long-term injury.
Could this fixture mark the end of Brighton’s 19-game run in the Premier League of both sides scoring? It’s certainly a good opportunity for the Seagulls to register a first clean sheet since last May.
They couldn’t keep out Brentford on Wednesday night, but did come back to win that game 2-1 and if their serious about getting back into Europe next season, they could do with winning this game ahead of a tough run of fixtures in the lead-up to Christmas.
The Premier League odds suggest Brighton will win this game comfortably and given their superior firepower – the Seagulls are averaging the fourth-most shots per game at home – we’re backing them to do just that by taking the Seagulls -1 on the handicap.
For the bet to land, Roberto De Zerbi’s win will need to win by at least two goals. They’ve achieved that feat in seven of their 10 wins in all competitions, while Burnley have failed to cover a one-goal handicap in eight of their 12 league defeats this season.
Brighton vs Burnley tip: Brighton -1 – 13/10 with Betfred
Sheffield United vs Brentford predictions
(3pm Saturday)
If there was ever a good time for Sheffield United to be facing Brentford, it could be this Saturday.
On a wet afternoon in the Steel City, the Blades will tangle with a Bees team down to the bare bones that’s failed to win five of its last six away games.
The injury problems continue to mount for boss Thomas Frank after he lost the focal point of his attack Bryan Mbeumo to an ankle injury in midweek. He’s one of 10 absentees for this weekend.
Chris Wilder’s second reign as Sheffield United boss got off to a losing start against Liverpool but his side acquitted themselves well in that game, making life tough for the Reds.
Having taken five points from a possible 45 so far this season, even the most optimistic Blades fan won’t be expecting Wilder to save them, but he will try to make sure they go down swinging.
At their best, Wilder’s Sheffield United teams were well-organised, versatile and difficult to play against. Even if they can only tick one of those boxes for now, they may have enough about them to deny Brentford a first-ever win at Bramall Lane on their seventh visit.
Sheffield United vs Brentford tip: Sheffield United/draw double chance vs Brentford – 21/20 with Unibet
Wolves vs Nottingham Forest predictions
(3pm Saturday)
Wolves are odds-on with betting sites to potentially end Steve Cooper’s reign at Nottingham Forest with a win at Molineux on Saturday.
Forest have won one of their last 11 league games and Cooper’s odds to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked were cut dramatically after Wednesday's 5-0 loss at Fulham.
Even so, Wolves haven’t won back-to-back games since last April and there's the potential for Forest to get themselves up for this game given some lingering bad blood between the Midlands duo.
A massive brawl erupted at the end of their EFL Cup clash in January and the subsequent league encounter between the sides saw eight yellow cards dished out.
Wolves are second only to Chelsea for cards collected this season and if this is to get feisty, Mario Lemina is a candidate to end up in hot water.
The Gabon midfielder returned from a one-game ban for yellow card accumulation against Burnley on Tuesday and picked up his eighth booking of the season in Wolves’ 1-0 win.
In a game where tensions could be running high, we’re backing Lemina to be carded at 12/5 with William Hill as part of our Premier League predictions.
Wolves vs Nottingham Forest Tip: Mario Lemina to be shown a card – 12/5 with William Hill
Everton vs Chelsea predictions
(2pm Suday)
Everton climbed out of the relegation zone on Thursday night with a thumping 3-0 win over Newcastle and may put further distance between themselves and the bottom three when they face Chelsea at home.
Sean Dyche’s men have won back-to-back games and are relatively healthy ahead of a meeting with an inconsistent Chelsea side dealing with a huge number of injuries.
Manchester United registered 4.11 expected goals and took 18 shots in the first half of their win over the Blues on Wednesday and an Everton attack with a fit Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the side can cause them a few headaches.
The Toffees have won four of the last five home meetings with Chelsea, whose inconsistent frontline may be frustrated by a well-organised Sean Dyche defence.
Everton are odds-against in betting apps in the draw no bet market, which is the option we’re taking for our final Premier League prediction.
Everton have a day less to prepare for this game, while we’ve seen Chelsea turn it on at times this season and a response will be expected by Mauricio Pochettino to Wednesday’s underwhelming showing. It could prove a good idea to have the draw on side as insurance.
Everton vs Chelsea Tip: Everton draw no bet – 6/5 with BetMGM
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
