Matchweek Six
Chelsea ($2.62) vs Manchester City ($2.62) – Saturday 25th September @9:30pm AEST
League leaders Chelsea take on reigning champions Manchester City on Saturday at 9:30pm.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are looking every bit a title-winning team to start this campaign, with their latest impressive performance coming against London rivals Tottenham. The Blues swept aside Spurs with a swashbuckling second-half display, scoring three goals thanks to defenders Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger and midfield dynamo N’Golo Kante.
Manchester City have begun their title defence with inconsistent performances. On the one hand, they were brilliant with two respective 5-0 thrashings of Norwich and Arsenal. On the other, they’ve looked insipid in attack after losing to Tottenham on the opening day, and firing blanks last time out against Southampton.
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is hopeful to return to face city after missing the Blues’ last two matches with injury, while Christian Pulisic is in doubt with an ankle injury.
For City, manager Pep Guardiola faces several injury headaches with Rodi, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ilkay Gundogan all facing battles to be fit to play at Stamford Bridge.
This fixture is the opportunity for both sides to lay down a marker in the title chase, but it feels like Chelsea are going much better at the moment. Tuchel has historically set up his sides brilliantly against Guardiola.
Best Bets
Match Result: Chelsea ($2.62)
Arsenal ($2.20) vs Tottenham Hotspur ($3.25) – Monday 27th September @1:30am AEST
Arsenal will meet Tottenham in the first north London derby of the season on Monday morning.
After a faltering start, the Gunners have got their season back on track with two 1-0 wins over Norwich and Burnley, while they also swept aside fellow Londoners AFC Wimbledon 3-0 midweek in the Carabao Cup.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s season has taken a dive as their bitter rivals have begun to revive theirs. Spurs were top of the league after three games, until they were dismantled 3-0 by Crystal Palace and Chelsea in consecutive weeks.
New Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has come under fire for his team’s negative set up, while the defence, which started so solidly, has leaked 10 goals in Spurs’ last four games.
Arsenal will look to field the side that started away at Burnley last week, while Spurs have injury concerns with attackers Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn.
Unlike previous years, both sides struggle to put the ball in the net. Expect a tight affair with one goal perhaps being the winning one. Spurs have also not won at the Emirates since 2010.
Best Bets
Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals ($1.74)
Crystal Palace ($2.87) vs Brighton ($2.50) – Tuesday 28th September @5:00am AEST
Crystal Palace welcome bitter rivals Brighton to Selhurst Park on Tuesday morning.
The Eagles’ last outing at home was a memorable one, when they thrashed Spurs 3-0, giving new boss Patrick Viera his first win as manager. Though, they were given a firm reality last weekend, losing by the same scoreline away at Liverpool.
Brighton are sitting pretty in the top 4, with their only blemish so far this season coming in a 2-0 loss at home to Everton. Graham Potter’s side continue to impress, beating fancied Leicester 2-1 at home last league outing, before sweeping aside Swansea 2-0 in the Carabao Cup midweek.
Neither defence could be regarded as watertight, meaning the neutral can expect an open game with goals.
Best Bets
Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals ($2.25)
Match Result: Brighton ($2.50)
