Claret and Blues Evenly Matched in Premier League

The Premier League returns this weekend and we’ve got a full fixture list to tuck into! All eyes will be on the big game on Saturday morning between Liverpool and Manchester United, and you can find our betting guide to that game with a full round-up of the weekend’s live TV games.

This column will concentrate on the traditional 3pm kick-offs on Saturday afternoon, where the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, and Spurs are all in action. The Citizens are at home to Stoke while Spurs entertain Bournemouth, and although both are fancied to win convincingly, there is scant value in the betting markets without backing them to win by big scorelines.

Other games which catch the eye more for betting purposes are Chelsea’s visit across London to Crystal Palace, and two tight matches lower down the table between Burnley and West Ham, and Swansea and Huddersfield. Antonio Conte’s champions lost at home to Man City last time out, but are still fourth in the league and are progressing well in the Champions League. This is a step down to face Roy Hodgson’s Palace team which has lost the first seven games of the season and is yet to find the back of the net.

The battle of the claret and blues at Turf Moor takes on a different perspective this season, with Burnley riding high after great results against the likes of Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, and Spurs. Sean Dyche’s men have traveled to each of those clubs, beating both blues and taking points from White Hart Lane and Anfield. West Ham, by contrast, have had an edgy start to the season and only worked their way out of the bottom three with a last-gasp home win over Swansea in their last match.

The Swans entertain Huddersfield on Saturday, looking for just their second win of the season. Paul Clement’s team are yet to convince this season, but they face a Terriers side which has started to find life tough in the top flight. Early wins over Palace and Newcastle saw Huddersfield flying high in August, but they are five without a win now and have scored just one goal in that sequence.

Burnley v West Ham

Under 2.5 goals is the first bet of the day at 1.67Bet €100 to win €16767/100Bet £100 to win £167-149Bet $100 to win $1670.67Bet HK$100 to win HK$167-1.49Bet Rp100 to win Rp1670.6700Bet RM100 to win RM167  with 888Sport when Burnley host West Ham.

The Clarets have enjoyed a better start to the season than imaginable when the fixture list was released. That incredible 3-2 win at Chelsea on the opening day of the season kicked things off and was soon followed by 1-1 draws at both Liverpool and Spurs. A 1-0 home defeat to West Brom, who were also having a fine start, spoiled matters but subsequent 1-0 wins over Crystal Palace and away at Everton helped Burnley into 6th place. It should be noted, however, that they have only scored 7 and conceded 5 this season.

West Ham endured a horror start to the campaign with a 4-0 drubbing at Manchester United. a 3-2 defeat at Southampton and a 3-0 loss at Newcastle quickly followed, and the Hammers found themselves rooted in the relegation zone. Those heavy defeats prompted manager Slaven Bilic to deploy a three-man defence, and it appears to have paid dividends with three clean sheets in four Premier League matches. Wins over Huddersfield and Swansea at home as well as a 0-0 draw at West Brom have helped them escape the drop zone, but the fluidity of their play has suffered as a result of a more pragmatic formation.

Burnley’s last six Premier League matches have had fewer than three goals, and three of West Ham’s last four games have gone under the 2.5 goal line. Another tight affair is expected, with one goal probably enough to win it either way.

Crystal Palace v Chelsea

Despite being without number one striker Morata, Chelsea are fancied to score a convincing win over Palace. The Blues can be backed to beat a -1.5 Asian Handicap at 2.25Bet €100 to win €2255/4Bet £100 to win £225+125Bet $100 to win $2251.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$2251.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp225-0.8000Bet RM100 to win RM225  with BetVictor.

Roy Hodgson walked into the Crystal Palace job after the sacking of Frank de Boer, who led the club for just 77 days and five games. The former England manager’s first game in charge was a 1-0 home defeat to Southampton, and although the Eagles beat Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup, they were thrashed 5-0 and 4-0 respectively by Manchester City and Manchester United. It doesn’t get any easier here as they aim to score their first Premier League points and goals against last season’s champions.

Chelsea lost their second game of the season in the 1-0 defeat to Man City, but prior to that, it was 7 wins in 8 games. Batshuayi will get his chance to start after Morata’s injury, following up his start for Belgium against Cyprus on midweek international duty. David Luiz also returns to the fold after serving a three-match ban for a sending off. The Blues are far superior to Palace and can heap the misery on Hodgson with another comfortable victory.

Swansea v Huddersfield

Another game destined for few goals is the Swansea v Huddersfield fixture, where odds of 1.53Bet €100 to win €15353/100Bet £100 to win £153-189Bet $100 to win $1530.53Bet HK$100 to win HK$153-1.89Bet Rp100 to win Rp1530.5300Bet RM100 to win RM153  with BetVictor about under 2.5 goals look fair.

Only two of Swansea’s games this season have had more than three goals – defeats to Watford and Manchester United. the other five have all been short of the 2.5 mark. This game will have been earmarked for three points, but the fact that Swansea have lost all three home matches so far tempers confidence.

Huddersfield have demonstrated an ability to keep things tight this season, with six of their seven games also going under 2.5 goals. They will consider any away points as good ones, and will make it hard for Swansea to break them down. This probably won’t be a game for the neutrals, but could be good for punters on under 2.5 goals.

Tips Summary

Burnley v West Ham – Under 2.5 goals
Saturday 14th October, 15:00 GMT
Odds: 1.67Bet €100 to win €16767/100Bet £100 to win £167-149Bet $100 to win $1670.67Bet HK$100 to win HK$167-1.49Bet Rp100 to win Rp1670.6700Bet RM100 to win RM167

Chelsea -1.5 to beat Crystal Palace
Saturday 14th October, 15:00 GMT
Odds: 2.25Bet €100 to win €2255/4Bet £100 to win £225+125Bet $100 to win $2251.25Bet HK$100 to win HK$2251.25Bet Rp100 to win Rp225-0.8000Bet RM100 to win RM225

Swansea v Huddersfield – Under 2.5 goals
Saturday 14th October, 15:00 GMT
Odds: 1.53Bet €100 to win €15353/100Bet £100 to win £153-189Bet $100 to win $1530.53Bet HK$100 to win HK$153-1.89Bet Rp100 to win Rp1530.5300Bet RM100 to win RM153