The Premier League has yet another cracking round of fixtures on offer this weekend. Footballing philosophies will clash at Goodison Park when Spurs come to play Everton. Meanwhile on the south coast, Brighton will look to turn around their poor form against fierce rivals Crystal Palace. The weekend comes to close with yet another box-office matchup between Arsenal and Liverpool.
PL Correct Score betting this weekend: our picks
Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur – 1-1 draw (13/2)
Sean Dyche and Ange Postecolgou have polar opposite approaches to the beautiful game. Dyche’s sides play direct, organised and physical football, with an emphasis on set pieces. Postecoglou, on the other hand, plays a front-footed style that prioritises creative risk taking, possession and outsourcing the opponent.
Despite the 13-place chasm between the two, and their contrasting styles, expect this game to be highly competitive. Everton were unfortunate not to get anything from the reverse fixture and were only denied a point thanks to some astonishingly good goalkeeping from Guglielmo Vicario.
The Toffees are also close to Spurs’ underlying numbers. Everton have an expected goal difference per 90 minutes of +0.12, which is actually superior to Spurs’ +0.04 per 90.
This will be an intriguing tactical contest, and though Spurs may have over double the Toffees’ points tally, Dyche’s men will be a tough opponent for Tottenham. A tight 1-1 draw looks likely, and can be bet on at a good price.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace – Brighton to win 2-1 (8/1)
One of the most curious rivalries in the Premier League is between Brighton and Crystal Palace. Despite 40 miles separating the two, there is bad blood dating back 45 years, and this game is fiercely contested every season.
Both have endured tricky periods of late, and have been ravaged by injuries. But midweek, Crystal Palace seemed to turn the corner with a swashbuckling 3-2 win over Sheffield United, led by Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze. Brighton, on the other hand, plumbed new depths as they fell to a 4-0 defeat at Luton Town.
Since Brighton were promoted to the Premier League, they’ve bested Palace on three occasions, drawn six and lost four. That said, Brighton have the more talented squad, and will surely raise their game to get themselves out of their slump.
This game will be cagy, and Brighton will almost certainly concede. But if the likes of Mitoma, Joao Pedro and Pascal Gross can show their quality, expect Brighton to eke out a narrow 2-1 win.
Arsenal vs Liverpool – 2-2 draw (12/1)
Liverpool and Arsenal have become very familiar with one another in recent weeks, and this Sunday’s heavyweight clash will be the third meeting between the two in just over a month.
After a pulsating 1-1 draw at Anfield just before Christmas, Liverpool caught Arsenal at a great time on January 6th, as the Gunners were on a run in which they simply could not finish their chances. Arsenal had the better of opportunities, but still lost 2-0. Arsenal will be desperate to put things right and repeat last season’s home win over Liverpool, and need to win this one to close the gap to top spot.
The Gunners will be encouraged by Mohamed Salah’s absence. The Egyptian has scored ten and assisted four in 16 appearances against Arsenal. But Liverpool still have truly elite players on a level that Arteta’s young guns have not quite yet reached.
Arsenal vs Liverpool has given us some truly thrilling matches down the years, and this game is perfectly poised to become the latest instalment. Arteta’s men will put on a show, but Liverpool are a better team than last season, and the Gunners will likely fall just short of last season’s 3-2 win with a 2-2 draw available at an excellent price.
