Tuesday sees two games in the Premier League as Tottenham welcome Brighton and Watford take on Southampton. We have two best bets.
Tottenham v Brighton
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 1945 BST, Sky Sports Main Event
Tottenham were unable to follow up their Champions League heroics against Manchester City as they were beaten at the Etihad Stadium last time out.
Mauricio Pochettino's men can return to winning ways with ease though against a Brighton side who are battling the drop.
Questions are being asked about Chris Hughton's future at the club with the Seagulls not producing results or performances. They should just have enough to stay in this division given Cardiff's remaining fixtures.
Albion picked up a valuable point at Wolves but they didn't look at any point like they would win the game. The hosts enjoyed 68% possession and Brighton didn't post a single shot on target.
You can't see Hughton's side going here with an intention to attack as they look to sit back and frustrate the opposition. We will see plenty of Spurs attempts on goal and that should also mean corners.
Wolves saw a huge tally of 14 on Saturday, that's compared to Brighton's one. The recent away trip to Chelsea alongside the FA Cup defeat to Manchester City saw the opposition have at least five more corners.
The same can be backed here at a best price of 9/5. That looks great value given the circumstances and how Spurs are capable of dominating large parts of the proceedings.
In terms of the result, there's little value in the 1/3 price available on a home win so it's worth exploring the handicaps.
The Asian Handicap has Tottenham at -1.5 which highlights that the money is in a comfortable Spurs victory. A best price of 13/5 is available with Betfair and Paddy Power for the hosts to win by three or more goals, which is a preferable route to go down.
Score prediction: Tottenham 3-0 Brighton (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Best bet: Tottenham -4 on the corner handicap at 9/5
Opta facts
- Tottenham have only lost one of their six previous home league games against Brighton (W3 D2 L1), winning the last two by a 2-0 scoreline in December 1982 and December 2017.
- Brighton are winless in their last five meetings with Tottenham in all competitions, drawing one and losing four since a 2-1 league win in April 1983.
- Tottenham have won all three of their home games in all competitions since moving into their stadium, scoring seven goals and conceding none.
- Tottenham have lost four Premier League home games this season, just one fewer than they’d lost at home in their three previous league campaigns combined. However, five of their last six home defeats have been against ‘big six’ opposition, with a 1-3 reverse against Wolves in December the exception.
- None of Tottenham’s last 67 Premier League games have ended 0-0 – the longest current such run in the division, and Spurs’ longest ever run without a goalless draw in the competition.
- Brighton have failed to score in their last five Premier League games – the longest current run in the competition, and the joint-longest such run in total this season (Southampton also five).
- Brighton have lost all 10 of their Premier League away games against ‘big six’ opponents, conceding 22 goals and scoring just twice.
- Spurs haven’t lost a Premier League home game on a Tuesday since August 2007 (1-3 vs Everton), winning seven and drawing one since then.
- Spurs’ Lucas Moura scored a hat-trick in his last home Premier League game, a 4-0 win against Huddersfield. He’d only scored three goals in his previous 14 previous home games in the competition.
- Brighton manager Chris Hughton has only won one of his seven Premier League games against Tottenham (D3 L3), a 1-0 win over Tim Sherwood’s Spurs side as Norwich boss in February 2014.
Watford will be hoping their great season can continue as they welcome Southampton to Vicarage Road.
There will always be one eye on the FA Cup final against Manchester City next month, but Javi Gracia's men will want to be finishing in seventh place so that they get a Europa League spot even if they lose at Wembley.
That's always the battle among those outside the top-six. It's hard to break into that 'elite' group of top teams in England, so finishing seventh is often the aim for those without the financial power to compete any higher.
Watford are in a great position to do just that. They've posted the exact same points as Everton over their past three games, meaning goal difference separates the two sides, while Leicester and Wolves sit a single point behind.
In Southampton, they face a side who are battling the drop, but the five-point cushion with 12 left to play for should be enough to see them retain their Premier League status.
The Saints have won just one of their last four away from home, but have scored in each of their last three, which includes a trip to Manchester United.
On the whole, Watford's home form has been good. They've won eight of the 16 games at home, with three coming in their last four. They would have been in a better position against Arsenal had Troy Deeney not been sent off in the opening exchanges.
The 5/4 price on a home win is tempting to back, but the handicap markets bring some extra value, particularly in Watford winning by two or more goals. A best price of 15/4 is available on Watford -1 which is where the bet is for this one.
Score prediction: Watford 2-0 Southampton (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Best bet: Watford (-1 handicap) to beat Southampton at 15/4
Opta facts
- Since beating Southampton in six consecutive meetings between November 2004 and October 2008, Watford have only managed one victory in their last 11 matches against Saints in all competitions (D5 L5), a 2-0 win in September 2017.
- Having lost their first top-flight visit to Watford in January 1983, Southampton have since lost just one of nine such trips (W2 D6), a 3-2 defeat in December 1999 in what was the first ever Premier League match between the two sides.
- Five of Watford’s six home league defeats this season have been against sides currently in the top six, with a 0-4 loss against Bournemouth in October the exception.
- This will be Southampton’s first Premier League game on a Tuesday this season, making this just the second campaign in the competition in which they’ve played on all seven days of the week (also 2014-15).
- Watford have conceded in each of their last eight Premier League games, the longest current run in the competition.
- Southampton have lost three of their last four Premier League away games (W1), having remained unbeaten in their previous four on the road in the competition (W2 D2).
- Four of Southampton’s last five Premier League away goals have come from outside the box – just four of their previous 44 goals on the road in the competition had come from outside the box.
- Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucouré has scored in three of his four Premier League appearances against Southampton, including both games played at Vicarage Road.
- Charlie Austin has scored four goals in his last three league starts against Watford, although he is yet to start against them for Southampton.
- Gerard Deulofeu has been directly involved in 10 goals in his last nine appearances for Watford in all competitions (8 goals, 2 assists), though just one of these goal involvements has come at Vicarage Road (assist vs Leicester).
Odds correct as of 1730 BST on 20/04/19
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