Mark your card for Saturday's Premier League games with George Pitts and Paul Higham providing their best bets and score predictions for each clash.
Recommended bets
2pts Tottenham to win and over 1.5 total goals at 21/20
1pt Both teams to score in the first half of Man City v Chelsea at 14/5
0.5pt Youri Tielemans to score anytime at 11/2
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Manchester City v Chelsea (Paul Higham)
- 1730 GMT kick-off on Sky Sports Premier League
It's the big one of the weekend and about as intriguing as big games get as Manchester City go into the game in unfamiliar circumstances, coming off a bad defeat and sitting in fourth in the table - looking up at Chelsea a point above them.
City's defence was a shambles at Anfield and, as good as they are going forward, if they're that bad against Frank Lampard's flying Blues then they'll have their hands full again. Chelsea have won six on the spin in the league and are the top scorers on the road - while nobody has scored more at home than City.
Everywhere you look there are goals - amazingly Chelsea's away games average five goals per match this season, and with Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic all looking dangerous they'll fancy their chances up at the Etihad.
City always seem to score though, and Pep Guardiola normally gets a response out of his side after a loss, although he's had a little too much practice of that this season already. It's tough to call, and 5/1 on a Chelsea win looks huge given the run they're on, but preference always has to go to City at home - probably even more so when they've a point to prove.
So while we're not quite confident enough to predict a Chelsea win, there's at least a goal here for them, maybe more, and with City coming flying out of the traps, that goal could well come on the break early, in what we're anticipating to be a breathless first 45 minutes.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Best bet: Both teams to score in the first half at 5/2
Key stats
- Manchester City have won five of their last eight Premier League meetings with Chelsea (L3), as many as they had in their previous 21 against them in the competition (W5 D4 L12).
- Chelsea have lost three of their last four Premier League away games against Man City (W1), including suffering their biggest ever defeat in the competition in this exact fixture last season (0-6).
- This is just the fifth time in the last nine seasons that Manchester City are facing Chelsea in a Premier League game while below them in the table – the Citizens haven’t won any of the previous four in that time (D2 L2).
- Manchester City (19) are the highest home goalscorers in the Premier League this season, while Chelsea (18) have scored more on the road than any other side. The Blues have scored at least twice in their last five away league games, last having a longer such run in December 2008 (7).
- In his entire managerial career, only against Liverpool (5) has Man City boss Pep Guardiola lost more games in all competitions than he has against Chelsea (4).
The Tactics: Man City v Chelsea
Alex Keble looks at how the tactical battle between Frank Lampard and Pep Guardiola will be played out in Manchester City's clash with Chelsea. Click the image below to find out more
West Ham v Tottenham (George Pitts)
- 1230 GMT kick-off on BT Sport
Before the events on late Tuesday/early Wednesday, this would really have been a tough one to call with both sides out of form, but with Jose Mourinho taking charge of his first game as Spurs boss (that still feels weird to type!), you can only see it going one way now.
As the Portuguese said on his arrival, he has a quality squad at his disposal and there should be a positive reaction to his appointment. Throw in the London derby atmosphere and this could be a great game to come back to after the international break.
With their poor performances of late, it remains to be seen whether Manuel Pellegrini's side will score, but the odds-against price available on the visitors to win with two or more total goals in the game looks too good to turn down, hopefully setting us up to cover the rest of the day's fancies.
Dele Alli could flourish under the former Man United and Chelsea boss and he stands out in the goalscorer market at 13/5 anytime, but Spurs to come out on top is the preference.
Prediction: West Ham 0-2 Spurs (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Best bet: Tottenham to win and over 1.5 total goals at 21/20
Key stats
- Of all Premier League managers to have taken charge of 50+ games in the competition, Jose Mourinho has the fifth best points per game ratio (2.10). This is better than the manager he’s replaced; Mauricio Pochettino (1.79).
- His first opponents as Tottenham Hotspur boss will be West Ham United on Saturday 23rd November. He’s defeated them 11 times in all competitions and he’s only defeated Liverpool (12) and Spurs (13) more often as a manager.
- In the Premier League alone, he’s defeated West Ham United nine times as a manager – only against Everton (10 wins) has he won more often in the competition as a boss.
Arsenal v Southampton (George Pitts)
A meeting between two managers under growing pressure and it could be one to provide a much-needed win for the boss in the home dugout.
Unai Emery, who will be slightly relieved to see Jose Mourinho back in work after talk he could take the reins in the red half of north London, has seen his side go without victory in their last four Premier League outings. With the Saints, Norwich, Brighton and West Ham to come in their next four fixtures, it's a great chance to ease tensions going into the Christmas period.
Whether Ralph Hasenhuttl will make it to the festive schedule remains to be seen. The Austrian's side look a far cry from the high-octane team which impressed upon his arrival towards the end of last year. They have been leaking goals, conceding at least twice when losing six of their last seven. Arsenal can capitalise.
The Saints have been losing at half-time on seven occasions this season and the Gunners, with nearly a fully-fit squad, look good value to lead at the break.
They have scored eight first-half goals in 2019/20 and with the firepower on show at the Emirates, the odds-against price is good enough for us.
Super 6 prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Southampton (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Best bet: Arsenal to be winning at half-time at 21/20
Key stats
- Southampton have played more Premier League away games against Arsenal without winning than any side has against another in the competition’s history (20 – W0 D5 L15).
- Arsenal have won their last 35 of their last 36 home Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone, including the last 32 in a row (D1). Their last such defeat came against West Ham in April 2007.
- No side has scored fewer first-half goals in the Premier League this season than Southampton (3), while only Norwich (16) have conceded more in the opening 45 minutes of games than Saints (15).
Podcast Extra: The Special One
Jose Mourinho is the new manager of Tottenham - Dom Newton-Collinge, Tom Carnduff and Paul Higham sit down to discuss the appointment.
Bournemouth v Wolves (George Pitts)
Two good, attacking sides meet at the Vitality and hopefully the international break does not affect the intensity of this game, as we often see in the first game back.
Bournemouth won last time out at home, against Man United, but that was their only win in seven in all competitions and consistency has been a problem for Eddie Howe's side in recent years.
Wolves, meanwhile, have lost just one of their last 12. Granted, such a good run will end eventually but after a good period of rest they can triumph on the south coast as they continue their upward trend in the Premier League table.
These games at the Vitality can often produce plenty of goals and the visitors can grab a couple, win or draw, regardless and the price on them to do so is pretty appealing, although the amount of games taking place on Saturday means we have preferred options elsewhere.
Super 6 prediction: AFC Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Best bet: Over 1.5 Wolves goals at 29/20
Key stats
- Bournemouth have scored a league-high 67% of their Premier League goals this season in the first half of games (10/15), while Wolves have netted the highest share after half-time in the division (81% - 13/16).
- Only Liverpool (21) are on a longer current run of scoring in consecutive Premier League games than Wolves (11), with this the Midlands side’s longest such run in the top-flight since October 1972 (17).
Brighton v Leicester (George Pitts)
Leicester were on a roll before the international break and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping they can continue where they left off.
Brighton have made improvements under Graham Potter and have won three of their last five, including against Spurs at the Amex, and will give it a good go on Saturday.
This Foxes side, though, looks to have a great mindset under Rodgers and they should just edge the Seagulls, although the break could mean it's closer than they would like.
A nice price we are opting for is in the scoring markets - on a midfielder who contributes a lot in the final third and is available at 11/2 anytime.
Belgium international Youri Tielemans has five goals and five assists for the Foxes this term in all competitions, averaging just over two shots per game in the Premier League.
He had four efforts in the win over Arsenal last time out and has registered a total of six in the previous three games before that.
He has not scored in a couple of games and is due. With the positions he gets in, late runs into the box and a tendency to shoot on sight, this price makes the 22-year-old well worth a small play.
Super 6 prediction: Brighton 1-2 Leicester (Sky Bet odds: 8/1)
Best bet: Youri Tielemans to score anytime at 11/2
Key stats
- Leicester have won six of their last seven Premier League games (L1), winning the last four by an aggregate score of 15-1 and keeping a clean sheet in their last three. The Foxes have won five Premier League games in a row twice before, in April 2016 and April 2017.
- Leicester have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season (8), while only Manchester City (35) have netted more than the Foxes (29).
- This is the first time Leicester are playing a Premier League game when starting the day in the top two of the table since the final game of their 2015-16 title winning season (1-1 vs Chelsea). Brighton have lost seven of their eight Premier League games against sides in the top two, including the last six in a row since a 1-0 win over Man Utd in May 2018.
- Since the start of last season, Leicester’s James Maddison has scored more Premier League goals from outside the box than any other player in the competition (7), including three of his four strikes this term.
Crystal Palace v Liverpool (Paul Higham)
There was a time when Palace away would still conjure up memories of Liverpool's ill-fated title challenge in 2014, but the Reds are on a roll against the Eagles now having won six of their last seven, and they'll be looking to make that seven to build on the win over Man City last time out.
An international break can take the edge off the euphoria so there's a chance that Jurgen Klopp's side could face a negative reaction to such a huge win, but the only real reason for that could be with injuries in the squad with doubts over Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez. Virgil van Dijk also left the Netherlands squad for personal reasons but has been back in training at Melwood this week.
It's been a punishing run for Palace having played four of the top six in a row, and conceding first in their last five games has not helped matters - if they do that again against Liverpool that'll spell trouble. Klopp will see this as even more important than the City game, and a slip-up is borderline unthinkable.
The only minor downside has been no clean sheet for ten games for Liverpool, but with Palace notching just four at Selhurst Park so far this season, it's a prime opportunity for Liverpool to grind out another one.
Super 6 prediction: Crystal Palace 0-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Best bet: Liverpool to beat Crystal Palace to nil at 6/4
Key stats
- Crystal Palace have lost six of their last seven Premier League meetings with Liverpool (W1), including each of the last four in a row. They’d won the previous three in a row before this run.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in 29 Premier League games (W24 D5) – only four times in the competition’s history has a side had a longer unbeaten run in the competition: Arsenal (49, May 2003-Oct 2004), Chelsea (40, Oct 2004-Oct 2005), Arsenal (30, Dec 2001-Oct 2002) and Man City (30, Apr 2017-Jan 2018).
- Liverpool have had more different goalscorers than any other side in the Premier League this season (13), while Crystal Palace have had the fewest (4). Indeed, Liverpool have used just 18 different outfield players this season, meaning 72% of them have found the net for the Reds this season, another league-high (21% for Crystal Palace, also a league-low).
- Liverpool’s Sadio Mané has scored seven goals in nine Premier League games against Crystal Palace, more than he has vs any other side.
Everton v Norwich (Paul Higham)
It's all going wrong for Norwich after a promising start and they're mired in a seven-game winless streak, during which they've scored just twice and got one point, and little about either their recent form or Goodison Park record suggests they'll be able to get anything going on Saturday.
It's hard to know just where Daniel Farke and his side go from here - the club seem destined to return straight back to the Championship but that also seems like it's part of the plan, and perhaps the lack of desperation to stay up is causing this current slump.
The Toffees are far from where they should be, but they at least seem to be heading in the right direction - picking up half of their 14 points in the last four games. They've been digging their way out of trouble by preying on the weak and struggling (Watford, West Ham and Southampton) and this provides another opportunity to pocket three points before a tough run of fixtures commences.
The league is so crazy this season that Marco Silva's side are only three points behind Arsenal and Sheffield United, and this expected win would all of a sudden make things look a lot more rosy. Everton should win this and even one goal should be enough with Norwich not scoring on the road since their first game of the season.
Super 6 prediction: Everton 2-0 Norwich (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Best bet: Everton to win to nil at 6/4
Key stats
- After winning their first two Premier League away games against Everton in January and September 1993, Norwich are winless in their last six top-flight visits to Goodison Park (D2 L4).
- Norwich have kept a joint league-low one Premier League clean sheet this season, conceding at least twice in 10 of their 12 games. The Canaries have also failed to score in a joint league-high six Premier League matches this season.
- Norwich have lost 18 of their past 21 Premier League away games, picking up just seven points from 63 available (W2 D1 L18).
- Everton have conceded more goals from set piece situations than any other Premier League side this season (8, excluding penalties), with those goals accounting for a league-high 44% of their total goals conceded (8/18).
Watford v Burnley (Paul Higham)
It'll be a Vicarage Road full of renewed hope after they finally got off the mark before the international break, and visiting Burnley represent a decent chance to make it back-to-back wins as the Clarets are without a win on the road since April.
Watford, however, have gone the same length of time since their last home win, so neither has form on their side heading into this one, although Watford are favoured by the bookmakers. That, though, gives us a decent price on a team that has overall been far better than the Hornets this season.
All of Burnley's four wins this season have come with a clean sheet and, although they've all been at home, playing against goal-shy Watford offers the perfect chance to get another one to give them a base to bag a rare away win. At the odds it's worth looking at.
Super 6 prediction: Watford 0-1 Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 17/2)
Best bet: Burnley to beat Watford at 21/10
Key stats
- Watford remained unbeaten in both Premier League meetings with Burnley last season (W1 D1), having lost three of their first four against the Clarets in the competition (W1).
- Burnley have lost just one of their last five away league games against Watford, though three of those have ended level (W1).
- Watford are winless in their last 10 Premier League home games (D4 L6) – they’ve never gone 11 consecutive home games without a victory in their league history.
- No side has used fewer different players in the Premier League this season than Burnley (18), while only Sheffield United (9) have made fewer changes to their starting XIs this season than the Clarets (10).
Odds correct as of 2200 GMT on 21/11/19
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