Free football betting tips and odds: Wednesday Premier League preview
Alexis Sanchez can get off the mark for Manchester United when they face Tottenham in one of seven Premier League games on Wednesday night.
Premier League recommended bets
1pt Everton to beat Leicester at 21/10
1pt Kenedy to score first in Newcastle v Burnley at 14/1
1pt Alexis Sanchez to score and Manchester United to beat Tottenham at 6/1
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
George Pitts previews the games at Chelsea, Everton, Manchester City and Tottenham; games at Newcastle, Southampton and Stoke previewed by Ben Coley
Chelsea v Bournemouth (1945 GMT)
Despite both teams’ unbeaten starts to 2018 in the Premier League, things are somewhat calmer at Bournemouth than they are at Wednesday night's hosts.
Heavy favourites Chelsea (3/10) have not lost in the league since December 19 – a 1-0 defeat at West Ham – but all is not well at Stamford Bridge, as speculation suggests Antonio Conte is unsettled with tensions increasing with the board.
The Italian has been vocal after frustrations in the January transfer window, as well as a Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to London rivals Arsenal, and the games are coming thick and fast. The Blues, third in the table, are 15 points behind leaders Man City and Conte’s side have been rather stretched in recent weeks; their Premier League title defence has been tame.
Michy Batshuayi, fresh after netting a double in the FA Cup win over Newcastle, could well be moving to Borussia Dortmund on loan, while Alvaro Morata has again been ruled out with a back injury.
Chelsea have had to rely on Eden Hazard more often than they'd like and the Belgian has been their key man again this month, netting three goals in as many games. A score and win double involving Hazard is evens and looks the best way to boost the odds on a home win after another impressive display at the weekend.
The Cherries – 12/1 in places – will have fresh legs after a week-and-a-half break, following their third-round FA Cup exit to Wigan, but they face a tough task at the Bridge and will struggle to come away with anything.
Eddie Howe’s side only visited Stamford Bridge last month in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, losing 2-1. They have been beaten to nil by Manchester United, Liverpool and Man City in the last month, conceding nine goals in the process and while they may get back on the scoresheet here, Chelsea should prove far too strong now that they've clicked again in front of goal.
Super 6 prediction: Chelsea 3-1 AFC Bournemouth
Best bet: Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea to win at evens
Alternative: Chelsea to win and both teams to score at 15/8
Everton v Leicester (1945)
A tough game to assess, one which really could go either way under the lights at Goodison. Both clubs have changed managers rather successfully during the season, leaving them now looking up the table rather than down.
Ninth v seventh, they are two top-half teams but sit at opposite ends of the form table in 2018, with Claude Puel’s Leicester making the trip to Merseyside as slight favourites on the back of a great run while Everton have struggled.
But you can see the Foxes coming unstuck here. As well as their busy schedule, they have not won on the road in their last four league games, and tend to concede frequently away from the King Power.
Sam Allardyce will have done his homework and will look to contain Leicester, demanding his defence sit deep in order to stop their pacey front men from getting in behind and that’s why I’m backing Everton to edge it with their first win of the calendar year.
Granted, the Blues have been short in terms goals on a number of occasions this term, but the expensive attacking additions of Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott could certainly help change their fortunes for the remainder of the season.
Turkish forward Tosun is still looking for his first goal in English football and he’s 5/1 to open the scoring, but Everton to win with both teams finding the net is more appealing.
Allardyce’s honeymoon period may well be over, having gone on a seven-match winless run in all competitions, but they will be desperate for a positive performance in front of their own supporters. They should also be fresh-legged having had over a week to prepare after their luckless FA Cup third-round exit to Liverpool meant they weren't in action at the weekend.
Leicester haven’t lost in their last six outings in all competitions, and mass changes in Saturday’s FA Cup win over Peterborough means they should also be well rested. They have been well-drilled under Puel, keeping things tighter than was previously the case, and will look to pounce on the break here.
Riyad Mahrez, whose boss thinks could cost “more than £100m” in the summer, is the clear danger man but Allardyce will know fine well that keeping the Algerian quiet could hold the key to securing a victory and I’m taking the hosts to narrowly get back to winning ways.
Super 6 prediction: Everton 2-1 Leicester
Best bet: Everton to win and both teams to score at 11/2
Alternative: Everton to win by a single goal at 7/2
Newcastle v Burnley (1945)
Rafa Benitez is trying to remain focused on what he calls a massive game for Newcastle, despite the usual rumblings of discontent on Tyneside and the prospect of more players departing than he would like on transfer deadline day.
So far, the Spaniard has managed to attract Kenedy on loan from Chelsea and the livewire Brazilian might be worth a speculative bet to score here having been forced to watch from the sidelines as his parent club swatted Newcastle aside in the FA Cup.
In fairness to Newcastle, for much of the first half they were more than a match for the champions with Jonjo Shelvey in particular looking dangerous from midfield, but one goal was all Chelsea needed to end all talk of an upset and it's pretty clear that the Magpies are low on confidence.
Enter Kenedy, a cocksure Brazilian who had a whale of a time when speaking to the press having completed his switch on the back of a man-of-the-match display for Chelsea in the previous round.
The 21-year-old scored on his full debut for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho and, while it's fair to say he's not lived up to his apparent promise, given the lack of reliable attacking options on show here looks worth backing to score first at 14/1 as he did in the Carabao Cup earlier this season.
Burnley are Wednesday night's visitors and could prove overpriced at 3/1, given that they're seven places and 11 points superior to Newcastle.
Sean Dyche's side have only lost three on the road all season, albeit those defeats have all come since the start of December, and those with deep pockets might consider backing them to avoid defeat at 4/6 here given that Newcastle haven't won at home in the league since beating a woeful Crystal Palace in October.
Forced to go one way or another it would have to be with the visitors from a value perspective, but their lack of goals is a concern and it may be that one goal is enough, as was the case in the reverse fixture. At the prices, it's worth speculating that it could come from the one unknown here, given that all we know suggests goals will be very hard to come by.
A final point, and it could be worth nothing - referee Simon Hopper takes charge of just his second Premier League game here, and once upon a time he was known to brandish red cards as if they were burning a hole in his back pocket.
It's 4/1 that he stamps his authority on this one by brandishing a red, with Jonjo Shelvey the most appealing individual option at 25/1. He's been sent off twice in 20 games this season and you'll find worse bets, despite the fact that this is almost pure speculation.
Super 6 prediction: Newcastle 1-0 Burnley
Best bet: Kenedy to score first at 14/1
Alternative: Sending off in match at 4/1
Southampton v Brighton (1945)
It's a familiar refrain when it comes to assessing Southampton, who find themselves odds-on to win a Premier League game despite not having done so since November and make very limited appeal as a result.
Two FA Cup victories and a deserved draw with Spurs mean they've now gone four without defeat, but this is a side with questions to answer as they try to avoid being dragged right down into this engrossing battle to avoid relegation.
Brighton, who have failed to score in nine of their 12 away games since promotion to the top flight, arguably rate ideal opponents at present, but they're extremely well-drilled and that could make for another frustrating night at St Mary's.
Mauricio Pellegrino may hand a full debut to Guido Carrillo, who came off the bench for a 10-minute spin in the FA Cup having arrived from Monaco, and home fans will hope he can follow in the footsteps of Graziano Pelle and Manolo Gabbiadini, who both hit the ground running in England.
Gabbiadini bagged six in four to start his Premier League career while Pelle, whose transfer came in the summer of 2014, was among the goals quickly with four in his first five games. The trouble is, Carrillo is reportedly short of match fitness and it's a sign of how desperate Saints are that he could start regardless.
Clearly, the Argentine has quality - he's scored five for Monaco since the start of November, despite starting just five games and generally having to make do with a cameo - but he's short enough at 6/4 to score here. A heck of a lot has to be taken on trust, including Southampton's ability to work him an opening.
We should expect a low-scoring game regardless and 8/13 about under 2.5 goals is perfectly fair. With that in mind any who want to back Southampton should consider 17/10 that they win without conceding, or dutching 1-0 and 2-0 for just upwards of 2/1. Four of their six wins in all competitions have been 1-0 and 5/1 is the right sort of price.
Watch out too for the potential for things to turn feisty in this, a derby of sorts. Two Championship meetings prior to their Premier League clash in October produced three red cards and there were four yellows in that 1-1 draw at the Amex, which is enough for 'over' to land on most card lines.
Referee Mike Dean has produced one or more red cards in 18 of his last 100 games which makes 5/1 about a sending off reasonable but these two sides are among the best-behaved in the division this season so, despite the pressure which both managers are now under, there's not quite enough to go on for a bet.
Prediction: Southampton 1-0 Brighton
Best bet: Southampton to win to nil at 17/10
Alternative: Under 2.5 goals at 8/13
Manchester City v West Brom (2000)
It is hard to look past the league leaders for this one and, with Manchester City 1/6 favourites, the bookies expect it to be a question of the scoreline rather than the result.
Three points will take the Citizens a step closer to securing a first Premier League title under Pep Guardiola and it could well be another entertaining performance at the Etihad as they maintain their relentless pursuit of silverware.
City are without a key man in Leroy Sane, who faces six to seven weeks on the sidelines with ankle ligament damage sustained in the FA Cup fourth-round victory over Cardiff. But their strength in depth means another world-class star, likely to be Bernardo Silva, will come into the fray and look to help City overcome the Baggies.
Silva had a fine strike bizarrely ruled out at Cardiff on Sunday and, like all of those who've had to spend more time on the bench than they'd like, will be desperate to make his mark in what looks set to be a straightforward night for Guardiola's side.
I expect Sergio Aguero to continue his red-hot form in Gabriel Jesus’ absence. The Argentinian forward has scored eight times in his last seven appearances in all competitions for City and can be backed at 7/2 to score two or more here, while 19-goal star Raheem Sterling is worth considering to open the scoring having done so four times at the Etihad this season.
City – likely to be without record signing Aymeric Laporte – have conceded in 10 home league games, so don’t be surprised to see West Brom (22/1) trouble them at some stage. Daniel Sturridge joined the club on loan until the end of the season this week and the former City striker is a tempting 5/1 shot to score on debut.
Alan Pardew’s Albion are unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions but they have failed to beat any of the league’s top six this season and I can’t see that run ending here. They can see this as a free hit, whereas Saturday’s home clash with Southampton is of much greater importance, but that alone won't be enough.
Super 6 prediction: Manchester City 3-1 West Brom
Best bet: Raheem Sterling to score and Man City win at 7/2
Alternative: Man City to win with a -2 goal handicap at 13/10
Stoke v Watford (2000)
Having arrived from Rubin Kazan, we can safely avoid all clichés relating to how he'll cope with a cold, wet night in Stoke as Javi Gracia takes charge of his first league game as Watford manager.
Indeed, the former Malaga boss hasn't let the sniffles get in the way of a trip north as he promises to take to the dugout despite feeling under the weather as he looks to mastermind a change in fortunes for the Hornets.
While the dismissal of Marco Silva was no doubt harsh, one league win has put Watford in the relegation conversation along with Stoke, who offered an immediate demonstration of what a managerial shake-up can do with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield 11 days ago.
The bet365 Stadium is no longer a fortress - perhaps they should've stuck with 'The Britannia' - but six of Stoke's seven victories this term have been on home soil and they're hardly the worst 5/4 shot on the coupon all things considered.
Watford offered little in attack against Southampton in the FA Cup and while the acquisition of Gerard Deulofeu may prove a shrewd one, this isn't the most gentle reintroduction to the Premier League following a sojourn in Barcelona.
That said, the only side against whom Deulofeu scored on more than one occasion for Everton was Stoke and perhaps he'll have his backers at 4/1 to find the net here as a result.
On balance, it may pay to take a conservative approach as we learn more about both sides under their respective new managers and of the seven games on Wednesday night, this is the one I'd be least inclined to punt on.
Super 6 prediction: Stoke 2-1 Watford
Alternative: Deulofeu to score at 4/1
Tottenham v Manchester United (2000, live on BT Sport 1)
The most eye-catching clash of this round of fixtures, this Wembley meeting between Tottenham and Manchester United has the potential to produce plenty of entertainment.
It is an opportunity for Alexis Sanchez to make his Premier League bow for the Red Devils – and the chance to score against his old club’s biggest rivals, which makes it hard to look past him getting on the scoresheet as the pantomime villain.
Where he will fit into United’s starting XI remains to be seen given their impressive form. Juan Mata might just be the man to make way, with Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial playing key roles in recent games.
Martial has netted three times in his last four appearances and he is tempting at 8/1 to score in a United here – one goal here would make it 12 in all competitions this season for the 22-year-old, who is starting to fulfil his potential.
Jose Mourinho of course tends to play it safe against top Premier League teams, but this could well be an open and exciting contest, with over 2.5 goals very solid at 10/11 and both teams to score equally tempting - that's been the case in the last seven meetings of these sides in North London.
Spurs will be significantly boosted by the expected return of Christian Eriksen, who missed two weeks of action through illness. Without him they really struggle for creativity in central areas and his availability gives Spurs real hope of getting something from this contest.
One creative influence they are likely to be without is Lucas Moura, set to arrive from Paris Saint-Germain before the window shuts in a deal reportedly worth £25million, after the deadline to register him for this particular clash passed.
Spurs have a busy schedule coming up, not helped by an FA Cup fourth-round replay with Newport. They face Liverpool on Sunday – and it’s vital Mauricio Pochettino’s fifth-placed side don’t fall further behind in the battle for a top-four spot.
It’s hard to see them getting more than a draw here though, as Mourinho’s men continue to go from strength to strength and a victory would see them move 11 points clear of Spurs in the standings.
Super 6 prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Manchester United
Best bet: Alexis Sanchez to score and Man United to win at 6/1
Alternative: Harry Kane and Alexis Sanchez both to score at 6/1