Our match-by-match betting preview for Saturday's Premier League action ends with Nick Hext looking ahead to Swansea v Chelsea.
Saturday's Premier League recommended bets
2pts Burnley to beat Brighton and over 2.5 goals in the match at 13/4
1pt Luka Milivojevic to be shown a card in Crystal Palace v Leicester at 5/2
2pts Huddersfield to beat Everton at 5/3
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Liverpool v Stoke City (1230 BST, Sky Sports Main Event)
Saturday's early kick-off sees Liverpool welcome Stoke City to Anfield with the visitors still clinging on to the slight hope of Premier League survival.
The Potters sit four points adrift of safety in 19th, with four teams above them all having an extra game to play.
With just nine points left to play for, time is running out for Paul Lambert's men to close the gap and avoid dropping down to the Sky Bet Championship.
It's a tough ask away at Anfield, but they can take confidence in the fact that Liverpool's focus will be on their Champions League semi-final second leg clash away at Roma.
The Reds looked comfortable at 5-0 up, but two late goals see the aggregate score of 5-2, giving Roma a chance of progression with their away goals.
That should signal changes made by Jurgen Klopp, and the influential trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are set to be split apart for the weekend.
Danny Ings should be given a start, and he can be found at even-money in most places to find the net anytime.
For Stoke, it could be an opportunity for them to pick up an unlikely point, with Liverpool being held to a draw by doomed West Brom last weekend, again having made changes.
Xherdan Shaqiri sits as Stoke's top scorer this season with seven. He'll be looking to capitalise on an altered Liverpool defence by adding to his tally.
Shaqiri is a best price of 9/2 to strike anytime, which seems decent enough value given the circumstances.
Regardless of the changes, I'd still be looking at Liverpool to get the job done against struggling Stoke.
The likes of Ings will be aiming to seize the limited opportunities that have been presented to him this season, whilst there is still the strength within the squad required to pick up the points.
Score prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Stoke City (Sky Bet odds: 15/2) (Tom Carnduff)
Best bet: Xherdan Shaqiri to score anytime at 9/2
Alternative bet: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 23/20
Burnley v Brighton and Hove Albion (1500 BST)
Burnley could be set for a European tour after Southampton's elimination from the FA Cup.
Provided Chelsea finish in the top-five, Sean Dyche's men will be lining up in the Europa League next season should they finish no lower than seventh, which they are looking incredibly likely to do.
Before that though, there are still three Premier League games to play and they welcome lower mid-table Brighton to Turf Moor.
The Clarets' five-game winning run was ended by Chelsea last week, and they followed that up by picking up a point away at Stoke.
They will take further confidence in Brighton's away form, with Chris Hughton's men losing their last three away in all competitions.
They have struggled on their travels this season, winning just two away from the Amex Stadium and they'll face a tough task to pick up a win here.
With that in mind, Burnley to win at the 23/20 mark seems a terrific price given their current situation.
Victory will all-but-secure a spot in Europe next season and Dyche's side will be eager to wrap that up in front of their home fans.
Six of Burnley's last seven at home have seen both teams scoring, with the last three at Turf Moor having over 2.5 goals.
Combining goals with a Burnley victory gives value. Backing the hosts to win with over 2.5 goals in the match puts the price at 13/4, and that is my best bet for the game.
Ashley Barnes sits as the joint-top scorer for Burnley this season with ten in all competitions. He's enjoying a fantastic run of form at the moment, scoring six goals in his last eight Premier League appearances.
Despite that run of form, Barnes can still be found at a price of 11/5 to score anytime, which looks incredibly tempting for an alternative bet.
Score prediction: Burnley 2-1 Brighton (Sky Bet odds: 17/2) (Tom Carnduff)
Best bet: Burnley to win and over 2.5 goals in the match at 13/4
Alternative bet: Ashley Barnes to score anytime at 11/5
Crystal Palace v Leicester City (1500 BST)
Crystal Palace could all-but-secure Premier League survival if they secure victory over Leicester City at Selhust Park.
Roy Hodgson's side are six points clear of 18th-placed Southampton, and can ensure another season in the top-flight by winning and hoping Saints fail to pick up anything against Bournemouth.
These two sides are in decent enough form, sitting mid-table in the form charts.
The concern for Palace will be that they have picked up just four points from their last possible 15 at home, although they did beat Brighton the last time they played in front of their fans.
Leicester have travelled well in recent weeks, winning two of their last three away from home. Their form sees them sitting sixth in the away form chart.
Both sides drew 0-0 last time out, but there were goals in the weeks prior to that and there could potentially be more goals here.
Add in the fact that there have been three or more goals in the last three encounters between these two and it's easy to see why goals are a tempting avenue to explore.
The last three games at Palace have seen over 2.5 goals, whereas five of Leicester's last six away from home have seen the same amount.
Over 2.5 goals can be found around the 4/5 mark.
There could be better value in backing individual goalscorers, and for me I'm looking towards Luka Milivojevic.
The midfielder has enjoyed a good season in front of goal, scoring 10 times in the Premier League.
He is also Palace's set-piece man, and the fact that Wilfred Ndidi sits second in the Premier League 'fouls' charts could present them with dangerous scoring opportunities.
Milivojevic can be found at a best price of 10/3 to find the net anytime on Saturday, with 10/1 the price if you want to back him to score first.
At 10/3, backing Milivojevic to score anytime would be one of my best bets for this encounter.
The Serbian is also Crystal Palace's most carded player with seven yellows.
Mike Dean, who has accumulated an average of 40 booking points per game this season, takes charge of this match and it is worth backing Milivojevic to also be shown a card at 5/2.
Score prediction: Crystal Palace 2-2 Leicester City (Sky Bet odds: 12/1) (Tom Carnduff)
Best bet: Luka Milivojevic to be shown a card at 5/2
Alternative bet: Luka Milivojevic to score anytime at 10/3
Huddersfield Town v Everton (1500 BST)
If you offered Huddersfield 16th place and a six-point advantage over 18th with four games to go, Terriers boss David Wagner probably would have bitten your hand off.
The German has often spoke about ‘little Huddersfield’ in the Premier League and getting them there is one thing, but keeping them there is another achievement.
It highlights the great job he has done since moving to West Yorkshire in 2015 and a home win over Everton would all-but confirm their place in the Premier League next term. This is also their best chance of a victory with Man City (a), Chelsea (a) and Arsenal (h) to face in the final three games of the season.
The reverse fixture saw Everton win 2-0 at Goodison Park on Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge since replacing Ronald Koeman.
Allardyce declared ‘onwards and upwards’ after the win and a lot has certainly happened since then. The Toffees have moved up the table, with Allardyce steering the club clear of a relegation fight and towards the top half. They are currently eighth, eight points behind Burnley with just nine left to play for.
They put a halt to Newcastle’s winning run on Monday, days after Everton’s survey blunder which asked fans to rate the former Crystal Palace and England manager and the job his staff are doing on Merseyside.
Allardyce has done what was asked of him, yet a large number of Everton fans still want him out. Allardyce defended his side’s style of play in his interview after, telling Sky Sports ‘you cannot knock our football’ and it remains to be seen whether he will be at the club next season.
A win here would certainly bolster his chances and they can be backed at around 2/1 to do so at the John Smith’s Stadium.
But they have won just twice on the road all season and it could be worth backing the hosts, who have had two weeks’ break. There is the danger they may be off the pace having not played, but 5/3 to win looks a good price for a home win, while Huddersfield to win and both teams to score at 11/2 could be worth small stakes.
Score prediction: Huddersfield 2-1 Everton (Sky Bet odds: 12/1) (George Pitts)
Best bet: Huddersfield to win at 5/3
Alternative bet: Draw no bet - Huddersfield at 4/5
Newcastle v West Brom (1500 BST)
Newcastle saw their four-match winning run come to an end this week when they lost 1-0 at Everton, and now this is a great chance for them to return to winning ways.
They are odds-on favourites (7/20) to win the St James’ Park clash with West Brom as they look to finish comfortably in the top half of the Premier League. From looking over their shoulders nervously at relegation to looking up, fortunes can change dramatically with a few wins in the Premier League.
There have even been some suggestions that Newcastle fans will not want the Magpies to finish too high as that could make owner Mike Ashley more reluctant to provide Rafa Benitez with funds for the transfer window. Benitez has done a remarkable job at the club and United know they are lucky to have him - now they must keep him as surely a number of top European clubs start to circle.
In stark contrast, a manager whose stock is on the up is Albion’s Darren Moore, who is yet to lose as caretaker boss since replacing Alan Pardew. His side ended an eight-game losing streak by drawing at Swansea, before they shocked Man United with a victory and came from two goals down to draw with Liverpool last week.
West Brom have shown promise in recent weeks, but they are eight points from safety with just nine to play for. Anything but a victory will see them relegated to the Sky Bet Championship.
You can back the Baggies at 21/10 for the win, and with their improvement post-Pardew it would not be surprising, but a Newcastle win here is much more appealing.
Matt Ritchie has also seen his form improve in line with Newcastle’s and you can back them in a score-and-win double at 9/2, while Newcastle and over 2.5 total goals looks great value at 11/5.
Score prediction: Newcastle 3-1 West Brom (Sky Bet's odds: 14/1) (George Pitts)
Best bet: Newcastle to win and over 2.5 goals in the match at 11/5
Alternative bet: Matt Ritchie to score and Newcastle to win at 9/2
Southampton v Bournemouth (1500 BST)
Dubbed ‘El Coastico’, this is the closest thing to a derby for these south coast teams this season.
Bournemouth have secured their status as a Premier League club for another campaign while Southampton look like they are heading for the drop.
Mark Hughes’ side, who lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, are four points from safety with 12 points left to play for and they need the wins to start coming sooner rather than later.
They are odds-on to win at 8/11 and it could really mount their survival bid with Everton (a) and Swansea (a) to play before a home season finale with already-crowned champions Man City.
Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth, meanwhile, are without a win in their last four Premier League outings and coasting towards the end of the season.
The Cherries will be keen to arrest their form and secure a top-half finish, although equalling last season’s ninth-placed finish now looks unlikely.
They can be backed to win at St Mary’s at around 4s, which is great odds if you think they will get the result, or back them at 5/2 draw no bet.
But I am backing the hosts. While things have not been so rosy for the Saints, this is a must-win and we all know they have the ability in their squad to claim a first Premier League win since the start of February.
With Charlie Austin (seven) and Dusan Tadic (five) their top two scorers, they have been incredibly short of goals but you can back either player in a score-and-win double at 7/4 and 10/3 respectively.
Hughes has been a manager for long enough to know how important this match is, so they are rightly favourites and should edge this one.
Score prediction: Southampton 1-0 Bournemouth (Sky Bet odds 7/1) (George Pitts)
Best bet: Dusan Tadic to score and Southampton to beat Bournemouth at 10/3
Alternative bet: Southampton to win to nil at 21/20 Southampton to win to nil at 21/10
Swansea City v Chelsea (1730 BST, BT Sport 1)
Swansea will be hoping their four-point advantage over the relegation zone remains intact when they get under way against Chelsea in the final match of Saturday's Premier League programme.
The Swans need Stoke and Southampton to suffer defeats against Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively to stay clear. Victory for either the Potters or Saints though will crank up the pressure on the Welsh outfit.
Taking on Chelsea is a tricky assignment but a three-point haul is far from impossible at the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea have beaten Liverpool and Arsenal in their last five home games in the league and it's the form on their own turf that has Carlos Carvalhal's side in a good position to secure safety.
I reckon this contest will be closer than odds of 13/2 for a Swansea win suggest, although I still have to side with a victory for the visiting Blues.
Chelsea have won by one goal in their last three victories on the road, those wins coming against Leicester, Southampton and Burnley.
Olivier Giroud has made a big difference for Antonio Conte's men since joining from Arsenal in January and the French striker provides the main danger for the hosts to be wary of.
Giroud has netted in two of his last three appearances and his goals will continue to be required, as Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their previous 11 outings.
Swansea have suffered fresh injuries to Federico Fernandez and Kyle Bartley, while loan forward Tammy Abraham is unable to feature against his parent club.
The impressive Jordan Ayew leads the line for the Swans and his performance is crucial if an upset is to occur.
I reckon the odds-on favourites will deliver but I wouldn't include the visitors to the Liberty Stadium in any weekend accas.
Score prediction: Swansea 1-2 Chelsea (Sky Bet's odds: 15/2) (Nick Hext)
Best bet: Both teams to score at 6/5
Alternative bet: Chelsea to win by one goal at 63/25
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Preview posted at 2025 BST on 26/04/2018
