Pure excitement and drama of the English Premier League will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday night with the teams kicking off the Round 31. In order to cover as many games as possible, we have decided to pair some matchups and one of the two match previews will be the clash between Burnley and Stoke City, and Manchester United hosting Everton at the Old Trafford. Both matches will have big implications for the rest of the season, especially the one at Old Trafford.
BURNLEY FC vs. STOKE CITY FC
3-Way: 1: Burnley +147; X: +229 Draw; Stoke City +245
Spread -0.5: Burnley +143; Stoke City -152
Total +2: Over -125; Under +116
The Burnley FC has been struggling lately. Currently, they rank 15th in the English Premier League table with 32 points in 30 matches. They have failed to win in the last seven matches and they are 1-3-4 in the last eight games. They are coming off from a 0-2 home loss against Tottenham. The Clarets held the Spurs in the first half that ended with no goals but couldn’t hold on until the end against obviously a much better team.
Burnley is 2-1-1 in the last four home games and they rank seventh in the league table with 29 of 45 possible points earned. 91% of their points are earned at home and 71% of their goals are scored at home. Their goal difference in front of the home crowd is 22-14 (31-44 overall). Burnley is 9-2-4 at Turf Moor and the most common result at home is a 1-0 win (occurred three times).
Andre Gray tops the team in scoring this season with eight goals while Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes have five each in their accounts. Steven Defour and Sam Vokes lead the team in passing with three assists each.
Kevin Long (Knee surgery) is out with unspecified date of return while Dean Marney (ACL Knee Injury) is expected to be out until at least October 7, 2017. Johann Gudmundsson (MCL Knee Ligament injury) is expected to be back in early April.
The Stoke City FC is also not shining lately when it comes to their results. They are 2-2-4 in the last eight games including the most recent loss on the road against the Leicester City on Saturday, 2-0. The Potters are subpar on the road this season with 3-4-8 record and 14-27 goal difference (33-44 overall). They have also failed to score in their last four away matches as they rank 12th on the away league table with 13 of 45 possible points earned.
Most common result on the road is a 1-1 draw (occurred three times). Stoke City ranks ninth in the English Premier League table with 36 points in 30 games and they have little chance of either ending the season in one of the spots that lead to the European play next year, or endangering their Premier League status, meaning that they should play without pressure until the regular season ends.
Their latest results show that this is easier said than done. Joe Allen tops the Potters in goals with six while Marko Arnautović and Peter Crouch scored five and four goals so far. Arnautovic and Charlie Addam lead the team in assists with three each.
Stephen Ireland (Broken Leg) is expected to be out until at least June 1, 2017 while Jack Butland (Ankle Injury) is expected to be out until at least April 29, 2017. Geoff Cameron (Thigh) has unspecified date of return. Xherdan Shaqiri (Calf Injury), Peter Crouch (Knee Injury) and Jonathan Walters (Knock) should all be back in training on April, 4, but it’s unclear if they’ll be at disposal for the Tuesday game.
Burnley is a good team at home and they might have a slight advantage over Stoke City as they need the points in the battle for survival. I would also go with under 2.5 goals.
MY PICK: Over 2 goals (-125)
MANCHESTER UNITED FC vs. EVERTON FC
3-Way: 1: Manchester United -167; X: +326 Draw; 2: Everton +613
Spread -1: Manchester United +102; Everton -104
Total 2.5: Over -103; Under +100
Manchester United has more draws than victories at home this season (6-8-1 record) and that is the most since 1992 in 15 home games. On the other side they also don’t lose the games often as they are undefeated in the last 19 English Premier League matches, including last 13 home matches.
Another “disappointment” for Mourinho’s side came on Saturday after a scoreless draw against West Bromwich Albion. United is 3-5-0 in the last eight games and 1-3-0 in the last four home matches. They are ranked as low as tenth in the home league table with only 26 of 45 possible points earned. Their goal difference at home is 20-10 (42-23 overall) and the most common result at Old Trafford this season is a 1-1 draw (occurred five times). Currently, they are ranked fifth in the English Premier League table with 53 points in 28 games, with three points more and two games less than their next opponent, Everton FC.
A home win in this game is imperative if they want to hold an edge on one of the top four places that lead into the Champions League play next year. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the Red Devils top scorer with 15 league goals while Juan Mata has six, and Paul Pogba has four goals in their accounts. Wayne Rooney tops the passing segment with five assists while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial have four each.
James Wilson (ACL Knee Injury) is out with unspecified date of return. Paul Pogba (Hamstring Injury) is a slight doubt for the Tuesday game, while Phil Jones (Toe Injury), Chris Smalling (Knee Injury), and Juan Mata (Groin/Pelvis Injury) are all major doubts for the next game. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera will be available for the next game after suspensions.
The Merseyside derby on Saturday didn’t go well for the Liverpool Blues as they got defeated by their closest rivals the Liverpool FC with 3-1. Nevertheless, Everton FC plays very well lately as they rank sixth in the English Premier League table with 50 points in 30 games, meaning that the Champions League race is still in place.
The Blues are 4-2-2 in their last eight games and 0-2-2 in the last four away games. They play a bit better at home as 68% of their points have been earned at home. In the away table they rank eighth with 4-4-7 record, 18-23 goal difference (52-33 overall) and 16 of 45 possible points earned. 53% of Everton away matches were over 2.5 goals while 33% of those matches were over 3.5 goals in total. Most common results on the road is 3-2 loss, 1-0 loss and a 1-1 draw (all occurred twice).
Romelu Lukaku tops Everton and the league with 21 goals this season while Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman have four goals each on their accounts. Barkley tops the team in passing with seven assists so far while Lukaku ranks second with six assists.
Muamer Besic (ACL Knee Injury) is expected to be out until at least April 30th, while Yannick Bolasie (ACL Knee Injury) is expected to be out until at least January 1st, next year. Morgan Schneiderlin (Calf Strain) should be out until at least April 9th, while James McCarthy (Hamstring Injury), Seamus Coleman (Broken Leg) and Ramiro Funes Mori (Cartilage Knee Injury) are all major doubts for the Tuesday game with unspecified dates of return.
With the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the starting lineup (missed the last game with yellow card suspension), it is expected that the Red Devils will play much more offensively. On the other, the visitors are featuring the top scorer of the English Premier League, which could indicate goals scored on each end. Therefore I would go with the over and both teams to score.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-103)
Additional pick: Both teams to score YES (+104)
