The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Huddersfield vs. Tottenham and Bournemouth vs. Leicester matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Huddersfield vs. Tottenham
Three-Way: 1: Huddersfield +850; X: +390 Draw; 2: Tottenham -204
Spread +1.5: Huddersfield -132; Tottenham +127
Total +2.5: Over -120; Under +120
HUDDERSFIELD
Following a great start of the Premier League season with two consecutive wins over Crystal Palace and Newcastle and without a single coal allowed, Huddersfield didn’t taste the victory in the previous five games. They scored only one goal in that span and were even eliminated out of the Carabao Cup, after a 0:1 loss at Crystal Palace. Now, the Terriers are sitting in the respectable 8th place in the Premier League, with nine points out of the six matches, but they’re facing a tough opponent when Spurs come to the town, and avoiding a defeat here would be an excellent result for the hosts.
Huddersfield has played eight games so far in the 2017/18, recording three wins, three draws, and a pair of losses, with a goal difference 7:5, which means only 1.5 goals per contest on average. They scored four of those seven at John Smith’s Stadium, where they allowed two, so I don’t expect plenty of goals, especially considering Tottenham’s rock-solid defense. These rivals never met in the EPL before, and I don’t think this opening duel will give us much of excitement.
The summer arrival from the French side Montpellier, the striker Steve Mounie, is the club’s leading scorer with two goals, but he didn’t appear in the last three games due to a heel injury and is questionable to play on Saturday. Laurent Depoitre, who has a goal and assist to his name so far, could take Mounie’s place in the attack once again, while David Wagner expects a solid performance from Aaron Mooy and Tom Ince. Ince came as a big reinforcement this summer from Derby County, but for now, he failed to make an impact. Jon Gorenc-Stankovic is out with a cruciate ligament injury, and his return is unknown, while Danny Williams (ankle), Collin Quaner (calf), and Kasey Palmer (thigh) are doubtful to participate in this clash.
TOTTENHAM
Tottenham is in an excellent form of three straight victories, including the one at Apoel in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Spurs managed to beat the Cyprus champions even though they were playing without such key players as Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, Jan Vertonghen, and Danny Rose. That’s why Harry Kane decided to grab the glory for himself with a fantastic hat-trick that was more than enough for an easy 3-0 win and another three points in the bag, so Spurs and Real Madrid are at the top of the Group H in the UCL.
Tottenham played nine games in the 2017/18 so far, winning six of them, along with a couple of draws and defeat, scoring 17 and conceding six goals, which is a bit more than 2.5 goals per contest on average. It is important to highlight that Spurs are playing better away from home as they’re still struggling to adapt to Wembley. They won all four away games, with a goal difference of 11:2, so they are looking more dangerous when playing away from Wembley, and Huddersfield will be in all kinds of trouble to stop them from scoring a goal or two on Saturday.
The magnificent Harry Kane leads Tottenham in scoring with nine goals to his name already, while Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen bagged three and two goals, respectively. Of course, the Dane is the top assist-maker with four, but the right-back Kieran Trippier is right behind him with three assists. Victor Wanyama is suffering from a knee injury and is not available to play until the mid-October, while the left-back Danny Rose (knee) and Argentinean winger Erik Lamela (hip) are also sidelined with long-term injuries. The right-back Serge Aurier is suspended for this game, so I expect to see Trippier at the RB, while Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli are back after serving suspensions in the UCL. Eriksen didn’t play at Cyprus because of illness, but he will probably be okay to feature against Huddersfield.
Huddersfield vs. Tottenham – Match Prediction
The Terriers allowed only three goals in six Premier League matches, which is the second-best defense in the league at the moment, but with Harry Kane on fire, I don’t think they will manage to keep their net intact. Tottenham is in a fine form, and I am backing them on this one, and also, I think they will leave John Smith’s Stadium with a clean sheet. Expect the Spurs to cover the AH.
MY PICK: Tottenham AH +1.5 (+127)
Bournemouth vs. Leicester
Three-Way: 1: Bournemouth +185; X: +254 Draw; 2: Leicester +170
Spread 0: Bournemouth +106; Leicester -104
Total +2.5: Over -112; Under +108
BOURNEMOUTH
The Cherries entered this Premier League season quite poorly as they recorded only one win in the first six Premier League matches, but the only good thing about them is the fact that they reached the 1/8 finals of the Carabao Cup. In the previous EPL game against Everton at Goodison Park, Bournemouth led until the 77th minute before Omar Niasse sank them with a brace, and Eddie Howe’s squad is looking to bounce back against Leicester at Dean Court on Saturday.
Bournemouth played eight games so far in the 2017/18 campaign, recording three victories (two of which came against Brighton), and five defeats. They scored seven and conceded 12 goals, but they failed to score more than a goal against Leicester City in the last four years. These teams met on six occasions since 2013; Bournemouth recorded one win, the Foxes have two, while three games finished as a draw. Only one of these encounters ended with more than two goals, so I don’t expect a goal-glut when they meet again on Saturday.
The Norwegian forward Joshua King is the Cherries’ top scorer with two goals, while Jermain Defoe, Ryan Fraser, Marc Pugh, Andrew Surman, and Charlie Daniels added a goal each. Howe is demanding more from Defoe, who got a quite lucrative contract after joining from Sunderland this summer, and the veteran must improve if he wants to remain a starter, while the boss also expects much more from the former Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe. Ibe recorded a pair of assists in a 2-1 victory over Brighton two weeks ago, and the 21-year-old is hoping to build on that performance. The backup goalkeeper Adam Federici is sidelined with a knee injury, the striker Callum Wilson is out for another month, while the defender Tyrone Mings is battling a lower back injury and is doubtful to feature here.
LEICESTER CITY
Leicester has been in a hot and cold form early in this season; they have only one win in the Premier League, but they advanced to the 1/8 finals of the Carabao Cup, at the expense of Liverpool, after a surprising 2:0 win at the King Power Stadium. However, the Foxes failed to stay undefeated in the following Premier League match against the same rivals, as the Reds were victorious, 3:2. Jamie Vardy missed the penalty in that game, and the Foxes were left empty-handed, but at the end of the day, they didn’t deserve to win anyway.
Leicester City played eight games in the 2017/18 so far, recording three victories, one draw, and four losses, with a goal difference of 15:13, which means 3.5 goals per contest on average. But as I said, the encounters with Bournemouth are usually the low-scoring ones and considering Bournemouth goal-scoring record thus far, I am not convinced we’ll see plenty of goals at the Dean Court on Saturday. When it comes to away matches, Leicester scored eight and also conceded eight goals in four games, suggesting that the Foxes are playing attractive, high-scoring games away from home. That may be the case, but this matchup is something else, and I would advise you to approach it cautiously.
Jamie Vardy is currently the team’s top scorer with five goals to his name, while Shinji Okazaki with four and Islam Slimani with three are right behind him on the goal-scoring chart. Riyad Mahrez, Andy King, and Harry Maguire added two assists each, but Craig Shakespeare needs Mahrez to step up his game and contribute more to the attack. The central midfielder Adrien Silva is suspended for the remainder of 2017, Robert Huth is still lacking match fitness and is doubtful to participate, while Matty James is struggling with a calf injury and will probably sit this one out.
Bournemouth vs. Leicester – Match Prediction
The recent record between these rivals suggests that there will not be a bunch of goals, and three out of last six H2H meetings finished without a winner, so I opt for a draw.
MY PICK: Draw (+254)
