The English Premier League Round 29 is on schedule for the weekend and our focus will be turned to three featured games this Saturday. Here are the matches that we have picked for you:
WEST BROMWICH vs. ARSENAL
3-Way: 1: +450 Home; X: +309 Draw; 2: -132 Away
Spread: West Brom +0.5 +133; Arsenal -0.5 -125
Total 2.5: Over -119; Under +114
The English Premier league round 29 kicks off with the 8th ranked West Bromwich hosting the 5th ranked Arsenal. The Gunners are going into this game with 2 games less and 10 points more compared to the hosts. The Gunners have been defeated in three of their last four matches, while the hosts are also riding a negative streak connecting 2 straight losses. In the first part of the season the Gunners celebrated a 1:0 win in London.
Although the last time the two teams met at the Emirates marked the 6th straight loss of WBA in London, the Gunners have not been able to top the WBA on their turf as their suffer a 1:2 loss at the Hawthorns in their last visit. The Baggies are going into this game after suffering a 0:2 loss at home to the Crystal Palace and most recently being defeat by Everton with 0:3 away.
Their dip in form recently was not expected, especially after winning 11 points in 5 games prior to the two loss. At one points, the Baggies came close even to the spots leading them to the European competitions, but the most recent loss sent them back to the middle of the standings. For the remainder of the season I don’t expect them to have a special motive other than to stay where they are and not fall deeper on the rankings. Brunt, Morrison and Rondon are all expected to return back to the starting 11, while the status of the striker Phillips remains questionable for the game.
The Gunners on the other side, have played only one EPL game in the last month, when they suffered a 1:3 loss away to the Liverpool Reds. The loss pushed Arsenal to the 5th position on the table, leaving them 5 points short of the 4th spot, but note that the Gunners still have 2 game less compared to Liverpool, and 1 game less than Tottenham and Manchester City, theoretically still leaving them in the race for one of the UEFA Champions league positions.
In the European cups, the Gunners played most recently against the Bayern Munich in the Champions league, suffering two straight 1:5 losses to the German powerhouse. However, the sour losses were somewhat compensated by two wins in the FA Cup over lower division foes Sutton and Lincoln, advancing the Gunners to the FA Cup semifinals, where they will hit on the Manchester City Blues. Prior to that clash, the Gunners will try to improve their recent poor performances in the Premier league, which is why I expect them to come out strong from the first minute and go for a win. Elneny and Cazorla will miss this game, while Oxlade-Chamberlain and Welbeck are still questionable to play.
Both teams are struggling lately, underperforming home and away and entering this contest under a lot of pressure. However, the visitors have a much more talented group and I expect them to win all three points.
My Pick: Arsenal to win (-132)
SUNDERLAND vs BURNLEY
3-Way: 1: +163 Home; X: +240 Draw; 2: +204 Away
Spread: Sunderland 0 -118; Burnley 0 +114
Total 2.5: Over +119; Under -125
One of the three featured English Premier League Round 29 games that we will cover and give you some picks, is the matchup between the bottom ranked Sunderland, who will play host to the 12th ranked Burnley. Despite having a 12 points advantage over Sunderland, Burnley is going into this matchup after suffering 4 losses and 2 draws over their last 6 games, which is why the hosts hope to exploit and put an end to their three game losing streak. In their last year’s meeting, Burnley celebrated a 2:0 win, a feat that has continued the tradition between the two teams in which the visiting team barely ever wins points.
Because of that fact, the Sunderland management is stating that they could have not picked a better opponent at this moment as they are struggling to get out of the relegation zone. With the three straight losses, Sunderland now has 5 points less than the 18th ranked Hull City, 6 points less than the 17th ranked Crystal Palace and 8 points less than the 16th ranked Swans. Sunderland played their last game at home nearly two weeks ago when they suffered a 0:2 loss to Manchester United. Denayer, McNair, Kirchhoff, Cattermole, Gibson, Pienaar, Anichebe and Watmore are all on the injured list and will most likely all miss the game against Burnley.
The visiting team, on the other side, are holding the middle of the table ever since the begin of the season, entering this matchup ranked 12th and 7 points clear from the 17th ranked Hull City. Over their last 5 games, the visitors have won only 2 points with 2 draws and 3 losses. Even I the FA Cup they have recorded an unexpected loss to the fifth league Lincoln City at home with 0:1.
Their poor performances as of lately have left a negative mark on the team and it remains a question if the Clarets can win some points during their 4 game stretch on the road. In the 14 games played away, Burnley has managed to win only two points, which is not very optimistic as they get ready to take on a team that is in desperation mode of winning points. Long, Gudmundsson, Marney and Defour are all sidelined and will miss this game.
With all being said, this will be a great opportunity for the home team to win some points against the worst away team in the league, which is why I am going with the AH on Sunderland.
My Pick: AH Sunderland 0 (-118)
BOURNEMOUTH vs. SWANSEA
3-Way: 1: +129 Home; X: +260 Draw; 2: +270 Away
Spread: Bournemouth -0.5 +120; Swansea +0.5 -123
Total 2.5: Over -125; Under +125
The Final matchup for Saturday afternoon English Premier League Round 29 is the one between the Bournemouth and Swansea, both teams coming from the bottom home of the table. Bournemouth is currently ranked 16th with 30 points, while the Swans are ranked 16th with 27 points. Furthermore, Bournemouth has collected 4 points in their last two games, while the visitors come in to this game with 3 wins and 3 away losses. In their first meeting last year, Bournemouth celebrated a surprisingly high 3:0 away win, extending their positive streak against the Swans to three wins and one draw.
The Cherries hope to continue their positive streak against the Swans, especially after gaining the much needed confidence over their last two games. After going on a 6-game losing streak and 1 draw, the Cherries pulled off a huge away point against Manchester United (1:1), only to return home and celebrate a 3:2 win against the 11th ranked West Ham United.
With the 4 points won over their last two matches, the Cherries are now 6 points clear from the relegation zone, putting the pressure away going into this weekend’s matchup with the Swans. Bournemouth’s coach Howe will most likely use the same formation and lineup from the last round. However, he will not be able to count on the injured Federici, Stanislas and Wilson, while Arter remains questionable. Mings will serve a one game suspension and will not be in the rotation.
The visitors from Wales, were most recently in a tough spot, but with the arrival of the new head coach Clement, things are slowly turning around and a new vibe and energy can be felt when the players now step on the pitch. Over their last 7 games, the Swans have won 4, putting them out of the relegation zone. One thing that creates problems for the Swans is their poor away play. After defeating the Liverpool Reds, the Swans failed to win a single point over their next three away games, which is a fact that should worry the Swansea management going in this matchup.
However, the Swans hope to have a good day, especially knowing that the Cherries like to play offensively, leaving their defense vulnerable, which should give the visitors enough room to operate and hope for a score. But in order to win some points, the Swans need to improve their back side and tighten their defense. Over the last 14 games, the Swans defensive unit was able to keep their goal clean only once. Rangel and Olsson, Ki Sung-Yong; Montero and Dyer are all out with injuries, while their best player Llorente is questionable for this game.
Both teams like to play offensively, which is why the leave too much open room defensively, allowing their opponents to score. For that reason, both teams could end up scoring at least 1 goal, but my pick of this game is to go with the Over 2.5 goals which is offered at -125!!!
My Pick: Both teams to score Yes (-149); Over 2.5 goals (-125)
