The English Premier League continues this weekend after the international break, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Burnley vs. West Ham and Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Burnley vs. West Ham United
Three-Way: 1: Burnley +177; X: +229 Draw; 2: West Ham United +195
Spread 0: Burnley -109; West Ham United +140
Total +2.5: Over +131; Under -133
BURNLEY
Only a few die-hard Burnley fans could predict that their club will be in the 6th position in the Premier League standings after seven rounds, and although it is not realistic to expect them to finish the season in the top half, this is a great achievement for the Clarets. Burnley are without a loss in the previous five matches in the league, but what is encouraging for them, they managed to avoid defeats at Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Everton. Not only that they are unbeaten in these four visits, but Burnley also collected eight points, including the latest 1-0 victory at Goodison Park. Jeff Hendrick scored a game-winning goal, while the defense played magnificently to withstand all Everton attacks, and the goalkeeper Nick Pope was a man of the match.
Burnley have played nine games so far in 2017/18, recording four wins, three draws, and two defeats, one of which was in the Carabao Cup against Leeds United. The Clarets scored 11 and allowed eight goals, which means a bit over two goals per contest on average. While their defense is rock-solid recently, Burnley’s attack is not very efficient, especially at Turf Moor, where they scored just three goals in four matches. Sean Dyche’s team is without a victory over West Ham in the previous six encounters; the Hammers won the last five, and Burnley will be looking to end that miserable run on Saturday.
Chris Wood, who joined from Leeds United this summer, is the team’s leading scorer with three goals to his name, while Sam Vokes and Robbie Brady added two goals each. Jack Cork and Brady are the most creative players at the moment with a pair of assists, but the fans must be delighted with the performances of the No. 2 goalkeeper Nick Pope, who stepped in instead injured Tom Heaton and impressed. The 25-year-old conceded only one goal in four Premier League outings, and if he continues to display fine form, it will be interesting to see whether Dyche will stick with him when Heaton returns. Heaton is suffering from a shoulder injury and his return is unknown, Dean Marney and Nahki Wells are also sidelined, while Jonathan Walters (knee) is doubtful for this clash.
WEST HAM UNITED
The Hammers played under expectations at the start of the campaign, but after some key players returned from layoffs, they started playing much better. West Ham suffered only one defeat in the previous five games, and the most recent 1-0 win over Swansea was a big relief for Slaven Bilic, who was under a lot of pressure. Thanks to the second-half substitute, Diafra Sakho, who scored a game-winning goal in the 90th minute, West Ham escaped relegation zone and jumped to the 15th position. Still, the away form is quite concerning and the Hammers must improve away from the London Stadium.
West Ham played nine games so far in the season, recording four victories, one draw, and four losses, with a goal difference of 12:13, which means over 2.7 goals per contest on average. While we can anticipate goals in West Ham games, this encounter with Burnley could be a different story as the Clarets’ matches didn’t provide plenty of excitement and goals thus to date. The Hammers scored just four goals in five away matches in 2017/18, and they lost three out of four in the Premier League. Slaven Bilic’s squad must start to collect points away from home, and this duel could be a good opportunity for them to do so.
The Mexican forward Chicharito and Diafra Sakho are currently the team’s top scorers with three goals to their respective names, while Andre Ayew added a couple of goals. Bilic had plenty of injury-related issues early in the season, but some essential players returned to the pitch and are ready to contribute. However, James Collins, Pedro Obiang, and Edimilson Fernandes are still banged up and could miss this encounter.
Burnley vs. West Ham United – Match Prediction
West Ham failed to impress in the away games so far, but Burnley’s home form is far from satisfying, so it is hard to predict the outcome of this clash. Still, I believe that the Hammers have a considerably better team, and I would give them a slight advantage on this one. However, the hosts will not let their guards down without a fired shot, so expect them to score at least one goal as well.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (+100)
Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea
Three-Way: 1: Crystal Palace +900; X: +430 Draw; 2: Chelsea -204
Spread +1.5: Crystal Palace -130; Chelsea +125
Total +2.5: Over -110; Under +110
CRYSTAL PALACE
The Eagles are the worst team in the English Premier League at the moment and they are on the bottom of the table without a single point, while they didn’t score yet. Although the Palace hierarchy sacked Frank de Boer and appointed Roy Hodgson, nothing has changed as the team continued to perform way below expectations. The previous two matches against Man City and Man United were disastrous for the Eagles as they conceded nine goals, and now they have to face another tough Premier League opponent, so I wouldn’t be optimistic if I were a Crystal Palace fan.
Crystal Palace played nine games in the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, recording two wins and seven losses, but these victories came in the Carabao Cup, which is the only bright side of their season so far, as they reached the 1/8 finals. The Eagles scored three and allowed 19 goals, which is a bit more than 2.4 goals per contest on average. When it comes to games at Selhurst Park, Palace are slightly better as all of their goals came at home, but they are winless against Chelsea at home in the previous three encounters. The Eagles did win twice in the last two visits to Stamford Bridge, though, so there is a hope that Palace could end the poor run and avoid a defeat on Saturday.
James McArthur is the team’s leading scorer with a couple of goals to his name, but efficiency remains palace’s biggest problem, especially after Christian Benteke’s injury. The Belgian is set to miss another month with a knee injury, while Wilfried Zaha and Connor Wickham are also sidelined and unable to help their teammates. The captain Scott Dann missed the match at Old Trafford but should be ready to feature here, while James Tomkins is not expected to participate on Saturday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek cannot play against his parent team Chelsea, as he joined the Eagles on a season-long loan this summer
CHELSEA
The Blues were on a three-match winning streak before Man City came to Stamford Bridge and beat them 1-0, so Chelsea are currently in the 4th place with six points behind City and Man United. The team’s best player at the moment, Alvaro Morata, sustained a hamstring injury and was forced to leave the clash in the 35th minute, and Antonio Conte’s shocking decision to introduce Willian instead of striker Michy Batshuayi proved to be wrong. Chelsea are big favorites to win at Selhurst Park on Saturday, but even though the victory is highly expected, it’s not going to be easy at all.
Chelsea played 11 matches so far in the 2017/18 season, recording seven victories, a draw, and three defeats, with a goal difference of 26:10, which is slightly over 3.2 goals per contest on average. They are better away from Stamford Bridge, though, as they secured three wins in the Premier League, and one in Madrid against Atletico in the Champions League. The Blues won the previous three matches at Selhurst Park and allowed only one goal while scoring six in the process.
Morata is at the top of the club’s goal-scoring chart with seven goals to his name, but he is sidelined so Batshuayi will take his place in the heart of the attack. The former Marseille striker bagged five goals so far, while Marcos Alonso and Pedro chipped in with a pair of goals each. Cesar Azpilicueta with four, and Eden Hazard with three assists are the best assist-makers, but Conte has another concern after N’Golo Kante sustained a muscle injury while on international duty with France. The defensive midfielder will be sidelined for a couple of weeks, and with both him and Morata unavailable, Chelsea could struggle in the next few games. However, Danny Drinkwater could make his Chelsea debut after recovering from a calf strain injury, but he will likely be slowly introduced to the lineup.
Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea – Match Prediction
The Eagles are the most unpleasant surprise this season and they are still looking for the first goal in the EPL, but with lack of power in the attack, I am not convinced they can beat Courtois on Saturday. Chelsea has problems of their own but should record a win. My safe bet here, however, is the over 2.5 goals.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-110)
