There are just ten rounds left in the English Premier League season, and this weekend’s action features four clubs from London that have massive fixtures on the horizon. An all-London derby kicks things off as West Ham heads to Arsenal while the league leaders from Chelsea host Southampton. In the final match of the weekend, Tottenham visits Manchester United.
West Ham at Arsenal – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. ET
EPL Odds: Arsenal -270, West Ham +687, Draw +370
West Ham fell down to 10th with a 1-0 loss at home to Chelsea. That means they’ve now lost two and drawn one of their last three. They’re quite desperate to get back on track and take all three points from this match. However, Arsenal is flying after a 2-1 win at QPR in the league and then sending Manchester United crashing out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win (also on the road). West Ham will be hoping that Arsenal is looking past them to the second leg of their Champions League match with Monaco, who have a 3-1 lead as Arsenal prepares to head to France next week.
Arsenal hasn’t lost to West Ham in 14 meetings, posting 12 wins and two draws. The first meeting of the season ended in a 2-1 win for Arsenal at West Ham. Other than that Monaco result, Arsenal has been playing great, so we’ll expect another win from them here. Pick: Arsenal
Southampton at Chelsea – Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET
EPL Odds: Chelsea -201, Southampton +559, Draw +300
Southampton stayed in the hunt for a Champions League spot with a 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace They needed a win in the worst way as it was their first in a month. The Saints sit just four points out of fourth and one out of sixth place, so a European spot is well within their reach. Chelsea was all business in their win at West Ham and now have a five-point lead over Manchester City (who visits Burnley this weekend) in the league. However, they’ll have to pick up the pieces after a stunning result in Champs League play on Wednesday. Chelsea couldn’t get by a 10-man PSG squad and in turn got bounced. They’ve had a number of these surprising results lately, including a 1-1 draw with Burnley on February 21st and a loss to Bradford at the end of January.
They’re a big favorite on the betting lines this week and the main reasons is because they are the only team in the Premier League without a loss at home. They’ve outscored opponents 27-5 at Stamford Bridge, which is quite impressive. Southampton is about even on the road (7-1-5) and has scored ust 14 away goals.
Chelsea has two wins and a draw in their last three meetings with Southampton, and the draw came earlier this season as the Blues took a point in a 1-1 draw at Southampton. Look for the Blues to get the full three points this time around. Pick: Chelsea
Tottenham at Manchester United – 12:00 p.m. ET
EPL Odds: Manchester United -118, Tottenham +303, Draw +258
Spurs have now won two in a row since losing to Chelsea in the Capitol One Cup final. Their 2-1 win at QPR has them in sixth place, just three points out of a Champions League place. They’ll be facing a United team that’s been up and down. United followed their 1-0 win at Newcastle in the league with a loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Just like Tottenham, all they have to focus on at this point is finishing in a Champions League spot. A spot in the Europa League wouldn’t be so bad – especially for Tottenham – but United is in fourth right now and falling out of that spot would be crushing.
These two battled to a scoreless draw at Tottenham in December, and after going 23 years without a win in Manchester, Spurs have now won their last two trips there. With the stakes so high, don’t be surprised if both sides are a tad conservative and we find ourselves with an even result. Pick: Draw
