West Brom v Crystal Palace
3.00pm Saturday
West Brom have been rolling lately, which is great news for me as I have been consistently backing them including a win at Bournemouth last weekend at a very good price. They have been one of the more impressive side for me giving what their expectations would have been at the beginning of the season. At the start of each year West Brom generally come into the discussion when listing possible relegation teams, but this year they have been far ahead of their expectations.
Crystal Palace have had a tumultuous season so far. Everybody expected Big Sam to come in and steady the ship as he always does but it has proven to be a bit more difficult for him so far. They had a huge win last weekend against Middlesbrough which brought them level on points, but they still sit in the relegation zone because of goal difference. Performances have certainly improved since he took the job but there is still a lot of work to be done for them to get to safety. This weekend will be a very tough game for them.
Both managers like their sides to play a more physical game. They both set up to prevent their opposition from playing good football, based on this I wouldn’t expect too much from the game as a spectacle but you know it will be close. For me West Brom have a stronger team which will be the difference in this one. They have a bit more size than Palace as well, pair that with some of the quality they have going forward and I think they can cause a real headache to this Palace side. I’m going to go with the form team here at another good price.
TONY’S BEST BET:
Back West Brom at 2.22
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQ-WBAPAL
Liverpool v Arsenal
5.30pm Saturday
Both sides are in real need of a win here. Liverpool have been simply dreadful since the New Year and in the past month or so Arsenal have not been much better. There has been more calls than even the past few years for Arsene Wenger to leave the club which is a clear sign of where the club is right now. On the other side, the one that Liverpool fans all thought was their saviour looks to be all out of ideas as his side have struggled to get many positive results.
I think this game is more suited to Liverpool. The thing that has not worked for them is when opponents try to stop them from playing. Go compact and Klopp’s team really struggle to break them down, and they always look way too open at the back as they only know one thing, and that is to go 100%. Other sides may show a bit of caution but Liverpool always throw everything forward as you can see with Jame Milner. Arsenal won’t approach the game in that style. They always play their expansive brand of football which will play into what Liverpool want to do. One thing that Arsenal lack is that guy who can threaten in behind on a counter. Giroud doesn’t really have the pace to get away from defenders so Liverpool can attack knowing they have space and not be as worried at the back.
Liverpool’s form against the top teams this season has been brilliant this season. Even lately, their only real positive results were against Chelsea and Spurs, so we know they will still show up on the big days. They have been struggling against the lesser teams but I wouldn’t be worried about them getting steamrolled at home against Arsenal. I’m going to go for Liverpool to get another result against a top team.
TONY’S BEST BET:
Back Liverpool at 2.14
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQ-LivArs
