SATURDAY PREMIER LEAGUE: The Striker previews CHELSEA v FULHAM and NEWCASTLE v MAN CITY both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
CHELSEA V FULHAM
12.30pm The Premier League Winter Break has arrived, but we still have plenty of action on BETDAQ Betting Exchange to enjoy this weekend! We have five games this weekend and five next weekend, matchday 21 has been split across the two weekends to give each side a weekend off. It’s a Winter Break, but not really for TV purposes I suppose. Still, it’s the best the English sides could have hoped for given the demand on players these days. It is a little silly that after the Winter Break, we are back with a bang of a full mid-week fixture list and then straight into a full weekend fixture list too. Anyway, we have two cracking games to look forward to on Saturday; all eyes will be on Newcastle v Man City later but we kick off the day with a London Derby as Chelsea host Fulham. Chelsea will be expected to win this game with home advantage, but they’ve been very untrustworthy this season. Chelsea faced another embarrassing moment when losing to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup Semi-Final on Tuesday night; thankfully they have the second leg at home to turn things around but they have dropped so many points and lost so many games this season the alarm bells are definitely ringing!
I have to say though, you wouldn’t know the alarm bells are ringing by looking at the media. So far, Mauricio Pochettino has pretty much been given a free ride compared to the pressure some other managers have faced this season. Chelsea sit down in 10th, they’re only four points ahead of Fulham. They come into this game as the odds on favourites, but the 1.64 shows that there are plenty of willing layers out there. Fulham are trading 5.6 while the draw is 4.6 at the time of writing. We have two sides here who have been very sloppy at the back this season – both sides are conceding more goals than they should. Fulham’s average xG conceded is pretty high at 1.54 but they are conceding over that. Chelsea have an average xG conceded of 1.37 but their actual figure is over that too. The 1.64 on Chelsea might feel a little big, but Both Teams To Score looks a better option at 1.71. Chelsea have flopped too many times this season to trust them and this game screams goals given how poor at the back these two have been.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Both Teams To Score at 1.71 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ChlFul
NEWCASTLE V MANCHESTER CITY
5.30pm We finish the day with Newcastle hosting Manchester City, and this should be a fascinating fixture. Newcastle were able to beat City here last season 1-0, and they kept City to an xG created of under 1.0 too. It was a very impressive performance, but times have changed since. City have dropped a lot of points this season and start the weekend five points behind Liverpool at the top of the table, but Newcastle’s drop has been far more dramatic. City are still odds on to win the title, but Newcastle are going to take a backwards step this season because they won’t be finishing in the Top Four. They are eleven points behind Arsenal starting this weekend, and I am surprised Eddie Howe hasn’t been under more pressure given the results. Newcastle have been exceptionally poor away from home this season, but they have been a lot more comfortable at home which is the important factor for this game. The bad news for Newcastle too is that they have actually been over-performing in front of goal this season too! Their average xG created is 1.61 but their actual goals scored is higher at 1.95 – due to the fact they beat Sheffield United 8-0 in fairness! It will be interesting to see how much they can create against the best side in the league.
City come into the game as the odds on favourites – Pep Guardiola’s men are trading 1.61 with Newcastle 5.9 and the draw is 4.7 at the time of writing. It’s hard to have confidence in Newcastle this season with their results, but to be honest they have been a different side at home compared to away this season. Their average xG created at home is 1.93 compared to 1.30 away, and their average xG conceded at home is just 1.11 compared to a whopping 1.79 away. City obviously have superb stats all over the pitch, but they are actually creating more away from home this season. The 1.61 doesn’t make a lot of appeal as a bet because I do rate Newcastle’s home form, however I’m happy to stay away from the City lay too. The bet I like here is Under 2.5 goals at 2.46. I felt this was a little big when I clicked into the market; the recent meetings between the sides haven’t had many goals. The last three meetings have finished with Under 2.5 goals – Newcastle are a lot more solid at the back at home too – Unders looks the value call.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Under 2.5 goals at 2.46 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/NwcMan
