There’s an action-packed fixture list in England this Easter weekend, with several crucial fixtures taking place in the Premier League and Sky Bet Championship.
We’ll be looking at Tottenham Hotspur’s match with Bournemouth, as well as Sunday’s blockbuster affair between Manchester United and Chelsea. There’s also two big matchups at the top of the Championship, with Wolverhampton Wanderers welcoming Brighton & Hove Albion, and Newcastle United hosting Leeds United on Friday. Can the top two confirm their Premier League spots or will we see the battle go on for another week?
Lastly, we’ll be previewing one of world football’s most famous rivalries, as Inter Milan and AC Milan square off in the Derby della Madonnina at the San Siro on Saturday. Inter can leapfrog their rivals with a win and so this is a huge game and should be a brilliant spectacle.
- Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth – Tottenham Hotspur to Win -1 (7/10 at Coral)
- Southampton v Manchester City – Draw and Both Teams to Score (4/1 at Bet365)
- West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool – Liverpool to Win (10/11 at Betfair)
- Manchester United v Chelsea – Manchester United to Win to Nil (17/5 at BetVictor)
- Middlesbrough v Arsenal – Arsenal to Win (8/15 at Sky Bet)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton & Hove Albion – Draw (12/5 at Betfred)
- Newcastle United v Leeds United – Newcastle United to Win -1 (9/5 at Coral)
- Inter Milan v AC Milan – 2-2 Draw (11/1 at BetVictor)
Premier League
As we enter the final stretch of the Premier League season, there’s still a lot to be settled in England’s top flight. Chelsea moved one step closer to the title with a 3-1 win at Bournemouth at the weekend, but Tottenham Hotspur kept them honest with a big victory of their own. The battle for the top four is also heating up, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all winning, whilst Arsenal were thumped 3-0 and must bounce back.
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth – 15th April
Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth get the Premier League up and running on Saturday afternoon as the pair square off at White Hart Lane. For the second weekend running, Spurs have the chance to go four points behind Chelsea, who are not playing until the Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham kept up their stunning home record last Saturday, thumping Watford 4-0 at the Lane. Meanwhile, the Cherries put on a brave display in their eventual 3-1 loss to Chelsea.
We can’t see anything to suggest that Tottenham will slip up in this one. The Lilywhites have dropped just four points on their own patch all season, and we fancy them to ease to victory again. We like the look of Coral’s 7/10 for the hosts to win this one -1. They have managed that 12 times already this campaign and 7/10 is solid value.
Tottenham Hotspur to Win -1 – 7/10 at Coral
Southampton v Manchester City – 15th April
Claude Puel’s Southampton welcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to St Mary’s for Saturday’s late kick off. After taking just two points from three games, Man City got back to winning ways on Saturday, seeing off Hull City 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
As for the Saints, they earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion, which took them up to ninth in the Premier League table. When these met at the Etihad back in October, Southampton were unlucky not to have left Manchester with all three points.
Puel’s boys have been a bit hit and miss this season, but we fancy them to nick a point from this fixture. However, we also believe City will score at St Mary’s. Therefore, check out Bet365’s 4/1 for the draw and both teams to score, with 2-2 a decent long odds option.
Draw and Both Teams to Score – 4/1 at Bet365
West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool – 16th April
On Sunday, Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion entertain Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at the Hawthorns. The Reds have been pretty consistent of late in their quest for a top four spot, can they keep that up with a win in the West Midlands this weekend?
The Baggies are in danger of their fine season petering out, after suffering four PL defeats in their last six since more or less confirming their top flight survival. In contrast, Klopp’s troops have won four and drawn two of their last six, moving up to third in the process.
Despite not winning at the home of Albion in the league since 2011, we’re backing Liverpool to leave the Hawthorns with maximum points on Sunday. Betfair are offering 10/11 for an away win, a price we think is worth having a punt on.
Liverpool to Win – 10/11 at Betfair
Manchester United v Chelsea – 16th April
The standout match from the Premier League this weekend is Sunday’s blockbuster showdown between Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea. With the Blues looking to move one step closer to the title, can they take one giant leap with three points at Old Trafford?
Meanwhile, United are also desperate for the points, as they still trail fourth placed Manchester City by four. Incredibly, the Red Devils’ last Premier League defeat came at the hands of Chelsea, when the Blues ran out emphatic 4-0 winners at Stamford Bridge back in October.
United will no doubt be out for revenge in this one, and we believe they can cause somewhat of a shock on their own patch against the league leaders. BetVictor are offering 17/5 for Mourinho’s men to win to nil on Sunday and with their mean defence that’s worth a punt.
Manchester United to Win to Nil – 17/5 at BetVictor
Middlesbrough v Arsenal – 17th April
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal are running out of time to make the top four, but they will be looking for maximum points when they travel to the Riverside to take on Middlesbrough on Monday night.
After suffering yet another humiliating and damaging defeat last time out (3-0 at Crystal Palace), the Gunners have now dropped seven points off the pace in the hunt for a Champions League spot. As for Boro, they are six points from safety, although they do have a game in hand on their relegation rivals.
This is a game Arsenal just have to win. The Londoners were shocking against Palace on Monday, and need to put things right as soon as possible. Sky Bet have the away victory priced at 8/15 and that’s worth a punt. Even Arsenal can beat Boro!
Arsenal to Win – 8/15 at Sky Bet
Championship
Brighton & Hove Albion took advantage of Newcastle United’s slip up last week, as Albion’s 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers took them two points clear at the Sky Bet Championship summit. Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham both won to keep the race for the top six exciting. Meanwhile, there were big wins for Leeds United and Norwich City, whilst Wigan Athletic kept their slim survival chances alive with a last-gasp win over already relegated Rotherham United.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton & Hove Albion – 14th April
Chris Hughton’s Brighton & Hove Albion make the trip to Molineux this Friday to play Paul Lambert’s Wolverhampton Wanderers in a crucial fixture. With the Premier League in sight, Brighton will be looking to go another step closer with victory in this one. Depending on results elsewhere they could even seal promotion with a win.
Wolves, however, have picked up of late, wining five of their last six Championship fixtures. In fact, Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Bristol City was their first defeat in over a month. As for the Seagulls, since losing to Leeds United, they have hit back with impressive wins on the bounce.
This is a tough looking fixture for Brighton, especially as Wolves have won their last three consecutive home matches. Therefore, we’re backing this to end all square in the Midlands. Betfred have the draw priced at 12/5.
Draw – 12/5 at Betfred
Newcastle United v Leeds United – 14th April
Later on Friday, Newcastle United welcome Leeds United to St James’ Park for a mouth-watering matchup. With the Magpies hunting down Brighton at the top, whilst Leeds need the points to stay in the play-offs, we should be in for a cracker in Tyneside.
After falling to back-to-back defeats, Leeds sealed a much-needed three points against Preston North End on Saturday. The Whites’ win was even more important, as Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday both also won. The style of their success will have also pleased the Elland Road faithful as the Whites could easily have won by more than the three goals they achieved.
As for Newcastle, they fell to a second defeat in five, as they went down 2-1 at Hillsborough. However, we’re predicting Rafael Benitez’s boys to get back to winning ways on Friday, and we feel there’s good value in Coral’s 9/5 for the home team to win -1.
Newcastle United to Win -1 – 9/5 at Coral
Serie A
Juventus may be closing in on yet another Serie A title, but there’s still plenty to play for in Italy. Roma sit second on 71 points, with Napoli four behind in third. Last weekend, the top three sealed comfortable victories. We’ll be focussing on the Milan derby, as sixth place AC Milan go head-to-head with Inter Milan, who are two points behind in seventh.
Inter Milan v AC Milan – 15th April
Neither Inter or AC Milan have had the best of seasons, but both will be going all out for the win in this famous fixture. Will it be Stefano Pioli’s Black and Blues who get the victory, or can Vincenzo Montella’s Red and Blacks secure the three points?
Whenever these two great rivals meet, there’s usually fireworks on and off the field, and we’re expecting nothing less this weekend. These two may not be as successful as they once were, but that matters little when they share the pitch for 90 minutes.
Considering they are so close in the table, this clash is even harder to predict. When the rivals met earlier in the season, they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw. If you fancy history to repeat itself on Saturday, BetVictor are offering a whopping 11/1 for another 2-2 draw.
2-2 Draw – 11/1 at BetVictor