The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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msudogs
Moderator
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 65535
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Tottenham travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Sunday in a London derby. The two teams have differing objectives for the rest of the season. The home side will be desperate to stay in the Premier League, but a recent injury crisis has made that task a lot more difficult. Meanwhile, Spurs want to finish in the top four for the third successive season. They have come a long way under Mauricio Pochettino and it would be viewed as a failure if they didn’t qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Roy Hodgson has done a great job with Crystal Palace so far. He was seen as an underwhelming appointment by the club after the sacking of Frank de Boer. The former England boss had been out of the game since that dreadful day against Iceland and Palace were cut adrift at the bottom of the division without a single point or goal to their name. The task appeared impossible, but his experience coupled with the talent available to him has seen the club rise up the league table. They won’t be expecting to take anything from the match against Tottenham. However, they certainly have the ability to secure a positive result.
Tottenham have had a mixed fortnight since they last played a match in the Premier League. They showed incredible spirit and ability to earn a credible 2-2 away draw against Juventus in the Champions League after conceding two early goals. Most teams would have folded, but Spurs went on to dominate the game and looked the most likely winners by the end of the contest. However, they followed that up with a disappointing draw to Rochdale in the FA Cup. Although they made several changes, they should have had enough to advance and the extra fixture won’t help them.
TEAM NEWS
The home side have a lengthy injury list and that is why they go into this weekend as huge outsiders. They will be without Joel Ward, Wilfried Zaha, Mamadou Sakho, Martin Kelly, Bakary Sako, Jeff Schlupp, Jason Puncheon, Scott Dann, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Connor Wickham.
INTERESTING STATS
Crystal Palace haven’t won in their last four Premier League matches and that has seen them drop to 15th position, only one point above the relegation zone.
Tottenham have scored in every match that have played in since their 2-0 defeat against Arsenal in November.
VERDICT
The task looks daunting for Crystal Palace as they are without several of their best players. They still have talent in their ranks in Milovojevic, Yohan Cabaye, Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke. However, they will be playing several squad players against Tottenham and the away side are likely going to have too much as a result. They have a great chance of moving into the top four as Chelsea and Manchester United play each other on Sunday. It is important that they take care of their own business and heap the pressure on their rivals. They should do that at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Tottenham
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02-25-18 11:58 AM |
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msudogs
Moderator
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 65535
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Manchester United vs. Chelsea odds: What you need to know
Time: Sunday 25 February, 14:05 GMT kickoff
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Manchester United have lost two of their last three Premier League games
Chelsea have lost two of their last three Premier League games
Manchester United have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 14 home matches
Eden Hazard has scored three in his last two Premier League games
Alvaro Morata returns for Chelsea to aid recent attacking difficulties
Eric Bailly returns to solidify United’s defence
Last time out in the Premier League Manchester United succumbed to a 1-0 loss to relegation strugglers Newcastle, with star man Paul Pogba being substituted due to what Jose Mourinho highlighted as ‘tactical changes.’
Their last match at Old Trafford ended in victory over Huddersfield, thanks to an impressive home debut for star signing Alexis Sanchez.
In London, Chelsea had little difficulty defeating West Brom, with Eden Hazard hitting form (and two goals) in what many would call ‘the right time to.’
A difficult spell which included humiliating losses to both Bournemouth and Watford did take the wind out of the Blues’ sails, but the weekend’s comfortable win against Hull may have just settled the ship; albeit slightly.
An impressive albeit disappointing draw against La Liga giants Barcelona in the Champions League was admirable, but overall should have ended in a win if not for a slip up at the back.
Their away form is much to be desired however so it is no surprise that they come into Sunday’s game at Old Trafford as underdogs.
Two wins, three draws and two losses in their last seven away from home is a long shot from their 2016/17 title-winning form which saw them lose just three times away from Stamford Bridge in the entire Premier League season.
Morata returned to the squad recently and should be in line to at least feature this Sunday, an attacking threat that Chelsea have most certainly missed since his injury; leaning on a piece of Eden Hazard genius too many times.
Manchester United’s defensive pairing Chris Smalling and Phil Jones came rightly under fire against Tottenham with the latter scoring an own goal, so Eric Bailly’s cameo in the Red Devil’s cup triumph against Huddersfield will be music to Jose Mourinho’s ears and the Ivorian may feature against Chelsea.
Manchester United vs. Chelsea odds: Where is the value?
Two sides currently suffering some bad spells of form for their lofty standards, the question will very much be which of the sides turn up at Old Trafford.
If Manchester United’s defensive difficulties are on show as they were against Tottenham, then Chelsea’s -0.25 handicap odds of 3.260* seems to offer value.
Similarly, if Chelsea continue their poor away form this season, then United’s -0.25 handicap odds of 1.847* could be the smart bet.
The home side has not lost any of the last six meetings between the two - winning five and drawing once - so home field advantage looks to play a pivotal role in the fixture.
Whilst there have been under 2.5 goals scored in six of Manchester United’s last seven Premier League games, there have been over 2.5 goals scored in six of Chelsea's last seven.
Manchester United have kept a clean sheet in 11 off their last 14 home games, so I would be leaning towards a low-scoring affair at Old Trafford this Sunday; under 2.5 goals is priced at 1.704*.
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02-25-18 01:36 PM |
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