The 2018-19 title in the English Premier League is going right down to the wire, as Liverpool leads Manchester City by two points, but City has a game in hand. The race for third is also tight, as Chelsea sits in that spot now, but Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United are all within five points of Chelsea. As far as relegation goes, it looks like Huddersfield Town (14 points) and Fulham (17 points) are headed down to the English League, but Cardiff City is just five points behind Brighton and Southampton, and if they can move past either of those, they would stay in the top circuit for another season. As far as this weekend’s action goes, we have your top sports betting picks from the top soccer league in England.
English Premier League Top Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions for the Weekend
HUGE matches incoming…#PL pic.twitter.com/Fc53Gs3A8S
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 12, 2019
Saturday, April 13
West Ham at Manchester United (12:30pm ET)
West Ham took a 2-0 beating at Chelsea back on Monday, as Eden Hazard posted a brace, scoring in the 24th and 90th minutes. Chelsea controlled much of the pace of play, outshooting West Ham 16-9 (7-2 on target), and possessing for 54 percent of the game. The fact that West Ham was able to force about half as many corners suggests that the pressure was coming from Chelsea.
Things don’t get any easier this week as West Ham heads to Old Trafford. Manchester United has not played in EPL competition since April 2, when they took a 2-1 loss at Wolves and finishes short a man, as Ashley Young took a red card in the 57th minutes. Man U had jumped out to an early lead behind a goal by Scott McTominay in the 13th minute, but then Wolves drew level with a score from Diogo Jota in the 25th minute. Wolves benefited from an own goal in the 77th minute and used that to take the three points. Expect Old Trafford to be the site of some redemption for the home side.
Final Score Prediction: Manchester United 2, West Ham 0
Sunday, April 14
Manchester City at Crystal Palace (9:05am ET)
Manchester City last faced an EPL opponent on April 3, when they took down Cardiff City at home, 2-0. Kevin de Bruyne started the scoring in the sixth minute, and Leroy Sane added a second tally a minute before halftime. City dominated the action from start to finish, possessing for almost 80 percent of the match and outshooting Cardiff City 27-4 (11-1 on target). Their 91 percent passing accuracy contributed to that high possession — and Manchester City attempted 491 more passes than their opponents.
Now City heads to Crystal Palace, who won at Newcastle, 1-0, last Saturday, thanks to a penalty conversion from Luka Milivojevic in the 81st minute. Newcastle dominated the action, outshooting Crystal Palace, 18-3 (5-1 on target) and possessing for 54 percent of the game. Even so, the penalty proved crucial. Can Crystal Palace live dangerously and advance against City? It’s doubtful.
Final Score Prediction: Manchester City 3, Crystal Palace 1
Chelsea at Liverpool (11:30am ET)
Liverpool made a strong statement about their own desire to stay atop the EPL table with a 3-1 shellacking of Southampton on the road last Friday. Shane Long put Southampton ahead in the ninth minute, but then came the Liverpool attack, as Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson would all post tallies. Liverpool outshot Southampton 17-11 (5-1 on target) and possessed for two-thirds of the match.
Now Liverpool hosts Chelsea, a strong candidate for third place in the table. Chelsea comes in off that strong 2-0 home win over West Ham. Will Liverpool’s solid offense overwhelm Chelsea? Or will the Reds give up a tough loss at home?
Final Score Prediction: Liverpool 3, Chelsea 2
