Recap:
It was a bit of a light weekend in the EPL last week as Liverpool and Chelsea’s matches were rescheduled due to the Carabao Cup Final (a bracket-style, knockout competition in England) being played on Sunday (Congrats to Liverpool on their win!).
As for our bets, we went 1-2 for the main bets with Brighton and Manchester United struggling to get a win, although we cashed in on Bukayo Saka to score and our Bonus Bet with Crystal Palace. Outside of the English Premier League we went 1-1, with Atletico Madrid failing to get a win but with FC Dallas winning with a dramatic stoppage time goal.
This weekend is a relatively normal weekend in the Premier League, however, games in other competitions are stacking up, with some clubs having just played in FA Cup matches (another knockout style in England but more prestigious than the Carabao Cup), and with some clubs getting prepared for upcoming midweek matches in European club competition (Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League).
Let’s get into some of the weekend’s best bets.
Pick #1: Everton Moneyline +110 (March 2, 2024; 10:00 a.m. EST):
West Ham had a good match against Brentford on Monday at home to break an 8-match winless streak across all competitions, getting their first win of 2024. However, they now travel to Merseyside to face Everton before traveling to Freiburg in Germany for a Europa league match on Thursday, a tough match to which I’m sure they’ll be looking ahead.
Everton are also a team I’ve loved to fade lately, having only won 1 of their last 13 matches across all competitions, but not today. Everton will be in good spirits, as they just had a 10-point ban for violations of EPL rules related to spending more than allowed compared to their income reduced to only 6 points following an appeal, moving them up to 15th in the Premier League. They’ll use this momentum (and the home crowd) to get the win and start to turn things around.
Bottom Line: West Ham under David Moyes often rely on the counter-attack, whereas Sean Dyche and Everton play defensively and pragmatically. Expect Everton to control the match while they look for the winning goal.
Bonus: More of an Over/Under person? Take Under 2.5 Goals +100.
Pick #2: Aston Villa Moneyline -150 (March 2, 2024; 12:30 p.m. EST):
Luton have lost their last 4 games across all competitions, being outscored 15-5 in those matches. And to make matters worse, top scorer Elijah Adebayo is out with a hamstring injury. Will Luton Town be able to handle the pressure of a home game on a Saturday evening primetime match? I think not.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, have won their last 2 games and are building a little momentum. They do have tough matches coming up, playing Ajax in Amsterdam in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, then Spurs, then Ajax again. Although this may look like a tough spot for Villa, Unai Emery will push his team to win in primetime and keep a hold on 4th place, which is important as the top 4 teams in the EPL will qualify for next year’s Champions League, Europe’s elite club soccer competition.
Bottom Line: Aston Villa have the momentum to overcome a shaky Luton Town at home.
Pick #3: Bournemouth Moneyline +105 (March 3, 2024; 8:00 a.m. EST):
A clash between two struggling sides. Bournemouth haven’t won in their last 7 league games and crashed out of the FA Cup to Leicester City, who are currently playing in the 2nd tier of English soccer. The other bad news, Dominic Solanke (14 goals, 3 assists this season) looks to have a knee injury and may not play. However, I like this spot for Bournemouth, as they’ll look to start a better run of form with this match against Burnley before taking on Sheffield United and Luton Town.
Burnley are struggling worse, having only won 2 of their last 21 matches across all competitions and only 3 Premier League matches this season, having only beaten Luton, Sheffield United, and Fulham, relatively lower caliber teams. They can’t seem to find the heights they had last season that got them promoted and are struggling to adapt to life in the Premier League.
Bottom Line: I like this one regardless of whether Solanke plays, but perhaps wait until closer to kickoff to see if he starts or if the line moves in favor of Burnley if he doesn’t.
Bonus: Looking for something on the Manchester Derby on Sunday? I like Kevin De Bruyne anytime assist +110. He had 4 in their recent FA Cup match.
Around the Grounds:
LAFC +135 (USA; MLS)
Real Madrid -170 (Spain; La Liga)
Girona +125 (Spain; La Liga)
Galatasaray +100 (Turkey; Super Lig)
AS Roma +100 (Italy; Serie A)
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