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Best Weekend Odds

Weekend Top Bet Tips (8th & 9th April)

Arsenal travel to Anfield in search of a first win in over a decade while Napoli aim to bounce back after a humiliating defeat to Milan last weekend. Everton will look to hand Manchester United their second home defeat of the season while Frank Lampard, back in Chelsea, head to Wolves. We talk about these and more but, before that, you can head to our Cross Sport Specials page to check out some of the special offers we have.

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Lecce vs Napoli

Napoli suffered a devastating 4-0 loss at home to Milan on Sunday, and the belief heading into this game is that the league leaders will bounce back with a win against a Leece side without a clean sheet in this tie since 1997. A lot was made of Victor Osimhen’s absence against Milan, and perhaps rightly so as they barely threatened goalkeeper Mike Maignan, despite having the lion’s share of possession. However, it would also be fair to point out that in all seven games without the Nigerian forward this season before Sunday’s clash with Milan, Napoli had a 100% winning record (three games in the Champions League and four in Serie A), including a 2-1 win at the San Siro in September. While Victor Osimhen remains an integral part of the team, they have proven they can function for extended periods in his absence, and maybe the 4-0 loss can be brushed off because of the complacency of a team with an 18-point lead.

Leece remains one of the few teams to take points off Napoli this season, so it would be careless to write them off. In their first meeting back in August, Elmas opened the scoring for Napoli in the 27th minute before Colombo, who had missed a penalty earlier in the game, drew level for Leece four minutes later. Avoiding a defeat in this meeting would mark the first time since the 2000/01 season in which they would go unbeaten against the Neapolitans. That said, Leece knows that this would be a tough game for them, especially given their current form. Five losses in a row, including two straight at home in which they’ve failed to score, have put manager Marco Baroni on the hot seat. Though they have a somewhat comfortable eight-point gap between them and the relegation zone, there are genuine concerns that a few more dreadful weeks could see them get thrown into the relegation battle. Against a Napoli team that has scored in 12 consecutive meetings against them while averaging 1.9 goals in that period, Baroni has his work cut out for him.

Lecce Form: L-L-L-L-L

Napoli Form: L-W-W-W-L

With a big week in the Champions League coming up, we expect Victor Osimhen to be rested for this game. Luciano Spalletti will rely on his team’s excellent away record – the best in the league – which has seen them pick up 12 wins (1D, 1L) from 14 games. They have kept clean sheets in 6 consecutive Serie A away games and are a game away of equalling Milan’s record of 7 which they set in the 1993/94 season.

Predictions:

Napoli to win @1.64
Napoli to keep a clean sheet @2.05
Napoli to score over 1.5 goals @1.86

Manchester United vs Everton

Manchester United bounced back from their poor 2-0 loss to Newcastle over the weekend with a 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday, and while it was enough to get them back into the top 4, their recent struggles in front of goal were once again a concern. With the 4-0 defeat to Brentford earlier in the season still fresh in their minds, Erik ten Hag’s side was determined to secure all three points in this game following their loss to Newcastle. They dominated possession (65%) and had thrice as many shots (18) as Brentford, but they once again seemed to rely heavily on Rashford to bail them out. Manchester United had gone over 300 minutes of Premier League football without scoring a goal before Rashford’s 27th-minute winner, highlighting their struggles in front of goal in recent weeks. Luckily for them, this tie is at Old Trafford where they haven’t suffered a loss since the opening game of the season to Brighton & Hove. Also, this game is the 4th of Casemiro’s 4-game ban and their struggles in the middle of the pitch – which has resurfaced in recent weeks – should be taken care of.

Everton’s form has been all over the place in recent weeks which has been reflected in their league standings where they’re 15th but sit above the relegation zone on just goal difference. But, unlike Manchester United, they’ve looked in front of goal in recent weeks. They’ve scored 6 goals in their last 4 games and have displayed excellent resilience especially in their last 2 games where they’ve come from behind to snatch points against Chelsea and Spurs. We expect this excellent scoring form to continue against the Red Devils whom they’ve found the back of the net in 9 consecutive games. Everton have just one win in their last 29 Premier League trips to Old Trafford, but they’ve held the hosts to draws in each of their last 3 visits. Sadly for Everton, they’ll be without Malian international, Abdoulaye Doucouré who was sent off in Monday night’s draw with Spurs. Doucouré, who received a straight red for hitting Harry Kane in the face, had been Everton’s most influential player in recent weeks with 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 games and they will undoubtedly feel his absence.

Manchester United Form: D-W-W-L-W

Everton Form: L-D-W-D-D

Manchester United have won both fixtures against Everton this season – a 2-1 Premier League victory at Goodison Park and a 3-1 win in the FA Cup. Their 38 league wins against the Toffees is their second most against one team in the competition behind Spurs (39). In a surprising twist, they’ve gone 9 games without a clean sheet against Everton – their longest streak in the Premier League against one team.

Predictions:

Both teams to score @1.86
Over 2.5 goals @1.81
Man Utd to win @1.53
King’s Combo: Rashford to score & Man Utd to win @2.50

Liverpool vs Arsenal

Most experts feel this tie could be the most significant in Arsenal’s quest for a first league title since 2004, and it’s easy to see why. Alongside the Etihad, Anfield has been the Gunners’ toughest ground to visit in the Premier League and Mikel Arteta’s men will have to be borderline flawless if they are to record their first set of consecutive wins against the Reds since 2012 and their first league double since the 2009/10 season. They’ve won 7 Premier League games in a row and have maintained an 8-point lead with just 9 games left, thanks to their young core, led by Bukayo Saka, which has shown no sign of slowing down and have racked up victories in different ways. Their away form has been a key reason for their impeccable form this season. They’ve won a league high 11 of 14 away games, scored a league high 28 goals in those games and conceded a league low 9 games. Their 34 points picked up on the road is 7 more than the next best team (Man City) but now, they travel to Anfield where they haven’t won since 2012.

Liverpool have won each of their last 6 home games against Arsenal, scoring at least 3 goals in each of those games (22 goals). The Gunners have kept just 12 clean sheets in their 61 Premier League meetings with the hosts, their lowest against a team in the competition’s history, and we could be treated to yet another goal fest. Most Arsenal fans will be quick to dismiss this rich history Liverpool have enjoyed on this ground because of their recent struggles and, they might be right to. Liverpool has struggled so much in recent weeks (especially away from home) and, as a result, Jürgen Kloop dropped Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk in their Tuesday night draw at Stamford Bridge. In their absence, Liverpool kept a clean sheet, though; it was down to Chelsea’s wastefulness in front of goal. Another player who lost his place in the starting lineup on Tuesday was Mo Salah. The Egyptian has an excellent record against the Gunners, and he’ll be itching to make a statement on Sunday. Stretching back to his days at Chelsea, Salah has 8 goals and 4 assists in 12 league games against Arsenal, though he was ineffective in their earlier meeting this season and had to be taken off.

Liverpool Form: W-L-L-L-D

Arsenal Form: D-W-L-W-W

Liverpool have won 5 and drawn 1 of their last 6 league games at Anfield. In that stretch, they’ve scored 16 goals and conceded just twice while keeping 4 clean sheets. However, their overall form since the 7-0 win over Man Utd has been appalling. 3 wins and a draw (while scoring just once) has seen them knocked out of the Champions League while their chances of making the Top 4 has taken a hit. However, it’s important to mention that all 4 of these games have come on the road, and they now return to Anfield where they’ve lost just 1 league game in 36.

Predictions:

Wolves vs Chelsea

Chelsea are winless in their last two trips to the Molineux Stadium (D1, L1), with their last victory – a 5-2 win – coming in September 2019. That win came under a certain Frank Lampard, and thankfully he’s back in charge of the Blues. In a surprising twist, Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s Chairman, and co-owner went the interim-route after letting go of Graham Potter. More prominent managers like Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino, and the recently dismissed Julian Nagelsmann were all rumored to be in line for the job, but club legend Lampard was rehired a little over two years after he was sacked by former owner Roman Abramovich. With an important tie against Real Madrid coming up, it’ll be interesting to see if this decision is the latest in a string of poor moves by Boehly.

Chelsea won their last away game (3-1 vs. Leicester City), but that was their first in 2023 and their first in 12 games. New signings have continued to struggle to fit in, especially in attack, where they’ve had difficulty finishing chances. One positive for the Blues, though, is the return of N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman returned from a long spell on the sidelines and was arguably the best player in Tuesday’s draw with Liverpool. Though they didn’t capitalize on his fine display, he provided something Lampard can build on.

Though they’ve lost three and drawn one of their last five league games, Wolves have risen to 14th in the league standings. However, with just seven points separating 12th place Crystal Palace and 20th place Southampton, a lot shouldn’t be read into that. One reason why Wolves have found themselves in a relegation battle this season is their attack. With just 23 goals in 29 games, they have the joint-worst attack in the league, alongside Everton and bottom of the table Southampton. They’ve finally ended their run of 11 months without a goal from a center-forward following Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha’s goals in recent weeks, but there’s still a lot to be desired by Julen Lopetegui’s side.

Wolves Form: L-W-L-L-D

Chelsea Form: W-W-D-L-D

These two sides have produced some of the least entertaining games this season, judging solely on goals scored. 62% of Chelsea’s games have produced Under 2.5 goals – the second highest in the league – while, for Wolves, that figure stands at 59%.

Predictions:

Double Chance: Chelsea to win or draw @1.24
Under 2.5 goals @1.71
Under 10.5 Corners @1.43

Nice vs PSG

Back-to-back losses in the league, and three in seven, have seen PSG’s lead at the top of Ligue 1 cut to six points. Luckily for them, history strongly favors them, as no team with a six-point lead after 29 games played has failed to win the league. However, they would be wise not to dismiss the possibility of unlikely league winners emerging all over Europe, and with RC Lens hot on their trail.

PSG’s defensive struggles continued in the defeat to Lyon last weekend, despite Marquinhos making his return. Danilo Pereira and 17-year-old El Chadaille Bitshiabu were part of the back three alongside the Brazilian, but Bradley Barcola’s second-half strike was enough to earn the visitors a win. The fans made their frustration known as they repeatedly booed Lionel Messi, while manager Christophe Galtier has reportedly been given two games to save his job. With off-field distractions growing and their shaky defense showing no signs of improvement, it’s easy to see PSG dropping more points against a Nice side that has the second-best defense in the league.

In 2023, Nice have picked up the most points (17) against teams in the top half of the table, four more than PSG (14). This fine form post-World Cup has made up for their poor start to the season, which saw them lose five and draw two of their opening nine games, including a 2-1 loss at Parc des Princes. With a chance to make it into Europe well within their reach, they will be going for all three points against their former manager, Galtier. They are likely to deploy a tactic that has proven very effective in recent weeks against PSG – the smash and grab. Most teams have kept things tight at the back while heavily relying on counter-attacks which has worked. As a result, PSG have failed to score in their last two games, both of which ended in losses. Nigeria’s Terem Moffi will be one player to keep an eye on, as he provides the perfect outlet for this game plan. He has scored 16 goals and registered two assists in the league this season, and his 35% goal conversion rate is the fourth-highest in the country.

Nice Form: W-D-W-D-D

PSG Form: W-L-W-L-L

Nice’s 14-game unbeaten run is their 2nd longest in club history and longest since their 16-game run in 1984. They’ve also not lost at home in 10 games, their longest run since going on a 23-game run between 2016 and 2017.

Predictions:

Southampton vs Manchester City

The upcoming match between Manchester City and Southampton seems like a foregone conclusion, with City boasting the best attack in the league while Southampton have the worst. City have been in scintillating form recently, winning seven games in a row, while scoring 17 goals in their last three outings. Erling Haaland was absent in last weekend’s home win over Liverpool, but that did not stop Pep Guardiola’s side as they carved the Reds open at will. Although the Norwegian may be absent for the second consecutive league game due to a midweek match against Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola’s team should still have more than enough firepower to secure a comfortable victory.

Despite being heavy underdogs in this match, Southampton may take heart from their EFL Cup win over Manchester City in January. In that game, which featured some of City’s top players including Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland, the Saints – then coached by Nathan Jones – managed to hold on to a 2-0 lead and progress to the semifinals. However, under new coach Ruben Selles, Southampton’s form has been poor, failing to score in three of their last four games, and they are likely to struggle against a City team they have only beaten once in their last 13 Premier League meetings.

Southampton Form: W-D-L-D-L

Manchester City Form: W-W-W-W-W

Southampton have kept just one league clean sheet at home this season – the least by any team. They won the least number of home games (2), scored the least goals (14), conceded the most (24) and accrued the fewest points (10); a terrible combination to have with Manchester City at your doorsteps.

Predictions: