Odds, team news and previews ahead of tonight’s games
It’s a bumper Wednesday in the Premier League, with 10 teams in action across five fixtures.
The biggest ties see Manchester United take on a Sheffield United side who have struggled since the restart, while Liverpool face in-form Crystal Palace at Anfield.
While this always looked like a tough test on paper, Man Utd will be buoyed by Sheffield Utd’s poor form since the restart, after they controversially drew with Aston Villa and lost 3-0 to Newcastle.
Furthermore, the Blades have already played twice in the last seven days, with Man Utd playing just once, which could give them the edge in terms of sharpness going into tonight’s game.
With Jack O’Connell yet to feature since the restart and John Egan suspended after his sending off at Newcastle, Chris Wilder will be forced to shuffle the pack at the back once more, with 37-year-old defender Phil Jagielka set to make just his second league start for the club.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson is also ineligible to play against his parent club and combined with the other changes at the back, that could spell real trouble for Wilder’s men.
With a likely makeshift defence and Sheffield United yet to score since the league’s return, Man Utd are 11/10 to win to nil.
Steve Bruce’s team surprised many with their 3-0 victory over Sheffield United on Sunday, showcasing the kind of attacking coherence and clinical finishing they’ve lacked at times this season.
Villa meanwhile have been poor in both of their fixtures, with their bad habit of throwing away an early lead and losing persisting even after the break. They’re also desperately in need of points ahead of ties against Wolves, Liverpool and Man Utd.
As mentioned above, Villa have now lost from a winning position five times this season and can be backed at a big 33/1 to lead at half-time and lose by full-time, as happened in their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
After netting against Sheffield United, Newcastle striker Joelinton is looking to score in back-to-back league games for the first time since doing so for Hoffenheim in 2018. He’s 6/1 to open the scoring, or 13/5 anytime, with teammate Dwight Gayle at 11/2 to score first, or 12/5 to net anytime.
The early optimism of Norwich as Teemu Pukki set the league alight in opening weeks is now long gone and they find themselves five points adrift of the nearest team and six behind 17th-placed West Ham. If they’re to perform the miracle Daniel Farke claims is possible, they’ll need to start with a win here.
Everton meanwhile come into this one off the back of a creditable 0-0 draw with Liverpool. You suspect Carlos Ancelotti will be using the rest of the season to examine his squad in forensic detail, as he plans for the summer transfer window and beyond.
Both sides have struggled in front of goal in recent games, Norwich are goal-less in four, with Everton failing to score in two and you can back a correct score of 0-0 at 10/1.
One of the league’s form sides play a team who have claimed just one point from their last five games, as Wolves take on struggling Bournemouth.
Wolves picked up where they left off as the league resumed, sweeping aside West Ham 2-0 at the London Stadium, while Bournemouth fell to 2-0 defeat away to Crystal Palace last time out.
Wolves have kept a clean sheet at home in their last three consecutive games, while Bournemouth have failed to keep one in their last 13 games, putting Wolves to win to nil at 13/10.
After scoring against West Ham, Raul Jimenez is now Wolves’ record scorer for a single season in the Premier League, with 14 goals. He can be backed at 14/5 to score first, or 23/20 anytime.
Bournemouth’s goalscoring hopes rest with Callum Wilson at 10/3 to score anytime, with Harry Wilson at 7/2 and Josh King at 4/1.
While the title is all but theirs, Liverpool’s progress toward sealing their victory has been frustratingly slow, especially with the enforced break.
Liverpool now need just five points to claim the title, but they come up against a Crystal Palace team who are quietly in excellent form, with four wins on the trot, albeit largely against struggling sides.
While Liverpool have beaten Crystal Palace in their last five encounters, Palace’s last three wins against Liverpool have all come at Anfield, and if you think Palace could pose problems for Jurgen Klopps team, you can find Liverpool to win with both teams to score at 23/10.
