Sports

The Scout: EPL Matchday 21

Cardiff City vs Tottenham

2nd January, 1.30am WST

December has been a great month for Cardiff. Three wins and a draw from seven matches leaves them four points clear of the relegation zone. That R word was looking almost certain earlier in the season for the Welsh side, but they have put in some great defensive performances of late and have been a frustrating team to play against.

Tottenham will want to forget their last match, going down at home to Wolverhampton. Aside from this defeat, the Spurs have been fantastic having won five of their last six Premier League matches including a 6-2 belting of Everton and a 5-0 thrashing of Bournemouth.

It’s quite clear that the attacking players at Tottenham are finally finding their stride, with Danish superstar Christian Eriksen being the centrepiece. Another player that has really taken his game to a new level is South Korean forward Son Heung-min, who has six goals and two assists in the last six games.

On paper, this match shapes as another slaughter. Tottenham will be embarrassed by their most recent performance and the players will want an immediate response for their fans and for their manager.

Suggested Bet: Match Result Tottenham And Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.00


Wolverhampton vs Crystal Palace

3rd January, 3.45am WST

Wolverhampton followed up their disappointing Boxing Day draw against Fulham with arguably their best performance of the season away from home against Tottenham. Down 1-0 early, the Wolves continued to execute their game plan and rallied to an impressive 3-1 victory. Meanwhile Crystal Palace followed up their huge upset win over Manchester City with an ugly 0-0 draw against Cardiff.

Liverpool remain the only “big six” team that have taken all three points from the Wolves. Now 7th, they’ve had huge wins against London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham (both in December) and draws against Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. It’s important now that they handle business against the lower tier teams, especially at home.

Crystal Palace have struggled to score all season and their 0-0 result was a massive letdown after such an impressive win over Man City. Wolverhampton are the more balanced overall side, and have far more routes to goal.

Suggested Bet: Match Result Wolverhampton @ $2


Newcastle vs Manchester United

3rd January, 4am WST

Newcastle have been disappointing after a promising November which saw them win three matches in a row. They’ll be glad to see the end of December, managing just one win in seven matches, leaving them 15th on the League table.

Manchester United (6th) have had a great run under temporary manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær and the players appear to have found new motivation. They are undefeated in this time and would like their chances of cracking the top four in the new year.

Although Manchester United’s opponents have not been of the highest quality, the team are playing with a new sense of freedom and are clearly enjoying their football. Impressive play from Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba has been the catalyst.

Newcastle’s biggest issue is scoring goals. They are the second worst team in the Premier League for goals scored with just 15 for the season. Over Newcastle’s last seven matches, they have only managed to score three times. Their only shining light up front is Venezuelan Solomon Rondon – if he gets shut down Newcastle are likely to not score at all.

It’s hard to see any result other than a United win here. They are scoring goals at will and are playing with a free-flowing intensity that was not seen under José Mourinho. Looks the bet of the round.

Suggested bet: Match Result Manchester United @ $1.70

*Odds correct as at 8.30am WST 31st December 2018.

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