Sports

The Scout: EPL Week 24 Preview

Posted on | Posted by The Scout

Chelsea v Southampton

Southampton are likely to be without a permanent manager when they go into a difficult away fixture against Chelsea after Nathan Jones’ sacking last weekend. Given the dreadful form under Jones, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. At the time of writing, assistant manager Ruben Selles is set to take the team to Stamford Bridge.

Southampton are rock bottom in the Premier League, four points from safety and are on the hunt for a third manager of the season. Ralph Hasenhuttl was in charge for the first 14 games of the campaign, and Jones lasted only eight Premier League games.

Saints won just one Premier League match under Jones – a 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Everton – and lost their other seven games during his tenure. James Ward-Prowse, who will be coveted by Premier League survivors if the last-placed Saints are relegated, is Southampton’s standout performer in a squad that doesn’t look equipped for the Premier League. Last weekend’s defeat to 10-man Wolves – when Saints had a 1-0 lead – says it all.

Chelsea continue to be a work in progress under Graham Potter, whose time has been hindered by injuries to some key players. Not that anyone should be feeling sorry for Chelsea, given they splashed out around AUD$500 million on new players in the January transfer window. This included a British record of around AUD$180 million on Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, and more than AUD$150 million on Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk.

And then there are Mason Mount, Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Conor Gallagher etc, etc, etc.

Suggested Bet: Chelsea Half Time + Chelsea 2nd Half (Same Game Multi) @ $3.20*

Everton v Leeds

Everton’s Sean Dyche-bubble lasted exactly one match – a win over Arsenal – before it was burst by Liverpool.

But former Burnley boss Dyche will be far more nervous about the outcome of their clash with Leeds than any concerns over the mid-week Merseyside derby loss.

If Everton are to avoid the drop into England’s second tier for the first time in more than 70 years, victories over fellow battlers are essential.

Although Everton weren’t disgraced against Liverpool, without Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front they managed just one shot on-target.

The Toffees came unstuck just seconds after their best moment when James Tarkowski’s header struck a post and Everton failed to prevent a counterattack, which resulted in Mohamed Salah scoring at the other end.

Injury-plagued Calvert-Lewin may not be available for the clash with Leeds, who find themselves in a similar boat as Everton.

Still searching for a replacement for the sacked Jesse Marsch, Leeds maybe a point above Everton but they are a step behind in their post-manager rebuild.

In the wake of Marsch’s departure, Leeds earned a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford before losing 2-0 in the reverse fixture.

They might go into this game without a manager, but they have players who can hurt Everton. The lively Wilfried Gnonto, who caught United napping with a goal in the first minute of their recent draw, will be ready to capitalise on any Everton slip-up. And it seems only a matter of time before Patrick Bamford gets back into the groove of scoring regularly – assuming he can stay fit.

Even if they don’t have a gaffer, Leeds can make a statement at Goodison Park.

Suggested Bet: Leeds to win @ $3.05*

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Bournemouth

Successive victories over Liverpool and Southampton have increased a sense of optimism at Wolverhampton Wanderers that has been growing almost since the moment Julen Lopetegui took charge.

Wolves have won four and lost only two of their seven matches under the Spaniard, who is squeezing every drop out of a squad that had won just four of 17 matches in all competitions before his arrival.

A midfield boasting the talents of Portuguese trio Joao Moutinho, Daniel Podence and Ruben Neves has made up for a lack of goals from the club’s strikers.

Neves and Podence have scored five goals each while front men Raul Jimenez and Diego Costa are yet to score in the Premier League.

Wolves, who are 15th, will go into the game with confidence and a five-point lead over second-from-bottom Bournemouth.

The Cherries are in such a poor run of form, it’s hard to see how they will avoid the drop, although a victory against Wolves could take them out of the bottom three. The incentive is there; the capacity to win may not be.

Bournemouth have won only one of their past 13 Premier League matches, losing nine and drawing three, although two of those (against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United) have come in their past three outings.

Manager Gary O’Neil can’t even draw on some historical reference to motivate his players – Bournemouth have lost three and drawn two of the five Premier League matches between the teams.

But he will remind the likes of Philip Billing, Dominic Solanke and Jefferson Lerma that the effort they put in to draw with high-flying Newcastle last weekend, can pay off more handsomely with a win over Wolves.

Suggested Bet: Wolves to win @ $1.67*

*Odds correct as at 12pm, 15th February 2023.

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