The Scout: EPL Week 35 Preview

Posted on May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 | Posted by The Scout

Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United – Friday, May 5 (kick-off 3am WA time)

Brighton have had an exceptional season, accumulating a club record 52 Premier League points, one more than last year, but Roberto De Zerbi isn’t finished yet.

The Italian manager, who had big shoes to fill when he replaced Graham Potter last year, has his sights set on a place in next season’s Europa League.

An upset victory over Manchester United would keep that ambition intact, while also making up for Brighton’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to the Red Devils late last month. Brighton lost on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

Since then, Albion suffered the hangover of a defeat to Nottingham Forest before smashing six goals past Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Aside from the goals scored by Pascal Gross, Danny Welbeck and Deniz Undav, there were sparkling performances from Billy Gilmour, Julio Enciso and Pervis Estupinan. Victory over Wolves was secured long before World Cup winner Alex Mac Allister, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo were rolled out.

De Zerbi has plenty of options at his disposal ahead of the clash with a United side unbeaten in their past five Premier League games.

But there have been recent disappointments for Erik Ten Hag’s side, such as crashing out of the Europa League with a heavy defeat to Sevilla, and blowing a two-goal lead against Tottenham before settling for a draw.

But victory over Brighton will take them to the brink of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

This should serve as motivation for the likes of Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford to get the job done.

Suggested Bet: Brighton win + Both teams to score (Same Game Multi) @ $3.35*

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Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace – Saturday, May 6 (kick-off 10pm WA time)

Tottenham Hotspur’s UEFA Champions League hopes are all but gone with a top-four Premier League finish almost certainly out of reach.

The question now is whether they can secure a place in the Europa League with Aston Villa and Brighton both breathing down their neck.

Victory over Crystal Palace would keep Spurs on course for some form of European football next season, but they will have to be at their best to beat Roy Hodgson’s revitalised side.

There was a glimmer of hope for Tottenham in their second-half response against Liverpool when after trailing 3-0 they drew level in stoppage time only to suffer a 4-3 defeat.

Not for the first time, Spurs had thrown away points on the road, although their record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they have accumulated 34 points in 17 matches, is better than the 20 points they have from their travels.

On to their third manager since March 26 when Antonio Conte left a rabble for Cristian Stellini, who oversaw a win, a draw and two defeat, unsurprisingly there has been no bounce under Ryan Mason.

In comparison to the Spurs shenanigans, Roy Hodgson has worked wonders at Palace, turning inconsistency into four wins and a draw from the six games he has been in charge.

The only concern for Hodgson is that having secured their Premier League status for next season, Palace players might take their foot off the gas.

Hodgson might just remind the likes of Eberechi Eze, Jordan Ayew, Jeffrey Schlupp and Wilfried Zaha, who all scored in a 4-3 win over West Ham last weekend, of the 4-0 defeat Spurs inflicted on Palace in January.

But Palace don’t seem inclined to back off now, and unless Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min, Ivan Perisic and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are on their game, another Hodgson victory is not out of the question.

Suggested Bet: Half Time/Full Time – Palace/Draw @ $15*

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Arsenal v Newcastle United – Sunday, May 7 (kick-off 11.30pm WA time)

Despite a recent stalling of their Premier League campaign, goals have not been a problem for Mikel Arteta’s side with 81 scored in 34 matches. The goals continued to flow during a midweek match against Chelsea when Arsenal cruised to a 3-1 victory.

Gabriel Martinelli, who came off the bench against the Blues, remains Arsenal’s top scorer this season with 15 Premier League goals, with midfielder Martin Odegaard just one behind after scoring a double against Chelsea. Bukayo Saka has 13 for the season and Gabriel Jesus, who was also on target against Chelsea, is on 10 Premier League goals.

Arteta will be hoping the win over Frank Lampard’s struggling side marks a return to form after a string of poor results.

Handsome victories over Fulham (3-0), Crystal Palace (4-1) and Leeds (4-1) were then followed by draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Arsenal before a resounding 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

The victory over Chelsea took Arsenal back to the top of the table, although Manchester City are only two points behind and take on West Ham United in the early hours of Thursday morning (WA time).

Newcastle United’s own charge towards Europe has hit another gear in recent weeks. Since losing 3-0 to Aston Villa, the Magpies have scored 13 goals in three matches, leaving Tottenham (6-1), Everton (4-1) and bottom side Southampton (3-1) in their wake.

And while the goals have come from various sources, the lion’s share has gone to Callum Wilson, who has bagged five in three games to boost his Premier League account to 15 for the season.

Alexander Isak, Jacob Murphy and Joelinton have also found the net, while Newcastle have retained the best defensive record in the competition. The goalkeeping of Nick Pope and central defensive pairing of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar have been key to their stinginess.

The heavy loss to Villa looks like an aberration but Arsenal will be hoping to prove otherwise.

Suggested Bet: Under 2.5 goals + Isak to score (Same Game Multi) @ $10*

*Odds correct as at 1pm, 3rd May 2023.

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