The Scout: EPL Week 38 Preview

Posted on May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 | Posted by The Scout

Everton v Bournemouth – Sunday, May 28 (11.30pm kick-off WA time)

Sean Dyche can keep Everton in the English Premier League by inspiring a victory against Bournemouth on the final day of the season.

Despite some positive signs, Everton have won just one of their last 10 games, a remarkable 5-1 thrashing of Brighton at the Amex Stadium in which Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure each scored twice. In their most recent game, Yerry Mina’s goal in the ninth-minute of stoppage time against Wolves earned the Toffees a point.

Everton are likely to be without injury-prone striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been substituted in the Toffees’ last two appearances. He had a groin problem against Manchester City and came off with hamstring concerns against Wolves.

Everton can’t afford a repeat performance of the last time they faced Bournemouth when they suffered a 3-0 defeat thanks to goals from Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Jaidon Anthony.

Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil has hardly cracked a smile all season despite doing a remarkable job in keeping the Cherries in the Premier League.

When he took over, Bournemouth had conceded 16 goals in losing three successive games to Manchester City (4-0), Arsenal (3-0) and Liverpool (9-0). O’Neil’s predecessor, Scott Parker, had talked himself out of the job by claiming Bournemouth weren’t equipped for the high standards of the Premier League.

O’Neil thought otherwise and has proved it by picking up 36 points in his 33 Premier League games. A recent run of seven victories from 12 matches secured their Premier League future, although they have lost three in a row with defeats to Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

With just seven goals all campaign, Philip Billing is Bournemouth’s top scorer, while Dominic Solanke has six for the Cherries.

Suggested Bet: Everton win + Under 2.5 goals (Same Game Multi) @ $3.90*

---

Leeds v Tottenham – Sunday, May 28 (11.30pm kick-off WA time)

He found a five-pound note during defeat to West Ham United but there hasn’t been too much else to cheer up Leeds United boss Sam Allardyce since arriving at Elland Road.

Leeds are yet to win in three games since Allardyce took the reins but victory in their last game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur could keep them in the Premier League depending on other results.

Form is not on their side. There was the almost inevitable defeat to champions Manchester City in Allardyce’s first game before Rasmus Kristensen earned a point with an equaliser against Newcastle United.

If Leeds fans hoped that was a sign the ship was turning in the right direction under Allardyce, they would’ve been further buoyed by Rodrigo’s opener against West Ham.

But that goal – and the fiver – were as good as it got for Leeds, who were beaten 3-1 by the Hammers. Injuries to Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo have compounded Leeds’ problems.

They are second-from-bottom with 31 points and a minus-27 goal difference. Third-bottom Leicester are on 31 points and have a minus-18 goal difference, with fourth-bottom Everton on 33 points and minus-24 goal difference.

Despite all that, this is a game that Leeds can win, given Tottenham’s own erratic season. Spurs have won just one of their past seven games – Harry Kane’s goal earning a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Since that win, they have lost away to Aston Villa and at home to Brentford. On both occasions Kane scored a Spurs consolation.

Tipped to push for a top-four finish, Spurs have drifted to eighth place and even a place in next season’s Europa League looks like a bridge too far.

Leeds, on the other hand, are fighting for Premier League survival and that could be the difference against Spurs. But even a victory might not be enough to keep them up.

Suggested Bet: Half Time/Full Time – Leeds/Leeds @ $4.10*

---

Leicester City v West Ham – Sunday, May 28 (11.30pm kick-off WA time)

Despite players of the quality of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Timothy Castagne and Jamie Vardy, Leicester City are in deep trouble heading into their final game of the season.

At 36, age is against Vardy but the others are in their mid-20s and, on their day, are good enough to play for England, in Maddison’s case, and Belgium, as Tielemans and Castagne have done.

But it’s come to this. Like second-bottom Leeds United, third-bottom Leicester need to win and hope for other results to go their way if they are to avoid relegation.

If Everton beat Bournemouth, success for Leicester against West Ham won’t save them, although current form is hardly an indication they can beat the Hammers anyway.

Leicester have won just one of their past 15 matches, a sequence that started under Brendan Rodgers and has continued under Dean Smith, who has won one, drawn three and lost three games during his short spell as manager.

A hard-fought goalless draw against Newcastle this week earned a point that might’ve been three had Nick Pope not saved Castagne’s stoppage-time effort. But that would’ve been far more than Leicester deserved given it was their first shot on target.

In the Foxes favour is West Ham’s schedule, with David Moyes far more interested in his side’s Europa Conference League Final against Fiorentina on June 7.

It would be no surprise if Moyes was to rest some of his stars for the Leicester game, with the likes of Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Aaron Cresswell among the Hammers’ most overworked players this season.

The clash with Fiorentina is West Ham’s first European final in 47 years, which seems a good reason for the Hammers to keep their powder dry against Leicester.

Suggested Bet: Leicester win + Under 2.5 goals (Same Game Multi) @ $4.90*

*Odds correct as at 10am, 24th May 2023.

Market Market