The latest round of matches in the return of the Premier League concludes on Thursday night and it is an evening where Liverpool fans will be watching on intently as it could be the time where their 30-year spell without a title comes to an end.
Manchester City need to win at Chelsea to avoid handing Liverpool the title, in what is comfortably the pick of the offerings on show on Thursday, but the other two matches carry more than an ounce of intrigue to them.
Southampton vs Arsenal (18.00)
Where to watch: Sky Main Event or Sky Football
The main match of the first kick off time in this triple header of action comes from St Mary’s where the focus will be on Arsenal to see if their troubles continue or whether they can pick up a positive result when they take on a Southampton side who should be full of confidence.
Southampton didn’t beat anything special in Norwich City on Friday night but it was the way they beat them which caught the eye. They were very composed in the surroundings and showed great confidence in what was a thoroughly impressive and convincing win. Arsenal have played twice and they are starting to look a right mess. It isn’t that they’ve lost the two matches, it is how they have done it with their defensive issues coming to the fore once again.
I can’t say Southampton are a side who convince me as favourites but they are definitely a team who will enjoy having no fans at home because their record with supporters in St Mary’s over the last few seasons has been horrific. That said, Arsenal have to be here for the taking. Bernd Leno has been one of their bright spots this season and he’s missing, as are a whole host of players, which could restrict Arteta’s ability to rotate his pack, and the strength he has on the bench. Southampton look like good things here although given the nature of the beast I’ll play the draw no bet market.
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Burnley vs Watford (18.00)
Where to watch: Sky Premier League, Sky One, Sky Sports Action or Pick
The free to air match on Thursday evening comes from Turf Moor where Burnley will be hoping things get much easier for them when they entertain Watford than it was when they took on Manchester City on Monday night.
That match couldn’t have gone much worse for the Clarets, losing 5-0 and then having the fallout from that plane to deal with in the aftermath. Watford will be content with their return to action, holding a decent Leicester side to a draw, even if they did need a very late equaliser to secure a share of the spoils. This is a match they will be looking to win as they aim to take advantage of defeats for West Ham and Bournemouth earlier in this set of fixtures.
I think it is important not to write Burnley off on the back of one bad result, a result they regularly run into at the Etihad Stadium and we should expect much more from them here. Watford will fancy their chances so hopefully we’ll see a good game although I don’t fancy much in the first half. Goals have been at a premium in the Premier League in the opening periods and these two sides aren’t exactly full of goals. When you factor in that temperatures are going to be roasting at kick off time I can’t see a great deal of intensity coming in the early passages of play. That leads me to taking under 0.5 first half goals once again.
Chelsea vs Manchester City (20.15)
Where to watch: BT Sport 1
The big match of the night is the final one when Chelsea host Manchester City as two top four sides clash for the first time since lockdown ended in what is now a hugely important match at Stamford Bridge as far as the title is concerned.
Chelsea won Leicester City the title four years ago and they have the chance to do the same for Liverpool here too should they avoid defeat in the match. City know they have to win to take the title on to their home game against Liverpool next week and they will be itching to do that. They will be without Sergio Aguero which is a real blow for them, but Pep was able to rest the majority of his stars for most of the match with Burnley on Monday night which should act as a help.
I’ve no strong feeling on this match either way. If I was forced to bet I would probably go with over 2.5 goals or both teams to score but we haven’t seen too many of either of those so far since the restart, although Chelsea’s match contained both. This should be a decent enough match to enjoy anyway and with better bets earlier in the night I’m happy to leave this one alone.
Tips
Back Southampton to beat Arsenal (DNB) for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Betfred
Back Burnley vs Watford – Under 0.5 first half goals for a 3/10 stake at 2.63 with 888sport
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