Over 100 days since a ball was last kicked in the competition, the Premier League is back on Wednesday night. There has been a lot of debate about whether the season should finish or not but it is going to and it resumes with two fixtures.
For most of the teams in the league the weekend is their return date but four sides have played a game less than the rest due to the Carabao Cup Final in February and those games form the Wednesday card to get everyone back on an even keel.
Aston Villa vs Sheffield United (18.00)
The first fixture back with all the social distancing protocols and new amendments comes from Villa Park where two sides who were battling each other in the Championship just over a year ago meet as Aston Villa take on Sheffield United.
This is a big match for both teams. Aston Villa resume their season second from bottom in the table but they’ll move up three places and away from immediate danger if they pick up the win here. Sheffield United restart their campaign in seventh and if they win this match they will end the night in fifth and within two points of a Champions League spot.
This isn’t an easy game to bet on. My hunch is that Villa will win the game. I think the break allowing them to get John McGinn back could be massive, and the absence of a baying crowd might just suit them. Sheffield United are not free scorers and that is a concern of mine but I don’t really want to take the Blades on, but I’m not that keen to have them as favourites either. I’ll leave this one.
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Manchester City vs Arsenal (20.15)
With no disrespect intended to the two teams who will open the show, the main attraction on Wednesday night comes at the Etihad Stadium where Man City resume their campaign with a clash against Arsenal in a match which sees master facing apprentice for the first time in Manchester.
That is because Mikel Arteta takes his Gunners outfit to face his former boss Pep Guardiola, who the Spaniard assisted prior to taking up the London hotseat. Whether any of that offers something different for Arsenal remains to be seen but one thing we do know is they are going to have to be at their very best to contain the riches that City have at their disposal, options that are boosted by the likes of Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte being fit.
Arsenal rarely put up much resistance against City, and although they have looked much better under Arteta, I don’t really see an area of the pitch where they have the advantage here. I suspect a lot of sides will look to play on the break for the remainder of the campaign but this Arsenal defence can’t do that. Whether the starting XI does it or it needs the five off the bench to do it, I expect City to open Arsenal up in the end and run out comfortable winners.
Tips
WON – Back Man City (-1.5AH) to beat Arsenal for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with Betfred
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