The penultimate weekend of action in the Premier League gets underway on Friday night when we have two matches taking place after a request to move one from Sunday into this slot was granted by the decision makers.
The race for the Champions League is very much in the spotlight for both of these matches and with that in mind, it is helpful that both games are live on TV in the UK for us to enjoy, although you’ll need two devices to watch them both as they overlap.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur (19.30 – Sky Sports Premier League)
The opening match of the night comes from Villa Park where it is Aston Villa who will be looking to boost their Champions League hopes when they entertain a Tottenham Hotspur side who will have their eyes on their own shot at the elite competition next term which comes along on Wednesday evening.
That comes in the form of the Europa League final and it would be foolish to think that Ange Postecoglou will risk anything or anyone in this match which could be a detriment to that match in Spain on Wednesday. In fact, the Australian has already stated that he won’t so this one is all about Aston Villa. I’m always of the mindset that must-win doesn’t always equate to will win but it is hard to see Villa not coming out on top here. They just have far too much in forward areas and against a side with little motivation once Villa get in front it could be a case of how many they want, especially against what could be a second string defence which isn’t watertight when it has the main starters in it. Spurs might offer the odd flash on the counter but Villa could really go to town here if they wanted to. I’m a little surprised that we are getting an acceptable price on Villa to cover a 1.5 handicap line here. Crystal Palace successfully covered it against Tottenham last week and in recent times Fulham, Wolves and Liverpool have all beaten Spurs by two or more. When you consider the Tottenham rotation and the Villa motivation here, it would be a real surprise if the home side don’t add their name to that list.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United (20.15 – Sky Sports Main Event)
There are similar vibes to the first match in the second game of the night where Chelsea will look to maintain their Champions League challenge when they host the other Europa League finalist Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
In terms of the Champions League, all of the Manchester United eggs are in the Wednesday basket and given that you wonder just how strong they will be in this match, and even if any first-team players are named in the starting XI just how focused on the game they will be. To be fair to United, although they have only won one of their last nine in the Premier League, they have looked more competitive in their matches than Tottenham have but five days out from a major European final that could all change here. Chelsea will certainly be motivated to win this. If they do then they are guaranteed to go to Nottingham Forest next week knowing a win will see them back in the elite next term. The problem Chelsea have here is in the forward areas with Nicolas Jackson suspended after his red card last week, Jadon Sancho ineligible against his parent club and Christopher Nkunku clearly not the manager’s cup of tea. I would still expect Chelsea to win with the likes of Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke all capable of delivering but what the centre-forward issues might do is keep the scoring down in this one. It is hard to see United sending too many first-teamers in attacking areas into battle here so the Chelsea defence shouldn’t be overworked. The Blues have only lost twice at the Bridge all season so for all they are a work in progress they get the job done more often than not at home. I think they get it done here too but to add some juice to a shortening price I’ll add under 4.5 goals to the equation. Chelsea home games average 2.89 goals and United away games 2.56 goals so 4.5 looks a high enough ceiling.
Tips
Back Aston Villa (-1.5AH) to beat Tottenham Hotspur for a 4/10 stake at 1.88 with William Hill
Back them here:
Back Chelsea to win and under 4.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Boylesports
Back them here:
