After all the fun of the fair of the third round of the FA Cup, we return to the best EPL bets for this weekend. The finances of English football mean that teams near the bottom of the table see more value in survival than progressing in the oldest Cup competition in the world.
The highlight is the crunch fixture between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad which we have previewed in another article. We can’t be accused of tipping long odds-on teams this weekend because our three Premier League picks are each bigger than +100.
Best EPL Bets For The Weekend
Aston Villa vs Manchester United, 12.30pm, Saturday
Premier League Pick – Manchester United to beat Aston Villa at (+135)
| Bet | Odds |
| Villa to win | +190 |
| Draw | +240 |
| Man Utd to win | +135 |
We did point out that the arrival of a new manager is not always reflected in more points. Steven Gerrard went against the trend when he was appointed as the manager of Aston Villa. However, he still has the same squad of players that got the previous manager sacked. Villa have now lost three of their last four fixtures in the Premier League.
Manchester United have not found any consistency since they brought in Ralf Rangnick as the interim manager. They were abysmal at Newcastle but won a point and losing at home to Wolves hardly instilled much confidence. However, they beat Villa in the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Monday and can repeat that outcome against the same opponents on the road this Saturday.
Newcastle United vs Watford – 10am, Saturday
Premier League Pick –Newcastle United to beat Watford at (+105)
| Bet | Odds |
| Newcastle to win | +106 |
| Draw | +250 |
| Watford to win | +240 |
Newcastle and Watford were both eliminated from the FA Cup last weekend. They are probably cases of teams putting a priority on winning Premier League points than qualifying for the next round of the Cup. Relegation is developing to any three from four teams and both these clubs are deep in the mire and battling against the nightmare scenario of a drop into the Championship.
Watford have been plummeting down the table after losing their last six fixtures. They had to deal with a devastating defeat at Brentford last month after leading going into the final 10 minutes. Newcastle looked a decent outfit against Manchester United and that type of performance would see them beat Watford at home on Saturday.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace – 3pm, Friday
Premier League Pick – Brighton & Hove Albion to beat Crystal Palace at (+108)
| Bet | Odds |
| Brighton to win | +108 |
| Draw | +215 |
| Palace to win | +275 |
This fixture brings together the home team in Brighton who are three places and four points ahead of Palace with a game in hand. Brighton have the better goal difference by just one goal which suggests we are looking at two evenly matched teams.
However, Brighton at home have a superior goal difference of eight goals compared to Palace on the road. Brighton are unbeaten in three home fixtures while their opponents on Friday evening have only won one Premier League fixture in nine road trips. That means our pick is a home win.
