EPL 2017/18 - Week 27

Tottenham v/s Arsenal - Home win
Everton v/s Crystal Palace - Home win
Stoke v/s Brighton - Home win
Swansea v/s Burnley - Home win
West Ham v/s Watford - Draw
Man City v/s Leicester - Home win
Huddersfield v/s Bournemouth - Away win
Newcastle v/s Man Utd - Away win
Southampton v/s Liverpool - Away win
Chelsea v/s WBA - Draw

In securing Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang during the transfer window, Arsenal have bagged one of the most potent duo from the Bundesliga just a few years ago. Gunners fans got a glimpse of the team's attacking prowess last week as their new-look team dismantled Everton at the Emirates. The departure of Sanchez also seems to have given renewed life to Aaron Ramsey who recorded a hat-trick on the occasion. The Gunners will gel better with matches but it seems their Derby date at Tottenham comes a little too soon for them. Although Spurs don't have the most sparkling of records at Wembley, they will still logically enter as strong favourites. Their current form suggests that any team in Europe can take a beating when they are on song. I don't think Arsenal's result last week was a flash in the pan; their goalscoring will drastically improve from now on in my opinion. However, their defence is still the same poor old and Spurs will have too much quality up front to miss the chances that will be on offer. I cannot see the home team losing this one and it might be best value at current prices to go for the outright home win.

Win: Tottenham

Meydan 8th February selections

1. Winter Lightning - Rayya - Expressiy
2. Sea Skimmer - Dehbashi - Storm Belt
3. Comicas - Muarrab - Reynaldothewizard
4. Hit The Bid - Dutch Masterpiece - Kananee
5. Heavy Metal - Thunder Snow - North America
6. Zaman - Racing Country - Arroway
7. Blair House - Banksea - Leshlaa

EPL 2017/18 - Week 26

Burnley v/s Man City - Away win
Bournemouth v/s Stoke - Home win
Brighton v/s West Ham - Draw
Leicester v/s Swansea - Draw
Man Utd v/s Huddersfield - Home win
WBA v/s Southampton - Home win
Arsenal v/s Everton - Home win
Crystal Palace v/s Newcastle - Home win
Liverpool v/s Tottenham - Home win
Watford v/s Chelsea - Away win

After the severe debacle at Wembley a few days ago, Man Utd should pick up the pieces as they host Huddersfield. Conceding a goal after 11 seconds doomed their bid very early indeed. Sanchez will take a few matches to get in the zone with his new teammates and he will be for the better with matches under his belt. They should handily beat Huddersfield on Saturday.

I like West Brom's chances against visiting Southampton. Pardew has his players playing with confidence at the moment. Even in their 0-3 loss at Man City in mid-week, the Potters contained the Citizens for large parts of the match and only the magic of De Bruyne and silky touches of Sterling opened them up. Southampton are hardly in top gear and the hosts should benefit from home advantage. Home win.

Accumulator Win: Man Utd/WBA

EPL 2017/18 - Week 25

Swansea v/s Arsenal - Away win
West Ham v/s Crystal Palace - Draw
Huddersfield v/s Liverpool - Away win
Chelsea v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Everton v/s Leicester - Draw
Newcastle v/s Burnley - Away win
Southampton v/s Brighton - Home win
Man City v/s West Brom - Home win
Stoke v/s Watford - Away win
Tottenham v/s Man Utd - Away win


Alexis Sanchez is one of the 3 best players in the EPL and his transfer to Man Utd is a game-changer for the Red Devils. Sure, the league is lost to their city rivals Man City but the Champions League and FA Cup do not look that far out of reach. The arrival of the Chilean superstar will have given the club an unexpected but spectacular lift in all areas; from team spirit, self-belief to goals. It is with renewed self-confidence that Mourinho's men will tackle Spurs in mid-week. Harry Kane has been in devastating form lately and is always a goal scoring threat for Tottenham. However, take away Kane's goals and it would seem not all is too well for Pochettino's men. On Saturday. they really struggled to get a draw at Newport County in the FA Cup while fielding some big names. Their temporary home Wembley has been a scourge where they have alarmingly dropped points this season. I think they are ripe for the taking for a team on the ascendancy like the Red Devils. It might pay to go for a straight win or draw-no-bet with Man Utd.

If there is a team reeling on and off the field at the moment, it is Newcastle. All the recent vibes sound wrong from Tyneside and I see them being vulnerable as Burnley come to town. Sean Dyche's men are having a season to remember and their form is backed up by some serious defensive results; they really do not let in many goals. There is every chance that they can squeak one or three points on this visit and a draw-no-bet on them looks enticing.


Win or draw-no-bet: Man Utd
Draw-no-bet: Burnley

Meydan 25th Jan selections

1. Alabaster - Don't Give Up - Grand Argentier
2. Red Galileo - Natural Scenery - Los Barbados
3. Galvanize - Claim the Roses - Sea Skimmer
4. Gold Town - Blue Laureate - Rua Augusta
5. Rehana - Promising Run - Opal Tiara
6. Moqarrab - Hucklebuck - Racing Country
7. Dutch Masterpiece - Shaf - Jordan Sport
8. Banksea - Mountain Hunter - In the Lope

EPL 2017/18 - Week 24

Brighton v/s Chelsea - Home win
Arsenal v/s Crystal Palace - Draw
Burnley v/s Man Utd - Draw
Everton v/s West Brom - Home win
Leicester v/s Watford - Home win
Stoke v/s Huddersfield - Away win
West Ham v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Man City v/s Newcastle - Home win
Southampton v/s Tottenham - Away win
Swansea v/s Liverpool - Away win

Watford were oh-so-lucky to salvage a point last week-end with the helping hand of midfielder Doucoure. I think there are signs that the Hornets are losing the kind of form that made them competitive since the start of the season. I expect them to have a torrid time in Leicester as Claude Puel's team are seriously in good form and rock solid at home. Mahrez is playing out of his skin and Vardy is always lurking for goalscoring opportunities. Home win for me.

I also see home wins for West Ham and Man City. The Hammers should prove too much for the visiting Cherries, particularly with Arnatauvic playing with great confidence since the arrival of Moyes. In my opinion, Bournemouth will be hard at work to keep their Premier League spot until the end of the season and West Ham will gun for the full points here. Man City should easily dispatch Newcastle where off-field distractions are taking precedence over football matters.

Finally, I see away wins for Spurs and Liverpool as they fight for a top 4 spot. It is no secret that Tottenham are more comfortable on the road and they have seen worse than travelling to Southampton. Liverpool should also be in a position to maintain their good momentum by dispatching sorry Swansea.

Win: Leicester, West Ham, Man City, Tottenham, Liverpool

Meydan 18th Jan selections

1. Rayya - Winter Lightning - Expressiy
2. Tried and True - Janszoon - Montsarrat
3. Mountain Hunter - Thegreatcollection - Rodaini
4. Leshlaa - Born to be Alive - Light the Lights
5. Muarrab - Comicas - My Catch
6. Kananee - Van der Decken - Faatinah
7. Dream Castle - Salsabeel - Hornsby

Win: Dream Castle, Rayya
Dupla: Muarrab/Comicas

EPL 2017/18 - Week 23

Chelsea v/s Leicester - Draw
Crystal Palace v/s Burnley - Draw
Huddersfield v/s West Ham - Home win
Newcastle v/s Swansea - Home win
Watford v/s Southampton - Home win
WBA v/s Brighton - Draw
Tottenham v/s Everton - Home win
Bournemouth v/s Arsenal - Away win
Liverpool v/s Man City - Home win
Man Utd v/s Stoke - Home win

A Happy New Year to all the readers!

Apologies I missed week 22 New Year's Day matches, the festive mood caught up on me!

Man Utd to win against Stoke looks a banker. Although things seem a little agitated at the moment in the red side of Manchester with Mourinho going ballistic everyone, I expect the Red Devils to return to form after a below-par December. Stoke are a team in shambles and it remains to be seen whether getting rid of Hughes will solve their problems. More importantly, they are injury-riddled at the moment and I see them struggling in the short term at least. This should be a big win for Utd.

I also see a win for Watford as they entertain Southampton. The Saints are going nowhere under manager Pellegrino and the Argentinian is clearly running out of time to make his mark. Watford are capable of the best and worst but the visitors are really for the taking at the moment and the Hornets have a great opportunity to advance their chance for European football. Couple Watford and Man Utd wins.

Finally, Liverpool look juicy as they welcome Man City. Sure, they lost Coutinho to Barcelona but newcomer Van Dijk will bring much-needed stability to the defence in time. I like Liverpool here as their attack is potent even without Coutinho; more importantly, I see the time has come for the Citizens to stubble in the near future and Anfield is one of the most formidable places to go to. I cannot see a City win, so the recommendation is to go with either a straight Kop win or a draw-no-bet.

Accumulator: Man Utd/Watford
Win or draw-no-bet: Liverpool

EPL 2017/18 - Week 21

Bournemouth v/s Everton - Away win
Chelsea v/s Stoke - Home win
Huddersfield v/s Burnley - Draw
Liverpool v/s Leicester - Home win
Newcastle v/s Brighton - Away win
Watford v/s Swansea - Home win
Man Utd v/s Southampton - Home win
Crystal Palace v/s Man City - Away win
WBA v/s Arsenal - Away win

Win Accumulator: Man Utd/Watford/Watford

EPL 2017/18 - Week 20

Tottenham v/s Southampton - Home win
Bournemouth v/s West Ham - Draw
Chelsea v/s Brighton - Home win
Huddersfield v/s Stoke - Home win
Man Utd v/s Burnley - Home win
Watford v/s Leicester - Home win
West Brom v/s Everton - Draw
Liverpool v/s Swansea - Home win
Newcastle v/s Man City - Draw
Crystal Palace v/s Arsenal - Home win

Can anyone stop this Man City juggernaught? They might not get beaten but a draw looks the realm of possibility. After all, not so long ago, they struggled to overcome the likes of Southampton, West Ham and Huddersfield in a string of 2-1 victories. It is reasonable to expect that they will drop points on some of their road travels. Their visit to Newcastle could be one of those. Benitez' men were on a wretched run and last weekend's win at West Ham brought some much-needed confidence to the club. The Magpies started the season reasonably well and have made it difficult for teams to break them down in many matches. If City go to St James Park in festive spirit, they could be in trouble. That's not to say that they won't go and blast their way to another dominant victory; they have the capacity for that in abundance, but any lack of focus could be lead to their first cock-up. At market prices, a double-chance (win or draw) on Newcastle might pay dividends.

Win or Draw: Newcastle

EPL 2017/18 - Week 19

Arsenal v/s Liverpool - Away win
Everton v/s Chelsea - Draw
Brighton v/s Watford - Away win
Man City v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Southampton v/s Huddersfield - Away win
Stoke v/s West Brom - Draw
Swansea v/s Crystal Palace - Draw
West Ham v/s Newcastle - Home win
Burnley v/s Spurs - Away win
Leicester v/s Man Utd - Draw


The way things are going it looks like Man City are sailing away comfortably to the title. But they will falter at some point. It will be stretching it too much to think they will throw it away though. There is actually more of a chance that they set the marker for killing the race in the earliest fashion. On Saturday, it will be a matter of how many goals they subject Bournemouth to for another dominating display.

Liverpool are going to the Emirates in a rich vein of form and I think there are chances that they won't get out of there empty-handed. Arsenal are far from having hit top gear so far and it seems they have been scraping through their matches for a while. Clearly, their best player Sanchez is not as inspired or commandeering as in previous seasons. I believe the Gunners will be caught out at home by some heavy-duty teams this year; Man Utd did the job a couple of weeks back and others will follow. The Kops are hammering opponents at the moment and will give any team, including Man City, some serious opposition. At current market prices, I see value in picking them either as straight winners or as a draw-no-bet selection.

Win: Liverpool

EPL 2017/18 - Week 18

Leicester v/s Crystal Palace - Home win
Arsenal v/s Newcastle - Home win
Brighton v/s Burnley - Home win
Chelsea v/s Southampton - Home win
Stoke v/s West Ham - Draw
Watford v/s Huddersfield - Home win
Man City v/s Tottenham - Home win
WBA v/s Man Utd - Away win
Bournemouth v/s Liverpool - Away win
Everton v/s Swansea - Home win


I see a lot of home wins on Saturday and the away wins will come on Sunday. Arsenal should handily beat struggling Newcastle, Chelsea should prove too strong for Southampton and Watford should confirm their current form by beating Huddersfield.

On Sunday, Man Utd and Liverpool are strongly fancied to keep up with the pace at the top and they should have no trouble overcoming bottom-of-table teams such as West Brom and Bournemouth.

Accumulator: Arsenal/Chelsea/Watford/Man Utd/Liverpool

EPL 2017/18 - Week 17 (Wednesday matches)

Newcastle v/s Everton - Draw
Southampton v/s Leicester - Home win
Swansea v/s Man City - Away win
Liverpool v/s West Brom - Home win
Man Utd v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Tottenham v/s Brighton - Home win
West Ham v/s Arsenal - Home win

EPL 2017/18 - Week 16

West Ham v/s Chelsea - Away win
Burnley v/s Watford - Home win
Crystal Palace v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Huddersfield v/s Brighton - Home win
Swansea v/s WBA - Draw
Tottenham v/s Stoke - Home win
Newcastle v/s Leicester - Draw
Southampton v/s Arsenal - Home win
Liverpool v/s Everton - Home win
Man Utd v/s Man City - Home win

A huge 6-point match decider is on the cards at the Theatre of Dreams on Sunday for the Manchester Derby. Most people think that this season's champion will come out of Manchester and I could not agree more; if there is any team that will stop the Guardiola juggernaut of Man City, it will be the Red Devils. I disagree with the markets on this one, though; Man City's odds are way too short in my opinion. For all their dominance since the start of the season, their last 3 league matches have resulted in 3 tight wins of 2-1, all won in the closing stages. That means that the Citizens have laboured whenever teams have shut the door. Against Man Utd, they will go against a manager known for parking the bus extremely well. That is Mourinho's forte when he is playing more talented teams. Man Utd have recently proven lethal when soaking up the pressure to deliver the knockout blow; ask Watford and Arsenal. Sure, they will be missing suspended Pogba in midfield but they have played without the Frenchman to good effect before his return from injury. Man City's defence is there for the taking, particularly on the counter-attacks and I believe the crowd will roar the home side to victory on Sunday. If they don't win, a draw-no-bet on the home side looks very enticing as well.

Sam Allardyce will right the ship at Everton but they are travelling to Anfield in the worst possible moment as Klopp's team are the hottest in the league. Goals can come anywhere from the quartet of Mane, Salah, Coutinho and Firminho. No doubt Sturridge needs to go elsewhere to find playing time. The most the visitors can look for is a hopeful draw but I think the Kops are just too strong at Anfield. Home win.

Finally, I see Crystal Palace getting another rare win against visiting Bournemouth. Their form has sharpened considerably in recent weeks with the arrival of Hodgson and the return of Zaha. Their unfortunate problem is that they have the most profligate striker in the league in Benteke. The Belgian international can score beauties when on fire but he has a record of spurning good goal scoring opportunities as well. Bournemouth look like a team on the wane and it is a massive opportunity for the Eagles to ramp up some much-needed points.

Win: Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Man Utd

EPL 2017/18 - Week 15

Chelsea v/s Newcastle - Draw
Brighton v/s Liverpool - Draw
Everton v/s Huddersfield - Draw
Leicester v/s Burnley - Home win
Stoke v/s Swansea - Home win
Watford v/s Tottenham - Draw
WBA v/s Crystal Palace - Away win
Arsenal v/s Man Utd - Away win
Bournemouth v/s Southampton - Away win
Man City v/s West Ham - Home win

If Man City were unable to extend their lead after the midweek matches, they have another great crack at this over the week-end. They have the easiest task on paper given that they host the Hammers that are quite simply a team in disarray right now. It seems the only hope for Moyes' team is to maximize points at home because they are simply atrocious on the road. Although the Citizens' have won their last 2 matches at the death, they should find Sunday's match an easy offering on paper and should come out on top even in first gear.

The value of the week-end looks to be Leicester who will look for consecutive home wins after dispatching Spurs in midweek. Visitors Burnley are in good form and are sure to keep the match close. Many expect the match to be close, explaining the juicy odds on offer for a straight Foxes win or a draw-no-bet on them. I believe either one will pay at the end of ninety minutes.

Finally, Southampton could finally be getting an away win consolation after coming close to causing an upset at the Etihad. Not only did they succumb with the last kick of the match, they also hit the crossbar and had excellent chances to score against the Citizens. Bournemouth should prove a somewhat easier affair for Pellegrino's men and a draw-no-bet looks decent value at current prices.


Win: Leicester, Man City, Southampton