The Premier League has entered its home stretch and it has been fascinating to watch. The identity of the league winners remains a marvelous mystery as both Manchester City and Liverpool show little sign of backing down from the challenge.
The battle for the remaining UEFA Champions League places looks set to go all the way to the wire as well. Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are all in with a realistic shot at getting the spots.
The battle to be named the best of the rest (7th spot) has also proven to be quite fascinating. Leicester City, rejuvenated under Brendan Rogers, and high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the two teams leading the charge for a possible Europa League place.
At the bottom, Huddersfield Town and Fulham have been relegated, the latter after spending £100m on new players and sacking two managers; Slavisa Jokanovic and Claudio Ranieri.
Over the last 34 game weeks, certain betting patterns have emerged that punters would be wise to take advantage of.
Here are 5 of the most promising:
#5 Card Bets on Burnley
In news that will surprise zero people, Burnley FC is atop the card table in the Premier League.
Sean Dyche’s team is the poster child for old-school British football; tough, hard, in-your-face and passionate.
As a result of this emphasis on physicality, the Clarets were always liable to get quite a number of bookings especially against the passing teams like Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
In just 34 games played so far, the side which came 7th last season has accumulated 66 yellow cards. They are one card ahead of Watford and Wolves (65 respectively).
Amazingly, all this has only led to a single red card this season, making them one of the sides to have received the fewest red cards.
With games against Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City to come, the card count is expected to rise significantly.
#4 Both Teams to Score (BTTS)/ Goal Goal (GG) on Watford’s matches
It has been a dream season for Watford. Before the season started, its quiet, affable manager, Javi Gracia had been touted as a possible candidate for the sack.
However, the Spaniard has worked wonders with his very eclectic team. The Hornets currently sit in 10th place. They are almost guaranteed a place in the Europa League next season courtesy of their presence in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
After 32 games, the team has become the go-to guys for BTTS or GG (Both Teams to Score or Goal Goal) bets. Gracia’s men have scored 47 goals and conceded 48 times in the league so far.
Even more interesting is that in 19 of the side’s 33 games so far, the team has scored and conceded. This means that there is a 59.375% chance that the Yellow and Black side is involved in BTTS/GG encounters.
With players like Troy Deeney, Andre Gray, Gerard Deulofeu and a suspect defence, the Hornets are likely to deliver big-time on this option before the season ends.
#3 Arsenal to Concede
This is an easy one but it’s something that some punters have slept on throughout the season. In Unai Emery’s debut season as manager, the Gunners have tightened up considerably.
However, they are still very prone to conceding as shown by the 40 goals conceded so far. This makes them the team with the 6th best backline in the entire league.
More damningly, the team has kept just 8 clean sheets this season from 34 matches played. The Gunners are 11th on the clean sheet table, conceding a goal or more in a whopping 26 games so far.
A defence prone to mistakes and subject to lots of injuries will offer more chances to opponents in its remaining five games. With Shkodran Mustafi in the side as a result of injuries/suspensions to the other centre-backs, Arsenal conceding has proven to be a hit with punters.
Their next opponents include a Wolves side that has scored 41 goals as well as Leicester City (46 goals). So the chances of Emery’s men conceding are high.
#2 Over 2.5 Goals for games involving Manchester United
Quite how a Jose Mourinho-led team conceded as many as Manchester United did at the beginning of the season remains a mystery.
While it is true that none of the team’s current defenders can be classified as world-class (unless world-class means being totally inept), the Red Devils have been staggeringly good at conceding.
David De Gea has seen the ball go past him 44 times in 33 games (the same number as Newcastle United which sits in 15th place on the league table).
The attack has more or less performed according to expectations (its 61-goal tally is only bettered by 3 teams; Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal).
Games involving the Red Devils have produced Over 2.5 outcomes (three goals or more) 24 times this season.
Only Fulham has a worse record of high scoring games this season hence their relegation back to the Championship.
Not even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival has stemmed this record as 11 games under his reign have ended with three goals or more. To be fair though, 9 of these games have ended in wins for the Red Devils.
This has meant that the Red Devils have produced lots of high scoring games and will likely continue until the end of the season.
#1 Straight Win option on Tottenham Hotspur matches
The new stadium has arrived and it is beautiful to look at. Also, the team has qualified for its first ever UEFA Champions League semi-final.
However, Spurs has had a very weird season so far. While it’s rubbish to suggest that playing at Wembley has affected their performances, the sequence of results has added a little weight to this view.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have recorded just one draw this season; the North London derby against Arsenal.
What this means is that irrespective of the opponent, two things almost always happen in matches involving the Lilywhites. They either win or lose.
This is a trend that smart punters have made quite a bit of money, with Spurs having won 22 and lost 10 in 33 Premier League matches so far.
This presents some tasty betting options for punters. Given the remaining opponents; Manchester City, Brighton, Bournemouth, and others, this pattern is expected to continue.
