Club World Champions Chelsea get back into the action!
There are two city duels in London on the next matchday in the Premier League: Crystal Palace host newly crowned Club World Cup winners Chelsea and Arsenal take on promoted Brentford.
Leaders Manchester also welcome Tottenham for a top-of-the-table clash on home soil and Frank Lampard looks to record a second league win in a row against Southampton at his new Everton employers.
West Ham v Newcastle – Feb 19, 1:30pm
The Hammers came back from two down to win 4-2 in the first leg, ending a four-match winless drought against the Magpies (0-1-3). Michael Antonio scored twice in the encounter and the Jamaican is now the home side’s top scorer with eight goals to his name.
Newcastle, however, are on an upward trend. Due to numerous purchases during the winter break, the quality of coach Eddie Howe’s team has improved noticeably. This can be seen in the three recent victories, although the opposition was not overly difficult with teams like Everton or Leeds.
For the match in the Premier League on matchday 26, however, predictions on the double chance in favour of the in-form visitors seem fruitful.
Aston Villa v Watford – 19 February, 16:00
Aston Villa cannot rely on a home bonus against the Hornets: With four wins and four defeats each and three draws, their record at home to Villa Park is merely even.
The Hornets, however, are weak away from home: since October last year, when they prevailed at the Toffees, they have not won another of their subsequent seven encounters in league and FA Cup (0-2-5).
Moreover, the visitors continue to be in a slump of form. None of the last twelve matches in the league and FA Cup was won and no less than ten of these games ended with a defeat for the last but one team in the table. Above all, the attack is currently off duty: for four rounds of matches they have been waiting for the next goal.
Brighton vs Burnley – 19 February, 16:00
The Seagulls are the draw kings in the British top flight so far: twelve of the 23 league games have already ended in a draw!
Deniz Undav, a powerful striker, was signed from league leaders St. Gilles in Belgium during the winter break, but the former Meppen player and current top scorer in the Jupiler League was promptly loaned back to the Blue and Yellows, which is why he cannot help Brighton in the offensive for the time being.
It would be necessary; the 25 goals scored so far represent the fifth lowest yield in a league-wide comparison. The Clarets also failed to score in this week’s 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
The Clarets, however, also find goals overrated, having netted as many as 17 times. At the same time, because the respective defensive lines are comparatively secure, the games between the two clubs are usually low-scoring.
Only in the Wanderers’ games are fewer goals scored! For the match in the Premier League on matchday 26, tips on a maximum of two goals are therefore interesting.
Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea – 19 February, 16:00
In the last London derby between the Eagles and Blues, the Tuchel eleven prevailed clearly with 3-0 at home Stamford Bridge. It was no less than Chelsea’s 12th win in a row in the tie and the half included a clean sheet.
The visitors also most recently wrapped up the Club World Cup title in Abu Dhabi in the final against Brazilian Serie A side Palmeiras. They won 2-1 after extra time against the current Copa Libertadores champions.
This is Chelsea’s first title in the competition, having lost to Corinthians of Sao Paulo in the 2012 final. Coach Thomas Tuchel is also back on board, having temporarily been unable to take his usual place on the bench due to a positive test.
The visitors have not played in the league for almost four weeks now, but their success at the Club World Cup has not only boosted their self-confidence but also provided them with sufficient match practice.
For the clash at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Matchday 26, bets on an away win are of interest. This is also supported by the fact that the interim results crisis with three draws and one defeat was already ended with a home win against Tottenham in the last outing.
On top of that, Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has improved his form again at the Club World Cup, scoring a goal in each of the two games.
Arsenal v Brentford – Feb 19, 16:00
The Gunners have a score to settle with Brentford from the first leg: On that occasion, the Bees prevailed 2-0. There is a good chance that the newcomers will pay the bill now. The visitors have been waiting for their next win for seven games in league and FA Cup and six of those matches were lost!
The home side instead picked up a respectable away win at in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend and will be banking on the home bonus: Only two teams from the top British division have a better record on home soil!
Given these points, the betting odds on a home win, including an interval lead for the home side, are worth recommending for the London derby in the Premier League on matchday 26.
The prediction is further backed up by the Bees’ current away woes, with the capital’s last four away games all lost, and each time including an interval lead for the home side in each case!
Liverpool vs Norwich – 19 February, 16:00
LFC and Norwich have faced each other twice already this season in the Premier League and the EFL Cup. Each time, coach Jürgen Klopp’s eleven achieved a 3-0 away victory.
The two triumphs mean Liverpool are now unbeaten in 16 meetings with the Canaries, and only two of those games have not been won by the Mersey side.
Another point against the visitors is their poor finishing away from home: no team scores fewer goals than Norwich in the league! Only six have been scored in the eleven away games so far.
In light of this, predictions of a home win to nil for the Premier League clash on matchday 26 seem promising.
This prediction is supported by the very strong defence of the hosts: City alone concede fewer goals on average in their home games and already seven of Liverpool’s eleven home games have ended with a home win to nil!
Southampton v Everton – 19 February, 16:00
The Toffees won their last two duels with the Saints and Brazilian Richarlison had a personal goal to celebrate in both games. Not a new pattern as the attacker netted in his last four outings against the footballers from the south coast!
This season, things have also been going better for the national player of his country. He scored in two of the last five competitive matches.
The match at Southampton in the Premier League on matchday 26 therefore offers tips on his next goal celebration, especially as the visitors have renewed self-confidence thanks to the clear victory against Leeds on the last matchday.
The success halted a run of four straight defeats. It was also Frank Lampard’s first treble in league action as part of his new job as Everton coach. With two wins and one defeat in the competition, Lampard seems to have at least stabilised the Toffees somewhat.
However, it will be difficult for the Mersey outfit to win again as the Saints are strong at home, having lost only one of their 11 games at St Mary’s (3-7-1) and most recently drawing with high-flyers Manchester City.
Manchester City v Tottenham – Feb 19, 6:30pm
The Citizens have not lost any of their last seven home games against Tottenham (5-2-0). At the moment, they will be relying on Kevin de Bruyne to extend that run.
The Belgian has been particularly strong of late: KDB has not been directly or indirectly involved in a goal in only one of the last nine competitive matches (three goals & six assists).
For the match in the Premier League on matchday 26, betting tips on another successful assist by Kevin de Bruyne are worth considering. The home side’s form speaks in favour of goals from the visitors anyway.
The Londoners are coming off three defeats in a row and the defeats were always accompanied by at least two goals conceded. For coach Antonio Conte, who initially went nine league games (6-3-0) without defeat after taking up his post last autumn, time at Tottenham is currently looking much rougher again.
Leeds vs. Manchester United – 20 February, 15:00
There was a clear winner in the United derby in the first leg with Manchester. The Red Devils prevailed 5-1 at home to Old Trafford. With four assists, Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, who contributed three goals, were equally the match winners. The Frenchman has also been available again for three games after a long injury break.
However, the visitors are currently in a bad way: Recently, only two draws against Burnley and Southampton and a win against Brighton in the catch-up game last Tuesday were recorded. They also recently suffered an embarrassing exit from the Championship against Middlesbrough. The home side, however, have been equally shaky on the road.
After two wins in league action to kick off 2022, performances subsequently dropped off with defeats to Everton and Newcastle and a draw at Aston Villa. The defence in particular has been vulnerable of late, conceding three goals apiece against the latter Birmingham side and Toffees.
For the clash in the Premier League within the 26th round of matches, tips on a goal celebration of the visitors in the second half are recommended.
Apart from the aforementioned defensive problems of the hosts, the preference of the guests for goals after the break tea speaks for the prediction. The Red Devils have scored 27 of their 40 goals this season in the second half! Crystal Palace and Everton alone narrowly top the resulting figure of 68 per cent league-wide.
Wolverhampton v Leicester – 20 February, 17:30
The Wanderers have been waiting for their next win against the Foxes (0-3-2) for five attempts. After a successful period from mid-December to mid-January with five wins and a draw in the league and FA Cup, the home side recently suffered defeats in the cup against Norwich and Arsenal in the Premier League.
Both defeats were on home soil and without a goal of their own. Last Sunday, however, they won again. Coach Bruno Lage’s team won 2:0 against Tottenham.
However, the Foxes are not in a good mood at the same time. With the loss of Jamie Vardy in attack and Timothy Castagne in defence, the visitors have gone off the rails. Without the former Three Lion and Belgian, they have not won a league match in the last four games (0-2-2). Furthermore, the defence is currently vulnerable.
Eight goals have been conceded in the aforementioned review. With regard to the Premier League clash on matchday 26, the odds on a home win are value. The home side has improved recently, while the visitors continue to be inconsistent
