Free football preview and betting tips: Saturday's seven Premier League games
Swansea and Liverpool are backed for wins as part of our betting preview for Saturday's Premier League matches.
Premier League recommended bets
1pt Swansea to beat Everton and over 2.5 goals in the match at 15/4
2pts Liverpool to beat Bournemouth both teams to score at 8/5
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record.
Southampton v Chelsea (1230 BST Sky Sports Main Event)
This dress rehearsal for their FA Cup semi-final is arguably be more important for both clubs given their struggles at opposite ends of the Premier League table - Antonio Conte looks to be heading out of Chelsea this summer and the club would much prefer to have Champions League qualification.
It’s certainly a much bigger game for Mark Hughes’ side, who are deep in trouble in the final relegation spot and three points behind Crystal Palace. They do have a game in hand but at this stage of the season points on the board always seem more valuable.
Saints impressed in their 3-2 loss at Arsenal last week and that performance, plus the return of Charlie Austin, will give the fans a sense of hope ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
Austin is their top scorer with seven Premier League goals, coming in just 700 minutes of football this season. Southampton do create chance but have had real trouble converting them and it’s clear Austin holds the key to their survival bid.
Whether Hughes will start him against Chelsea remains to be seen, he may look for a similar impact off the bench and hope the game is still there to be won once he is sent on.
Having kept the second-least clean sheets while making the second most errors leading to goals is not the recipe for success but that’s exactly what Southampton have done this season – but in Chelsea they might just stand a chance.
The reigning champions have won just three in 11 in the league and are showing the familiar signs of a Chelsea team fully aware their manager is on his way out at the end of the season – and an early away trip to a team fighting against relegation is not a game they’d be relishing.
Chelsea also have just two away wins in nine having lost at the likes of Watford and West Ham.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Chelsea (Sky Bet odds: 12/1) (Paul Higham)
Best bet: Southampton to beat Chelsea and both teams to score at 15/2
Alternative: Charlie Austin to score in 90 minutes at 2/1
Burnley v Leicester (1500 BST)
Burnley's dream season shows no signs of letting up as they're now chasing a place in the Europa League as they sit in seventh place and enjoy a six-point cushion over Saturday's visitors Leicester.
A fifth Premier League win in a row could well see them embarking on a European adventure next season, depending on who wins the FA Cup. Their run comes after a barren winless spell of 11 games and they showed a different dimension when battling to win at Watford last week despite being second best.
Claude Puel has had mixed results this season and have struggled in particular against better teams - losing four of their last five against top-half opponents.
Burnley's home form was their strength last year but they've won more away this season - they're still a tough nut to crack though and, if you take out games against the top four they've won six and conceded just five goals in 11 games.
Leicester like to score a few more and concede a few more than Burnley do, but their recent form suggests a low-scoring contest as they've scored exactly one goal in eight out of the last ten games - Burnley can oblige as they've let in exactly one goal in nine of the last ten.
Interestingly, the Foxes have not scored a first half goal in seven of their last ten, and Turf Moor has only seen eight first half goals all season so 6/4 on a goalless first 45 minutes has appeal.
Prediction: Burnley 1-1 Leicester (Sky Bet odds: 9/2) (Paul Higham)
Best bet: Half time/full time result to be draw/draw at 7/2
Alternative: Jamie Vardy to score and Leicester to draw with Burnley at 17/2
Crystal Palace v Brighton (1500 BST)
Crystal Palace welcome their rivals Brighton to Selhurst Park for a tasty looking M23 derby that has serious relegation implications. There were crowd ructions during previous meetings this season so there should be a feverish atmosphere for so much on the line.
Palace have won just once in ten games but have still somehow dragged themselves just outside the drop zone, but they’re just three points above Southampton having played a game more.
That means a win is vital against the Seagulls, who are up in 13th but just seven points clear of relegation and still looking over their shoulders. They also have a nightmare run of fixtures to come.
The Eagles have played better than recent results suggest - they've been undone by late goals as Bournemouth grabbed a last minute equaliser last week while Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool all scored late winners at Selhurst Park.
Chris Hughton’s men missed a big chance to climb clear of relegation trouble as they were held by Huddersfield. They did manage to score for the first time in four games but they’re in a real flat spot at the moment.
Scoring goals has been a real problem for Brighton, especially away from home where they’ve scored just seven times all season having failed to find the net in seven of the last nine.
It should be feisty on the field and Brighton are already without the suspended Davy Propper and Anthony Knockaert after recent red cards.
Palace hope to have Christian Benteke back fit even though he’s struggled to convert the chances he’s had of late. Having Wilfried Zaha back will help as he’s been their star man since his return and with him the hosts should have enough to get the three points.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-0 Brighton (Sky Bet odds) (Paul Higham)
Best bet: Crystal Palace win & under 2.5 goals at 5/2
Alternative: Crystal Palace with -1 goals on handicap at 5/2
Huddersfield v Watford (1500 BST)
Huddersfield welcome Watford to the John Smith’s Stadium as they look to push themselves further away from relegation trouble.
David Wagner’s men currently sit five points above the drop zone, but have failed to win in their last five outings.
That said, Watford’s form hasn’t been much better either, with their last four games seeing just one point gained.
Their away form makes for worse reading for Javi Gracia. The Hornets are without a win in ten on the road, picking up just one points from a possible 30.
Equally, Huddersfield have won just one of their last ten in front of their home crowd, drawing another four in that run.
Huddersfield ended their horrendous away from when they visited Vicarage Road in December. A 4-1 victory not only gave them three points, but concluded their eight-game goalless spell outside of West Yorkshire.
The Terriers will be looking for all three points in this one, but they come up against a Watford side who sit 10th in the away standings, despite struggling for points in recent weeks.
The draw looks tempting value at 11/5. This game has the potential to end with both sides taking a point, and you’d imagine Town would be satisfied with a point to keep a distance from their relegation rivals.
The referee for this one is Craig Pawson and he's shown 104 cards in 29 games in all competitions this season. Pawson's last three Premier League games have had three yellow cards each and you'd imagine there would be a few in this one as well.
Prediction: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Watford (Sky Bet odds 9/2) (Tom Carnduff)
Best bet: Both teams to score and draw at 15/4
Alternative: 25 to 45 booking points at 6/4
Swansea v Everton (1500 BST)
Swansea City are one of a number of teams looking to avoid the drop to the Sky Bet Championship, and they welcome Everton to the Liberty Stadium looking for points.
Carlos Carvalhal’s revival at the club has seen them rise from certain relegation to five points clear of the drop zone, but the season is far from over.
The Swans can take confidence in their home form. They’ve won their last four home games in the Premier League and have recorded seven wins in their last eight in front of their own fans in all competitions.
For Everton, they travel to south Wales having struggled on their travels in recent weeks. Last week’s victory at Stoke ended a run of six consecutive defeats away from Goodison Park.
Sam Allardyce’s men have little to play for this season, they sit 13 points adrift of the top-six in ninth and sit well clear of any relegation trouble.
They picked up a point in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool last week, but looked uninspiring for large parts of the contest.
When it comes to a winner, I’d be looking towards Swansea to pick up all three points given their home form and current league situation.
They’re available at 13/8 to pick up the three points, which seems a big price with their current home record.
Two of their last three wins at home have seen over 2.5 goals in the match, and that’s where you might be able to further bump up the value on Swansea to win.
Swansea to win and over 2.5 goals in the match seems appealing value at 15/4. Despite their struggling away form, Everton still found the net in four of the six games that they lost on their recent run.
Lee Mason is in charge of this game. He's shown 33 cards in 14 Premier League games this season, showing four yellow cards in his last outing during Burnley's 3-0 victory away at West Ham.
Prediction: Swansea City 2-1 Everton (Sky Bet odds: 9/1) (Tom Carnduff)
Best bet: Swansea to beat Everton and over 2.5 goals in the match at 15/4
Alternative: Tom Davies to be shown a card at 3/1
Liverpool v Bournemouth (1730 BST, BT Sport 1)
After the euphoria of Tuesday night’s Champions League success, it’s back to the day job for Liverpool as they host Bournemouth at Anfield looking to ensure at the very least they’re involved in Europe’s top competition next season.
The Reds have a 10-point lead over fifth-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand and host Liverpool next month, but another win or two would seal a top four spot for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
The main question for Saturday will Klopp’s selection after Tuesday’s heroics – he’s unlikely to make as many as at Everton as there’s a week off after this game and the three points are vital.
Much will depend on how Mohamed Salah responds to Tuesday’s game, but with the golden boot in his sights he’ll be keen to play again. Changes could come in midfield as Jordan Henderson will return from suspension, and Nathaniel Clyne should return at right back.
Youngsters Ben Woodburn and even Curtis Jones could also see some playing time.
With 19 goals in last five games between Liverpool and Bournemouth goals could be on the menu, but the hosts have been a lot more solid of late with four straight clean sheets – while Bournemouth have struggled at the back with just one clean sheet in 23.
Eddie Howe’s men rescued a point late on against Crystal Palace last week but they’ve got just one win in seven, one of their last 12 against Liverpool and just two of 17 away games against the ‘top six’.
Coupled with Liverpool’s 18-game unbeaten Premier League run at home, and it should be another three points from the hosts, if there’s enough freshness in the team following Tuesday.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth (Sky Bet odds) (Paul Higham)
Best bet: Liverpool to beat Bournemouth and both teams to score at 8/5
Alternative: Liverpool to win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 at 3/1
Tottenham v Manchester City (1945 BST, Sky Sports Main Event)
Manchester City's tough run of fixtures isn't set to get any easier as they travel to Wembley to face Tottenham in Saturday's late kick-off.
City were knocked out of the Champions League after losing both legs to Liverpool, and were denied the chance to win the Premier League title as they blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to rivals Manchester United.
The bad news for City is that they face a Tottenham side who have won their last five Premier League games, and have lost just two of their 20 home games in all competitions. 16 of the games on that run have been wins.
Despite their recent fortunes, it shouldn't be forgotten that Pep Guardiola's men are a top-class outfit and will be crowned champions at the end of the season.
They have the talent to secure a result and will be eager to put an end to their three consecutive losses.
City will also take confidence in the fact that they hammered Spurs 4-1 when they met at the Eithad back in mid-December, Raheem Sterling's brace being the highlight that day.
They are the favourites for this one as they sit around the 6/4 mark, whilst Tottenham are available at 17/10 despite having home advantage. The draw is best-priced at 11/4.
Both teams to score seems very likely, and is reflected in the 8/15 price. With the talent that these sides possess in attack, goals is an avenue to look at and over 3.5 goals seems tempting at 13/8.
The referee for this one is Jon Moss. He's produced an average of 55 booking points in Manchester City games he's officiated this season, alongside four yellow cards shown in Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Liverpool back in February.
The value in this one might be by combining the goals with cards and corners, as the trio should go hand-in-hand if it's an attacking game. Over 2.5 Goals, Over 10.5 Corners, Over 35 Booking Points is an intriguing bet at 10/3 and one that seems a good price for what is required.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Manchester City (Sky Bet odds: 10/1) (Tom Carnduff)
Best bet: Over 2.5 goals, over 10.5 corners and over 35 booking points at 10/3
Alternative: A 1-1, 2-2 or 3-3 Draw at 3/1
Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLife
Preview posted at 1645 BST on 12/04/2018
Related football links
MOST READ FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL TIPS
