Premier League tips: Betting previews, score predictions & best bets for Wednesday's action

Recommended bets

1pt Paul Pogba 3+ tackles in Manchester United v Sheffield United at 7/2

1pt Everton to have 19+ total shots v Norwich at 11/2

1pt Raul Jimenez to have 6+ total shots in Wolves v Bournemouth at 15/8

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Manchester United v Sheffield United

• 18:00 BST on Sky Sports Premier League

A key game in the battle for European football as Manchester United welcome Sheffield United to Old Trafford. Both hold a small chance of finishing in the top-four but need a couple of Chelsea slip-ups.

The Blades had the added advantage of playing an extra fixture post-lockdown but it's failed to help their cause. A flat 0-0 draw with Villa was followed up by a convincing 3-0 defeat at Newcastle. John Egan's red card combined with Dean Henderson being unavailable for this one creates two major problems for Chris Wilder at the back.

So much of the attention was on the failure of goal line technology in the game at Villa Park last week but it was a game where Sheffield United failed to create anything of note. Even that fumble from the goalkeeper came from an overhit Ollie Norwood cross.

Posting an xG of 0.24 against Villa and then 0.57 against Newcastle highlights their current problems with creativity. The Sheffield United of pre-lockdown are not the same one we have witnessed in recent outings. Those performances justify the current 8/1 on offer for an away victory here.

For Manchester United, they picked up a 1-1 draw away at Tottenham but should have won the game based on their chances. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both had opportunities to net before Bruno Fernandes struck from the penalty spot. Stronger goalkeeping from David De Gea would have also kept out Steven Bergwijn's effort.

Wilder wasn't afraid to hide his feelings following the defeat on Tyneside. Speaking to the media on Monday morning, the Blades boss said: "The players aren’t in yet and I don’t want to see them anyway. They don’t want to see me either I bet after what I said to them yesterday."

The Asian Handicap has Manchester United on -1.25 currently so the money is behind a comfortable home win. It's hard to disagree on recent showings, particularly if Paul Pogba returns to the starting line-up for the hosts. He was a second-half substitute in the draw at Tottenham.

His impact was immediate and he held a real presence in the middle. Questions are often asked of Pogba; transfer talk is never too far away from the World Cup winner. However, when the focus is on his football, it's clear to see what a top talent he is.

That 25-minute cameo was enough to silence any shouts of 'he needs to justify his spot in the team'. With Bruno Fernandes continuing to shine following his January switch, Pogba's presence in the team will create an exciting midfield partnership between the pair.

The Frenchman should start this fixture if he was fit enough to appear on Friday night; Marcus Rashford's presence in the starting XI indicates that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn't afraid to include those who had held longer-term injuries. United need a win and Pogba can play a major part in that.

While the focus is often on Pogba's attacking contribution, his all-round impact in midfield shouldn't be ignored. That particularly applies to successful tackles and his defensive work rate.

Despite limited appearances this season, Pogba has posted three or more tackles in a game on three separate occasions; one of those came in just 45 minutes in the 4-1 home victory over Newcastle back in December. He also had one against Tottenham despite being a late second-half sub.

If he is involved from the start here, this is a contest where Pogba's tackle rate could be high once again; particularly on the back of a lengthy spell without regular competitive football. Sky Bet's 7/2 price on 3+ successful tackles for the midfielder is well worth taking on against this out of sorts Blades side.

Ultimately, this should be a game in which Manchester United secure victory based on what we have seen across the past seven days. Sheffield United look flat compared with their previous showings and their top-six chances will disappear if they continue on the same track. Injury and suspension problems have also complicated things for Wilder.

Backing the hosts looks a good selection for any midweek accumulators. The best value in this contest though comes in betting on Pogba to start and be involved among the tackles across the 90 minutes.

Score prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Sheffield United (Sky Bet odds: 5/1)

Best bet: Paul Pogba 3+ tackles at 7/2

Opta facts

• Man Utd have won their last seven home meetings with Sheffield United in all competitions by an aggregate score of 17-2, since a 1-2 league defeat in December 1973.
• Sheffield United’s last victory against Man Utd was in an FA Cup tie in February 1993 (2-1) – since then they’ve drawn one and lost seven of their eight meetings with the Red Devils.
• Yorkshire clubs are winless in their last 42 top-flight visits to face Manchester United at Old Trafford (D11 L31) since Sheffield Wednesday won 2-0 in April 1986.
• Manchester United have lost four of their last six (W2) midweek Premier League matches (Tuesday-Thursday), as many as they had in their previous 32 such games in the competition (W17 D11 L4).
• Manchester United are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions (W8 D4), netting 30 goals and conceding just three in that run. They last had a longer run without defeat between November 2016-January 2017 (17 games).
• Prior to their 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United, Sheffield United had conceded just four goals in their previous eight games (W4 D3 L1). The Blades – who drew 3-3 against Man Utd earlier this season – haven’t shipped three goals in consecutive league games since January 2016 in League One under Nigel Adkins.
• Sheffield United have handed Premier League debuts to players from each nation in Great Britain this season, with Welshman Kieron Freeman making his debut against Newcastle; they are the first side to do this since Blackpool in the 2010-11 season.
• In the reverse fixture, Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood scored his first ever Premier League goal just four minutes after coming off the bench – at 18 years and 54 days, he was Man Utd’s third youngest ever goalscorer in the Premier League.
• Since Bruno Fernandes’ debut for the club in February, no Manchester United player has scored more goals (4), made more assists (4), had more shots (38), shots on target (15), created more chances (26) or played more passes into the box (98, incl. crosses) than the Portuguese star.
• Sheffield United have managed just 12 shots in their last two Premier League matches (D1 L1), as many as Manchester United had in their 1-1 draw against Spurs.

• Click image for Liverpool v Palace betting preview

Newcastle v Aston Villa

• 18:00 BST on BT Sport

Aston Villa failed to make their extra game count and remain in the battle to avoid the drop. They sit second bottom although just a single point behind West Ham in 17th. They need to find a win from somewhere if they are to deny a return to the Sky Bet Championship.

In Newcastle, they take on a side who appeared fresh following the break. There was little to shout about in the first-half against Sheffield United, but a solid second-half showing where they scored three goals likely secured their Premier League status for another season.

It was an impressive result for Steve Bruce's side given all the off-field talk that has dominated the previous three months. We still await the outcome of a takeover with doubts surrounding whether or not they will get Premier League approval. The positive for them is that if a deal can be completed, they will be taking control of a club in England's top-flight.

Villa were another side who looked fairly flat across their two opening games. They actually posted a better xG than Chelsea in Sunday's encounter but it always looked as if the visitors would be the ones to secure the three points on offer, even after they went 1-0 behind.

The Asian Handicap gives Newcastle the edge in this one and that seems fair when we compare the two performances at the weekend. The hosts also know that another victory will take them over the desired 40-point marker.

We can search through the markets but the top line 11/8 price on a Newcastle win looks decent enough value in this contest. The circumstances are completely different to the first meeting back in November, where Villa emerged as 2-0 winners.

The lack of a crowd at St. James' Park could also be beneficial for this Newcastle team. While they possess one of the most passionate fanbases in English football, the expectation that comes with that can be too much for some to cope with.

Joelinton netting at the weekend is perhaps an example of that. His first-half miss, with an opportunity he should have scored, could have had a negative effect on his second-half chances. That, of course, is not exclusive to Newcastle but to every club in the English football pyramid.

The striker grabbing one could well start a decent run of goals between now and the end of the season. He'll be targeting this game for another on the tally given Villa's defensive struggles up until this point.

Newcastle look a good price for victory here, a result that could actually take them into the top-half of the Premier League table, and backing the hosts in the outright market is where the best bet can be found.

Score prediction: Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)

Best bet: Newcastle to beat Aston Villa at 11/8

Opta facts

• Newcastle have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League meetings with Aston Villa (W5 D5), though it was in the reverse fixture this season back in November.
• Following their 2-0 win at Villa Park in the reverse fixture, Aston Villa are looking to complete the Premier League double over Newcastle for the first time since 2004-05.
• In all competitions, Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 11 home games against Aston Villa (W7 D4), since a 0-3 loss in April 2005.
• Newcastle have failed to win 23 of their last 26 midweek Premier League matches (W3 D10 L13), with all those three victories coming consecutively in 2019.
• Aston Villa have won just two of their last 33 Premier League games away from Villa Park (D5 L26), beating Norwich in October and Burnley in January. The Villans are the only side yet to keep a clean sheet on the road in the Premier League this term.
• Newcastle United are looking to win three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since November 2018. Manager Steve Bruce hasn’t won three top-flight games in a row since January 2009 with Wigan Athletic, a run of four consecutive wins.
• Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United was only the second time they had scored three times in a Premier League game this season, after their 3-2 win at West Ham. The Magpies last scored three times in consecutive Premier League games back in January 2015.
• Aston Villa’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea was the fifth time this season they have scored first and lost in the Premier League, the most in the division. The last team to lose more games after scoring first in a season were West Ham United in 2013-14 (six).
• Newcastle striker Joelinton ended a run of 2,130 minutes and 39 shots without scoring in the Premier League with his goal against Sheffield United and is looking to score in consecutive league games in Europe’s top five divisions for the first time since November 2018 for Hoffenheim.
• Aston Villa have conceded 58 Premier League goals this season and have conceded twice or more in 19 of their 30 matches, the joint-most of any team along with bottom side Norwich City.

Norwich v Everton

• 18:00 BST on BBC One

While this is not the most attractive fixture on the list for Wednesday's action, it has every chance of being the most viewed with it being shown on BBC One.

Everton played out yet another dull Merseyside derby against Liverpool on Sunday but could have perhaps felt annoyed that they didn't win it. Tom Davies struck the post while Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin both had chances to find the back of the net.

Norwich were convincingly beaten by Southampton on Friday night and put in one of the worst performances we have seen since the restart. They looked flat and their team selection combined with substitutions suggests that they are running out of ideas when it comes to avoiding relegation back to the Sky Bet Championship.

Everton sit on -0.5 on the Asian Handicap and their near even money price looks great for inclusion in the midweek accumulators. The Toffees may sit 12th in the Premier League standings but the table since Carlo Ancelotti came in would have them in eighth - level on points with Chelsea in fourth.

This will also be a game targeted for victory given their tough fixture list. The previous four fixtures coming against Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool; they still have to face Leicester, Tottenham and Wolves.

If Norwich look as flat as they did against Southampton then it will be a pleasant evening for Everton's forward pair of Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin. The duo are enjoying life under Ancelotti's guidance and will fancy themselves to be among the goalscorers here.

Given the contest, the price on them grabbing a goal is fairly low; even money in the majority of places for Calvert-Lewin and 13/10 for Richarlison. Instead, to get the value, it's worth siding with them in the stats market.

An example would be the 7/4 price available with Sky Bet on Richarlison posting two or more shots on target against this Norwich defence. Remarkably, four of his last five Premier League contests have seen him post at least four total shots.

The Brazilian has clearly benefitted from remaining in the forward role, having dropped into attacking midfield under Marco Silva, and his shot totals have increased since Ancelotti was appointed. He only posted four shots on two occasions before January.

A positive for this bet selection is that Richarlison played the full 90 minutes in their draw with Liverpool despite the substitution limit being upped to five following the restart. He's clearly an important player to this Everton side.

Norwich conceded a huge total of 22 shots in that defeat to Southampton which further underlines how poor their performance was. Given the quick turnaround between fixtures, it's going to be tough to simply snap out of it and focus on the positives.

Perhaps more worryingly, of those 22 shots, nine were on target. Norwich's average shots conceded stands at 15.7 this season, the second-worst in the entire Premier League, and that tally will only increase if they continue to replicate performances like Friday.

Everton have actually posted fairly high shot tallies under Ancelotti. There were 16 in the draw with Manchester United and 17 in their away defeat at Arsenal. Of course, it depends on the context of the game, but Southampton's season average of 13.1 suggests that teams will enjoy coming up against this struggling Norwich defence.

It's 18/1 that Everton hit the same tally as Southampton here, but the value comes in taking the 11/2 available on the visitors having 19+ total shots. That counts total efforts, not ones that are solely on target.

This should be a contest that ends in an Everton victory and they will want to do so with goals on the board. A top-half finish is Everton's realistic aim this season; this could be a game where they boost their goal difference situation.

Score prediction: Norwich 0-2 Everton (Sky Bet odds: 17/2)

Best bet: Everton to have 19+ total shots at 11/2

Opta facts

• Norwich are looking to complete their first league double over Everton since 1993-94, following their 2-0 victory at Goodison Park earlier in the season.
• Everton have won just one of their eight Premier League away games against Norwich (D5 L2), winning 3-2 in October 2004.
• Norwich have won just one of their last 20 midweek Premier League matches (Tuesday-Thursday – D6 L13), beating Watford 4-2 in May 2016.
• Everton are winless in their last four Premier League games (D2 L2), failing to score in each of the last two matches. The Toffees haven’t gone three consecutive top-flight matches without scoring since September 2017 under Ronald Koeman.
• Everton haven’t kept an away clean sheet in the Premier League since a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the season, conceding in all 14 of their games on the road since.
• Norwich have failed to score in five of their last six Premier League games, beating Leicester 1-0 in the only game in which they found the net in that run (D1 L4).
• When conceding at least once, Norwich are winless in their last 20 Premier League matches since beating Manchester City 3-2 in September (D4 L16).
• Everton are unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League away games against sides starting the day bottom of the division (W7 D7), since a 1-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 2004 (1-2).
• Excluding penalties, Norwich’s Teemu Pukki hasn’t scored with any of his last 28 shots in the Premier League since netting against Leicester in December.
• Six of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 13 Premier League goals for Everton this season have come away from home - the last Englishman to net seven away goals in a single Premier League campaign for Everton was Nick Barmby in 1999-00.

Wolves v Bournemouth

• 18:00 BST on BT Sport

Wolves kept their European aspirations on track with victory over West Ham; while Bournemouth were easily beaten by Crystal Palace on returning weekend.

The Cherries' problems continue to worsen with Nathan Ake posting their only effort on target. They are in a real battle to avoid the drop to the Sky Bet Championship and their losing run should continue as they travel to the West Midlands.

Given Chelsea's clash with Manchester City on Thursday, Wolves will know that this is a great opportunity to move within two points of the top-four.

The Asian Handicap has Wolves at -0.75 so the money is behind a home victory on Wednesday evening. Bournemouth's five-game winless run being a part contributor to that; it must be acknowledged how strong Nuno Espirito Santo's side look though.

Adama Traore was the star at West Ham as his impact from the bench made the difference. A perfectly-timed cross allowed Raul Jimenez to head home from close range and the latter is the focus of our best bet here.

The striker has been one of the stars of the Premier League season. His 14 goals in 30 appearances have helped to fire Wolves into their current position while his nine in Europe aided their Europa League push.

He tops the charts when it comes to total shots in England's top-flight with 77; that is well clear of the 69 from Mohamed Salah in second. When it comes to shots on target, Jimenez sits second.

The Wolves man has posted at least four total shots in each of his last five Premier League appearances, with five in the 'recent' draw away at Olympiacos in the Europa League. He is seeing plenty of opportunities to find the net and isn't afraid to try his luck.

Sky Bet have 15/8 available on Jimenez posting six or more total shots in this contest which looks good value based on his track record and their opponents. Bournemouth sit third in the Premier League for average shots conceded per game with their figure standing at 15.3.

It's quite surprising to see that Wolves sit ninth for average shots given the amount Jimenez regularly posts. However, with Bournemouth visiting, we should expect it to be a game where Wolves beat that tally.

They did that in the away victory over Bournemouth back in November. Santo's side had 18 in total with Jimenez posting seven alongside the goal he scored.

It's worth playing to the home side hitting a similar margin in this contest given the contrasting performances on display at the weekend. The break didn't seem to affect Wolves; while Bournemouth failed to utilise it to address some of their current issues.

The 2019/20 campaign started almost a year ago for Wolves due to that involvement in Europe's second club competition but they are showing no signs of slowing down.

Even against a team battling to avoid the drop, they should continue their winning ways here as they aim to close the gap to Chelsea in fourth and secure Champions League football.

With Wolves at an odds-on price, the value comes in backing Jimenez to post a high number of shots for the hosts.

Score prediction: Wolves 2-0 Bournemouth (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)

Best bet: Raul Jimenez to have 6+ total shots at 15/8

Opta facts

• Wolves are unbeaten in all three of their Premier League meetings with Bournemouth, winning two and drawing one.
• Bournemouth are looking for their first league victory over Wolves since winning 2-1 in March 2015 in the Championship.
• Wolves have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three home league games (W1 D2), more than they had in their first 12 at Molineux this season (2).
• Since the start of last season, Bournemouth have lost more Premier League away games than any other side, losing 24 of their 34 games on the road in that time.
• Wolves are unbeaten in six Premier League games (W3 D3), keeping five clean sheets in that run.
• Bournemouth have earned just seven points from a possible 30 in 2020 so far (W2 D1 L7), fewer than any other side in the competition.
• Bournemouth have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 13 league matches, conceding 25 goals across this spell. It’s the longest current run without a clean sheet in the Premier League.
• Steve Cook, Lewis Cook and Adam Smith were all booked in Bournemouth’s last match against Crystal Palace, taking the Cherries’ yellow card tally up to 60 for the season. With eight games still to play, it’s already Bournemouth’s joint-highest yellow card total in a single top-flight season (level with 2018-19).
• Wolves duo Adama Traoré (six assists) and Raúl Jiménez (three assists) have combined for a league-high nine Premier League goals this season. Overall, Traoré has provided eight assists in the competition this season, with no Wolves player ever providing more in a single campaign.
• Raúl Jiménez has scored 14 Premier League goals this season, a record for a Wolves player in a single season in the competition. The last player to score more in a single top-flight campaign for the club was John Richards in 1975-76 (17).

Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Odds correct at 1230 BST (22/06/20)

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