Bournemouth v Leicester: Draw – 12/5
There’s a lot to like about how Eddie Howe quietly goes about his business and we’re not just talking about his deceivingly handsome figure.
Bournemouth’s Premier League finishes have been steadier than their manager’s ever-present haircut and it looks like they’re in no mood for a survival scrap this season either, picking up a creditable seven points from their opening four fixtures.
They welcome Leicester and Harry Maguire’s cliff-like forehead to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, as the Foxes look to leap-frog their hosts in the league standings. Despite Alisson’s best efforts, Leicester fell to a 1-2 home defeat last time out and they’ll be hoping to temporarily quieten the constant speculation on manager Claude Puel’s position with a victory on the south coast.
This pair have had a tendency to cancel each other out in recent times and five of their last six meetings in England’s top tier have been draws. We’re sniffing another stalemate here, so we’re taking the nifty 12/5 price on offer.
Newcastle v Arsenal: Arsenal to win – 5/6
Delving into past ties between these two, you’d be forgiven for expecting a classic at St James’ Park – especially when the fixture has produced 4-4 and 7-3 scorelines within this decade. However, the reality is that the last five games leading into this one have failed to catch fire.
Only nine goals have been scored in those contests and it’s been pretty much one way traffic in favour of The Gunners in the head-to-head stats as well. The now Unai Emery-led outfit have won 10 of the previous 11 fixtures, with Newcastle finally bucking the trend last season with a 2-1 victory in April.
The Magpies have only secured a single point so far in this Premier League campaign and they’re in danger of their fans finding it more entertaining to protest outside high street department stores than what’s actually taking place on the turf.
It’s impossible to look past Arsenal’s recent domination and they should be bouncing after picking up their first away win of the season in a thriller with Cardiff. We fully expect them to fire off a second way win here at 5/6.
Chelsea v Cardiff: Alternative Handicap Chelsea (-1) – 1/2
With all due respect to Cardiff, when your top summer signings on your return to the Premier League are Harry Arter on loan and a couple of young Championship starlets (Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid), the writing seems to be already on the wall.
Unlike their fellow promoted clubs, Fulham and Wolves, the purse strings in Wales have been kept tighter than Donald Trump’s wallet and that’s reflected in the fact they’ve had to scrap for their lives to secure two measly points from a possible 12.
They travel to London on Saturday to meet the aristocrats of Chelsea and given the current form of the Londoners, Neil Warnock’s side’s chances of success could dissipate faster than the smoke from the cigarette Maurizio Sarri will be desperately craving in the home dugout.
Sarri’s Blues have scored two or more goals in every Premier League game this season, while Cardiff have let in three in their last two matches. Even the most hardcore of supporters from the Welsh capital will admit that this one is only going one way and we’re taking the 1/2 shot on Chelsea to cover the (-1) handicap to round out our treble.
Find the latest Premier League odds over at paddypower.com*All odds correct at time of posting