Arsenal v Brighton: Arsenal to win to nil – 5/4
Arsenal arrested their recent slump with an impressive win over Valencia in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night. To respond so well to going a goal behind with some typically shaky defending was encouraging, and they should look to continue on an upward curve against a Brighton team that doesn’t score many goals this weekend.
Last Saturday’s goal against Newcastle was the Seagulls first in the Premier League since the 9th of March in a run that has seen them drop ominously close to the bottom three.
Playing away to Arsenal, they will surely look to produce a performance similar to the one they turned out at Molineux two weeks ago, which saw them sit deep and restrict the space Wolves had to play with.
That tactic might have worked against a Wolves side who are not yet used to being the dominant team, but The Gunners represent a different prospect altogether. Unai Emery’s men have scored in 17 successive Premier League home games and usually have no problem putting teams like Brighton away.
If the home side find the net, which they should, it is hard to see how the sickly Seagulls are going to score. Even though they are playing an Arsenal side who seem to actively help the out opposition, you just can’t see Brighton posing a sufficient goal threat to cause them problems.
Chelsea vs Watford: Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals – 5/6
Chelsea find themselves in the peculiar position of picking up just two points from their last three games and still gaining more than both Manchester United and Arsenal. The Blues have gotten away with their less than convincing run of form and now look in pole position to finish in the top four.
Watford will always have a go and it won’t be by any means an easy game, however, last week’s defeat at home to Wolves has effectively ended any hopes they had of finishing seventh.
With a cup final coming up in just two weeks, you couldn’t blame them if they had one eye on that Wembley date with Manchester City.
Despite their recent slump, The Blues have more of an incentive to win this game and that should see them over the line – just. With Chelsea failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five games and Watford failing to do so since February, it should make for an entertaining game with plenty of goals.
Huddersfield vs Manchester United: Man United (-2) – 13/5
United’s draw at home to Chelsea has effectively ruled them out of Champions League qualification, barring a minor miracle.
Three points and a vastly inferior goal difference separate them from their fourth-placed rivals and they virtually require Chelsea to drop points in both games between now and the end of the season, unless they go goal crazy on Sunday, which they haven’t exactly been threatening to do.
Having said that, the performance against The Blues was a major improvement on recent weeks until David De Gea’s latest howler cost them three points. United were far more creative than any other time in the month of April and should have been two goals clear by the time De Gea gifted the ball to Marcos Alonso.
They should have no problems against a Huddersfield side who resemble one of the worst to ever grace the Premier League. They are lucky Wolves don’t know how to play against defensive teams, otherwise, they might well be challenging Derby’s record of 11 points in a single season.
They have lost each of their last eight games, conceding 24 goals in the process and even a badly out of form United side should have absolutely no problems against them.
Many United players will be playing for their places in next season’s squad, so they should be right at it and should stroll to a convincing win against the toothless Terriers.
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