As the nights draw in and we all get used to a life where we go to work and return from work in gloomy darkness, hopefully it’s making Premier League players as miserable as the rest of us.
Luckily for them, they get to take their frustrations out on the pitch by kicking each other and with November also signalling the imminent arrival of Christmas, we all know there’ll be a few players looking to rack up the cards and (absolutely not) deliberately picking up their fifth booking in time for a Boxing Day suspension and some brownie points at home!
Let’s kickstart that process with some tasty looking foul matchup picks from our tipster Oli Nixon.
Player Foul Matchups picks
Newcastle v Arsenal – Joelinton to commit 1+ fouls on Mikel Merino
Wolves v Crystal Palace – Daniel Munoz to commit 1+ foul on Rayan Ait-Nouri
Man United v Chelsea – Moises Caicedo to commit 1+ foul on Bruno Fernandes
- A treble with these bets pays approximately 24/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Newcastle v Arsenal – Joelinton to commit 1+ fouls on Mikel Merino
WHEN: Saturday, 2nd of October, 12:30pm
WHERE: St. James’ Park, Bournemouth
TV: TNT Sports 1
A man who definitely fits the bill when it comes to fouls is Newcastle midfielder Joelinton. The tough tackling Brazilian has committed the 2nd most fouls of any Premier League player this season, with 20 in just 749 minutes of action, at an average of 2.4 per game. He’s committed at least one foul in every game this season and has a penchant for infringements in front of his home crowd where he’s made 3.5 fouls per game this season. In his last five games against Arsenal he’s committed 16 fouls, so we can expect him to be heavily involved again.
Mikel Merino has been fouled an average of 1.7 times per game across his career and he’ll be battling with Joelinton in midfield. The Spaniard has mainly been limited to appearances from the bench this season, but with Martin Odegaard still missing with injury, and Thomas Partey possibly needed at right back, he looks set to start consecutive Premier League games for the first time this season. The little action he’s seen so far has seen him draw six fouls in 317 minutes of football, at an average of 1.7 per 90, and with him facing such clumsy opposition, he should get fouled at least a few times to land our first leg.
Wolves v Crystal Palace – Daniel Munoz to commit 1+ foul on Rayan Ait-Nouri
WHEN: Saturday, 2nd of November, 5:30pm
WHERE: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
TV: Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League
When it comes to defensive work, Daniel Munoz might be as busy as it gets in the Premier League. The wing back has the 15th most fouls of any player in the division, and the most tackles per 90 of any player, so we can safely file him under the category of ‘likes to get stuck in’. He’s the Palace player with the most fouls this season, committing 1.9 per 90 across all competitions this season, being booked in his last three games. With Glasner’s set-up relying on wing backs to provide the attacking width, Munoz is regularly caught out of possession and has to commit cynical fouls to stop counter attacks.
Playing on those counters and directly opposing Munoz will be Wolves wing back Rayan Ait-Nouri. He’s only drawn 0.67 fouls per 90 this season, however, the Algerian has spent much of the campaign deployed as a standard full back. In recent games, Wolves have returned to using wing backs, a role in which Ait-Nouri drew 2.06 fouls per 90 last season. Across his last two games against Palace he’s been fouled four times and seen opposition right backs booked on both occasions, so hopefully we get more of the same on Saturday evening.
Man United v Chelsea – Moises Caicedo to commit 1+ foul on Bruno Fernandes
WHEN: Sunday, 3rd of November, 4:30pm
WHERE: Old Trafford, Manchester
TV: Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League
Moises Caicedo is starting to become synonymous with this column and when you look at his foul data it’s no great surprise. Two more fouls for the Ecuadorian against Newcastle last time out means he has now committed at least two fouls in each of his last four games and sits joint 4th for fouls committed among all players in the Premier League. Despite racking up the fouls, Caicedo has only picked up two bookings, and the freedom to continue playing in aggressive manner for a while yet, without fear of suspension. In this fixture last season he committed three fouls, and with him now being asked to do even more defensive work, we can expect similar numbers in this game.
Another factor that will come as a surprise to no-one is Portuguese whinger Bruno Fernandes gets kicked a lot. Perhaps it’s his constant complaining or the petulant fouls that he makes himself, either way, he’s a magnet for opponent attention and that can only be good for us. He’s been fouled 1.4 times per game across his career for club and country, and with him looking back to his best in midweek in the EFL Cup, Chelsea will want to contain him. His last five appearances against the Blues have drawn seven opposition fouls, and freed from the Ten-Hag shackles, we may see more creative freedom that draws Caicedo in to foul him.
Player Foul Matchups picks
Newcastle v Arsenal – Joelinton to commit 1+ fouls on Mikel Merino
Wolves v Crystal Palace – Daniel Munoz to commit 1+ foul on Rayan Ait-Nouri
Man United v Chelsea – Moises Caicedo to commit 1+ foul on Bruno Fernandes
- A treble with these bets pays approximately 24/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
READ MORE
- Shoot on over to Paddy Power News for the best Football Betting Tips & News
- Wolves v Crystal Palace Tips: Joe Cole’s 28/1 Bet Builder for Saturday night’s action
- EFL Betting Tips: Matthew O’Regan’s Saturday picks across the Championship
- Newcastle v Arsenal Tips: Joe Cole’s 9/1 Bet Builder for Saturday’s St James’ showdown
- Premier League Predictions: Lawro sees Man United win but Everton and Villa to lose
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