The Premier League | 17th round preview

Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea

The Blues are currently the team in the best form in The Premier League! Antonio Conte’s players have recorded 10 consecutive victories in the league! Furthermore, they have kept a clean sheet in 8 of these games! Exactly Chelsea are the team with the strongest defence in The Premiership (alongside Tottenham) with only 11 goals conceded.

Just on the opposite – Crystal Palace are very close to the relegation zone. The Eagles have only won once in their last 10 matches. In addition, Chelsea have won 8 of 15 visits to Selhurst Park. Logically, The Blues are to achieve another victory!

Middlesbrough vs. Swansea City

The Swans were smashed to West Bromwich Albion in their previous visit in The Premier League. The Bob Bradley’s players have only won once in 8 visits this season. Moreover, they have scored 4 and have conceded 13 goals!

On the other hand, The Boro are also not persuasive enough when playing at home – 2-1-5 (6:10 goal difference). In addition, Middlesbrough have never won a home match against Swansea City – 2 draws and 1 victory for The Swans. Furthermore, The Boro have serious problems with scoring goals – this is the team with the least scored goals (only 13 in 16 games). We expect the match to finish with the option of “under 2,5 goals”.

Stoke City vs. Leicester City

To begin with, The Foxes struggle when playing away from The King Power Stadium. That’s why they are lying in the 16th position, just 4 points above the dangerous zone! The Claudio Ranieri’s players have only achieved 1 point in their visits this campaign, which is extremely unsatisfying for the defending champions.

Moreover, Stoke City have won 18 of 29 matches against The Foxes at The Britannia Stadium! Leicester City have won 6 of these games. At both ends, my expectations are for “both teams to score”.

Sunderland vs. Watford

The scenario for Sunderland is exactly the same, as in the previous campaign. The Black Cats had won 12 points until the 16th round in the previous campaign! Now, they are with 11, but in the last season they stayed with 12 points until the matchday 20, when they beat Aston Villa. In addition, Sunderland have only lost twice when playing Watford at home (the record between these two teams at The Stadium of Light is 6-3-2).

David Moyes knows well that the match against Watford at home is obligatory to be won, so he will do anything to achieve the three points. You can bravely put your money on The Black Cats!

West Ham United vs. Hull City

The Hammers made a step in the right way, after they finally recorded a victory in the previous round (1-0 against Burnley at home). I think, they can now repeat the good performance against The Tigers! Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio, Lanzini and Carroll sound too classy for Hull City and maybe the West Ham players’ individual skills will decide the match!

In addition, Hull City have the worst defence in the league. The Mike Phelan’s players have conceded 35 goals. They are also not so persuasive in attack, having only scored 14 goals in 16 games. Don’t expect any miracles here!

West Bromwich Albion vs. Manchester United

The Red Devils finally found their best form! With 6 victories and 3 draws in their last 9 competitive matches, Manchester United have made their return in the battle for a place in The Top 4! However a visit to The Hawthorns is always a difficult task. Moreover, The Baggies have an advantage when playing against The Red Devils at home. West Bromwich have won 24 matches. There have also been 11 draws and 19 victories for Manchester United.

Furthermore, the forward Jose Salomon Rondon has recently been in a superb form. The Venezuelan bagged a hat-trick against The Swans in the last round. He is very good in the air, as he scored all the 3 goals with header shots! Exactly, the 27-year-old striker scored for the last West Brom’s victory against United several months ago! The draw would be the fairest result here…

AFC Bournemouth vs. Southampton

The Cherries have been among the easiest opponents for The Saints. Southampton have won 5 of the 6 games between these two teams. On the other hand, The Saints have been showing a mutable performance and can’t find the stability from the previous campaign.

Bournemouth have been very good at home this season. The Cherries have won 5 of 8 matches at The Vitality Stadium, having bagged 15 goals. The only thing I can say for the match, between Bournemouth and Southampton, is that the hosts will find the net at least once!

Manchester City vs. Arsenal

The Citizens will be without 4 of their key players – Vincent Kompany (ACL knee ligament injury), Gundogan (knee injury), Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho (both suspended). Even though Manchester City beat Watford in the previous round, they didn’t look like a real contender for the title in The Premier League! However, the match against The Gunners will be crucial for the both teams’ seasons!

Arsene Wenger’s players have won 4 of the last 6 meetings between these two teams. Moreover, The Gunners have only lost 3 of 25 games in all competitions this season! So, you can give a try on X2 (double chance).

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Burnley

The Spurs are still undefeated at White Hart Lane in The Premier League this season! The Mauricio Pochettino’s players have won 6 of 8 home matches in the league. Furthermore, The Spurs have only conceded 4 goals in these matches, which goes to show how strong they are when playing at home.

To continue with, Burnley are extremely weak when playing away from Turf Moor. The last time Burnley won a competitive away game was in May, when they beat Charlton in The Championship! It’s interesting that The Clarets have only scored once in their 7 away games this season!

Everton vs. Liverpool

The last game of the 17th round will maybe be the most interesting one! These two teams are among the biggest rivals in the English football. The team of Liverpool finally looks like a real contender for the title. Jurgen Klopp has built a really good team, but the visits to Goodison Park have always been very tough! Especially, when Everton are still unbeaten at home (4 victories and 4 draws).

The outcome of this match is very unpredictable! The stats at Goodison Park are totally equal (36-33-34)! The only thing you can try betting on are yellow or red cards, because it will be a real battle!