There are four Premier League games on Sunday this weekend and the relegation battle is perhaps more in focus rather than the higher reaches of the division.
There are three 2pm kick-offs and the televised fixture sees Everton entertain Tottenham in a clash between two struggling sides. Everton sit just one point clear of danger, while Spurs find themselves closer to the drop zone than the European spots even if it looks unlikely that they will seriously be dragged into a relegation scrap.
Manchester United host Brighton and surprise title contenders Nottingham Forest entertain rock-bottom Southampton in the other two 2pm games.
Manchester City head to 18th-placed Ipswich Town in the late game, meaning three members of the current bottom five are playing on Sunday.
- EVERTON VS TOTTENHAM - SON HEUNG-MIN ANYTIME GOALSCORER
- BRIGHTON TO WIN AT MANCHESTER UNITED
- NOTTINGHAM FOREST TO WIN TO NIL VS SOUTHAMPTON
- IPSWICH TOWN VS MANCHESTER CITY - PHIL FODEN ANYTIME GOALSCORER
Bet On The Premier League
Everton vs Tottenham
Everton and Tottenham is a difficult fixture to unpack given the respective form of these two sides. The return of David Moyes to the dugout didn’t have the desired effect in his first game back as manager as the Toffees slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Wednesday, but improvements should perhaps be expected in the not-too-distant future under a boss who enjoyed an exceptional first stint at Goodison Park.
Spurs appeared on course to stun North London rivals Arsenal in their own midweek assignment after taking an early lead, but they conceded two goals in the final stages of the first half and were unable to fight back.
Tottenham perhaps look the more likely victors - they won the reverse fixture 4-0 back in August and are unbeaten in their last 11 trips to Goodison in the league (W3, D8) - but the better angle could be to focus on the player bets in this one and an anytime effort for visiting forward Son Heung-min is the pick.
Son scored Spurs’ goal against Arsenal and has a respectable six goals in 18 games this season in this competition. The South Korean has also scored in each of his last two appearances against the Merseyside outfit, including a double earlier this season, and he can score in successive games by finding a way through at Goodison Park.
SON HEUNG-MIN ANYTIME GOALSCORER
Manchester United vs Brighton
Manchester United managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Thursday as they battled back from 1-0 down to beat Southampton 3-1 at Old Trafford, equalising after 82 minutes before sealing the win with two late goals.
Before that late flurry, Saints looked good value for their lead and a similar United performance against this better Brighton outfit is unlikely to be enough to yield anything positive.
It is still a big ask for the visitors but as big price underdogs they look well worth the risk.
The Seagulls were ultimately comfortable 2-0 winners at Ipswich in their own midweek game and they are now unbeaten in six across all competitions.
Brighton have also been a bit of a bogey team for United in recent years and have won five of the last six Premier League meetings, including a 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium earlier this season, so they have a decent chance of leaving Manchester with maximum points on Sunday.
BRIGHTON TO WIN
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton
Football can be a cruel game sometimes. A win for Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday could have potentially ignited some sort of unlikely dash towards safety under newish boss Ivan Juric but instead they were condemned to a damaging loss that leaves them 10 points adrift of safety.
In terms of follow-up fixtures for Saints, they couldn’t be much worse than a trip to high-flying Nottingham Forest - a team who are incredibly tough to break down and one riding a wave of optimism that they can secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Forest played out a 1-1 draw with pacesetters Liverpool in midweek as they conceded for the first time since mid-December, a run stretching five games. Nuno’s troops were on a seven-game winning run prior to that stalemate with Liverpool and the visit of the league’s bottom club provides a chance to get back to winning ways after a rare draw.
Forest have won six of their last eight home games across all competitions and five of those wins have been accompanied by clean sheets, while Southampton have scored just six goals in 11 games on their travels. As such a Forest win to nil looks the best bet here and is the pick of the bunch in terms of this selection of four bets for Sunday’s Premier League games.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST TO WIN TO NIL
Ipswich vs Manchester City
Ordinarily, Manchester City would be expected to win comfortably at Ipswich but they have only won three of their last nine games in all competitions and the Tractors Boys have started to show a bit of fight in recent weeks as they scrap for survival.
City don’t offer any appeal at the current prices but going for an Ipswich result is still perhaps a step too far, they were well beaten by Brighton at this venue in midweek, so again the player markets look the best approach for this fixture and an anytime goal for Phil Foden has a great chance.
Foden scored both goals to help City take a 2-0 lead at Brentford in their midweek game before Pep Guardiola’s men were pegged back and had to settle for a draw. The England international now has three goals in his last two league games and also managed an assist in a cameo appearance in the FA Cup win over Salford. As such, Foden is the in-form man in the City attack and he can play his part in helping City get their top-four bid back on track with an anytime effort at Portman Road.
PHIL FODEN ANYTIME GOALSCORER
