Premier League big guns Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool take to the road this weekend and there is every chance that all three could win their respective matches against Sunderland, Southampton and Aston Villa.
While each should be considered worth backing on their individual merits, new bwin customers who have a crack at the treble with their free £20 bet after registering would see a return of £108.80 should the trio indeed all pick up victories.
Manchester United to beat Sunderland @ 57/100
Sunderland were dealt a major blow this week as top scorer Steven Fletcher was ruled out for the season after he sustained an ankle injury while on international duty with Scotland and he was joined on the sidelines by captain Lee Cattermole, who has undergone surgery on a knee problem that rules him out of their final eight matches.
Just four points separate the Black Cats and Wigan Athletic in the final relegation place as the dismal form of Martin O’Neill’s men continues.
Sunderland have failed to secure a win in their last seven outings and that run looks set to continue this weekend as they welcome runaway league leaders Manchester United to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
United head into the game 15 points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table and you have to go back to November to find their last defeat – a surprise 1-0 loss away at Norwich Cit which sparked a 17-match unbeaten run.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have won their previous six league matches, their last five ending with clean sheets, while the Black Cats have found the net just once in the last six meetings between these two sides, the last four all ending in defeat, including a 3-1 loss at Old Trafford back in December.
In Wayne Rooney, United have a man in fine goalscoring form of late, as he has found the net in four successive matches for club and country, and notched five goals in his last six outings.
Rooney was on the scoresheet earlier in the season against Sunderland, as was strike partner Robin van Persie, who has six goals in nine appearances against the Wearsiders.
Although Ferguson will have one eye on Monday’s FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea, his charges should have enough quality about them to push Sunderland closer to the drop zone.
Full preview: Why Fergie will pick the right team to plunge Sunderland deeper into the mire
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Chelsea to beat Southampton @ 11/10
Despite a frosty relationship between Rafa Benitez and the Chelsea fans, the Blues sit third in the Premier League and are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the last eight of the Europa League in what could yet prove a successful season for the west London club.
Next up for Benitez’s men is a trip to relegation-threatened Southampton this weekend and they head into the game of the back of successive league victories.
They’ll be looking to repeat the scoreline of their most recent trip to St Mary’s, when they ran out 5-1 winners in the third round of the FA Cup in January.
Only Manchester City have conceded fewer than the Blues this season, who have managed to record 11 clean sheets in their 29 league matches, two of which have come in their last two outings after they saw off both West Brom and West Ham at Stamford Bridge to boost their chances of a Champions League qualifying place.
One of the major reasons for the Saints’ current predicament has been their tendency to concede goals, with only three sides, all of whom feature in the bottom four places in the table, having conceded more goals than Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
In Eden Hazard, Chelsea possess a player in fine goalscoring form, the Belgian international scoring in each of his last three appearances for club and country, and firing four in his last five matches.
The former Lille man also found the net in the 2-2 draw between the sides earlier this season and his presence should ensure that Chelsea have enough quality to leave with all three points.
Full preview: Southampton look primed to hold Chelsea and heap more pressure on Rafa
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Liverpool to beat Aston Villa @ 13/20
It’s been a mixed first season in charge for Brendan Rodgers, whose Liverpool side occupy seventh spot in the table, probably just too far off the Champions League qualification places as they sit nine points adrift of fourth-placed Spurs.
Next up for the Reds is Sunday’s trip to relegation-threatened Aston Villa, who sit just one place and three points above the drop zone but managed to record a shock 3-1 win at Anfield before the turn of the year.
In Luis Suarez, Liverpool possess the Premier League’s top scorer, the Uruguayan having netted 22 goals in the league so far this season.
The former Ajax man has notched seven in his last five games in all competitions for the Reds and he’ll certainly fancy his chances of increasing his tally against a defence that has conceded 56 goals in 30 league games this term.
A closer look at the league table reveals that only Reading have conceded more goals than Paul Lambert’s men, who have managed to record just five clean sheets all season and none since December’s 0-0 draw with Stoke City.
This, in large part, is down to the fact that Villa have a young and inexperienced back four – and they will have their hands full against Suarez and strike partner Daniel Sturridge.
It really depends which Liverpool side turn up, of course: the one that beat Tottenham 3-2 in their last match at Anfield, or the side that went down 3-1 at Southampton in their last outing.
But if they travel to Villa Park and play the football they are capable of, they should have too much in the locker for the Villans.
