Despite their Premier League title as good as heading to neighbours Manchester United this season, Manchester City will be eager to close the gap between themselves and their neighbours between now and the end of the campaign, which currently stands at 13 points. On Sunday, City travel to Tottenham, against whom they have a very good record in recent years, while Arsenal and Chelsea will be desperate to secure all three points from their trips to Fulham and Liverpool respectively as they aim to finish in the Champions League qualification places.
While each bet should be considered on its individual merits, new customers who sign up to bwin.com and use their free £20 bet to back the treble would see a return of £249.74 should the trio all secure maximum points.
Arsenal to beat Fulham @ 67/100
Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish were dealt a blow on Tuesday evening as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Everton, ending a run of four straight league victories and allowing Chelsea to leapfrog them into third after their 3-0 win at Fulham on Wednesday night.
The Gunners will be hoping for a similar scoreline as the Blues when they visit Craven Cottage this weekend to take on Martin Jol’s side, who have picked up just one point from the last nine available and sit in mid-table with their Premier League status all but guaranteed for another season.
The two sides played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at the Emirates back in November, but anything other than a victory will be considered a disappointing result for Arsene Wenger’s men, who have played a game more than Chelsea and also Tottenham, who sit two points behind them in fifth.
Only league leaders Manchester United have found the net more times this season than Arsenal, who are currently averaging just under two goals a game with 64 in 33 matches, and they head to a Fulham side that has recorded just four clean sheets in 15 games at home this term.
Away from home, the Gunners have the tightest defence in the league, conceding 14 goals in 16 outings on the road, while also recording six clean sheets along the way, which doesn’t make for good reading for their hosts, who have managed to find the net just once in their last three.
Arsenal’s last three away matches have seen them secure victory, including an impressive 2-0 win at Bayern Munich as they exited the Champions League, and with Fulham having very little to play for and comfortably beaten on Wednesday, backing a Gunners win looks the way to go in this encounter.
Chelsea to beat Liverpool @ 23/10
Chelsea put the disappointment of their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Sunday behind them as they saw off Fulham in midweek to strengthen their chances of a top-four finish, while they also have a good chance of silverware elsewhere as they remain in the Europa League.
The Blues travel to Anfield this weekend in search of their third league victory on the spin, while Liverpool head into the game on the back of two rather disappointing goalless draws, at home to West Ham and away at bottom club Reading, who had lost their previous seven league matches.
It’s been an inconsistent first season at the helm for Brendan Rodgers, with the Reds having played some exciting football at times but currently finding themselves down in seventh position, with European football next season looking unlikely.
The game ended 1-1 when the two teams met at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season as a first-half John Terry strike was cancelled out after the break by Luis Suarez, who has had a fine goalscoring season, even if the Reds have been over-reliant on the Uruguayan at times.
Along with Arsenal, Chelsea are the second top scorers in the league, and they have managed to notch five goals in their last two league outings, while only Manchester City have conceded fewer goals than the 31 goals Rafa Benitez’s men have let in.
It’s certainly a time of transition for Liverpool, who are blooding a number of youngsters into the squad and adapting to a new way of playing under Rodgers, and with their opponents desperate to get back in the Champions League next term, the Blues should have enough quality to secure all three points on Sunday.
Manchester City to beat Tottenham @ 6/5
Manchester City will be looking to secure a league double over Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday after goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero saw them emerge 2-1 victors when the two teams met at the Etihad earlier in the season, and the Blues have a good record against their hosts in recent meetings.
Roberto Mancini’s men have won their last four matches against Spurs and are unbeaten in five against the north London club, who find themselves battling it out with Arsenal and Chelsea for one of the final two Champions League positions.
City’s last trip to Tottenham saw them run out emphatic 5-1 winners, with Dzeko bagging four and Aguero the other, and they’ll head south in high spirits having won their last three league matches in a row, including a 2-1 victory away at neighbours United last week and a 1-0 win at home to Wigan on Wednesday.
Last Sunday also saw the Citizens overcome Chelsea 2-1 in their FA Cup semi-final tie to set up a final appearance against Wigan and the opportunity of winning the competition for the second time in three years, so it’s been a good couple of weeks for the blue half of Manchester, even if their title is heading to United.
While they may not have been as prolific in front of goal as they were last season, Mancini’s men have once again proved a difficult side to break down, conceding just 27 goals in 32 league matches, fewer than any other side, with Serbian defender Matija Nastasic earning rave reviews since his move from Fiorentina in the summer.
Spurs had to twice fight back to secure a 2-2 draw at home to Everton in their last league outing, with their previous home match seeing them go down 1-0 to Fulham.
And as boss Andre Villas-Boas is currently sweating on the fitness of Gareth Bale, a price of 6/5 for a fifth successive win for City against their hosts looks a solid option.
