The Premier League continues this weekend with Round 26 soccer action from Saturday, February 27, to Monday, February 29. The previous Round 25 only cemented Manchester City on top of the table thanks to a 1-0 win over Arsenal. Their city rivals Manchester United managed to get past Newcastle to climb up to the second spot. Leicester won 2-1 against Aston Villa, while West Ham shocked Tottenham 2-1. Chelsea drew 1-1 with Southampton, and Liverpool lost to their arch-rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby.
In Round 26, the Citizens will aim to move further away from United as they face West Ham at home on Saturday, February 27, while Solskajer's side will travel to London to meet Chelsea in the grand derby. The upcoming fixture will see Leicester come up against Arsenal in another derby on the same day. In addition, reigning champions Liverpool will look to close the gap to the Manchester clubs with a win over Sheffield United on Sunday, February 28.
This round provides an opportunity for the bettor to play around with parlays, picks in the over/under, or goal scorers. Here are some sports betting predictions to consider when placing a bet on these Premier League matchups.
Manchester City vs West Ham
Manchester City are on an impressive 19-game winning run in all competitions. The last time they lost a game was on November 21, 2020, when they were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham in Round 9 of the Premier League. During their winning streak, they have managed wins over clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Everton, and Arsenal twice. Judging by that, they have no problem being the better side when playing against clubs that are sitting at the top 5 positions on the table.
Meanwhile, West Ham have improved significantly in 2021, compared to their colorful run in the second part of 2020. They have already proven that they can challenge bigger sides this season, having won against Tottenham in Round 25, and Everton earlier, in addition to drawing in the first game vs City. Thus, they are placed in the fourth position of the Premier League table.
However, honestly, it looks doubtful that the Hammers will be able to stop Pep Guardiola's inspiring run, especially on their home turf. It’s not unreasonable to think that City can win this game 3-1 and that score line is paying +950.
Leicester vs Arsenal
This season, Leicester are back to challenging for the top 4 positions that open the way for direct qualification into the Champions League Group Stage. Last season, they missed fourth place by four points and ended up playing in the Europa League Group Stage. Ever since the beginning of the season, they have grabbed wins over Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool, and their Sunday's opponents, Arsenal.
On the other side, Arsenal have faced unexpected struggles this season, after the impressive performances in the second part of the 2019/20 season. Their only recent win against a club above them on the table has been against Chelsea, in addition to perhaps the one against Manchester United on November 1, 2020.
Having both teams' current form in mind, FanDuel are favoring Leicester by a small margin, as the Foxes are paying out +150, Arsenal +185, and a draw is at +230. If you got to pick anyone to put the ball in the back of the net in this game look no further than Jamie Vardy, as he is at +330 to be the first one to score. Want to put your money on something solid, always bet on Vardy.
Chelsea vs Manchester United
The Chelsea vs Manchester United matchup is probably the most exciting derby out of all three in Round 26. Especially for the fact that ever since the Blues had appointed Thomas Tuchel, they have forgotten what it's like to lose. Chelsea are yet to be defeated under the German boss, having grabbed six triumphs and two draws in eight games in all competitions so far.
Their opponents Manchester United, have been in the form of their lives, probably in the best form in years, all thanks to their jewel Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese star is one of the several players who have inspired the Red Devils to dream big again, in spite of trailing City by 10 points. Man Utd have lost only two matches in 2021, one in the Premier League and one in the Carabao Cup.
Both clubs are in incredible form so betting that the game will have over 2.5 goals could be a sure bet, at -112, a $100 bet could earn the bettor $89.
Sheffield United vs Liverpool
Sheffield United have promised a lot at the beginning of this 2020/21 season, but they have shown very little until now. As a result, they are stuck at the bottom of the EPL table with just 11 points in 25 matches. In addition, the fact that they have won only two of their six most recent league games doesn't help them at all. This will, in fact, be their 8th overall meeting against Liverpool. The Reds have been the absolute favorites in head-to-head duels, winning five games so far; Sheffield United have celebrated a victory only once, and the remaining game has ended in a draw so far.
This matchup could finally be Jurgen Klopp's shining light at the end of the tunnel, considering they are yet to recover from the shocking winless run in the English top division. Liverpool have suffered four consecutive league losses, with two of them coming unexpectedly to sides like Brighton and Everton. They have already lost seven games in 2021, which is surprisingly more than they have lost in the 2019 and 2020 calendar years combined.
Having all this in mind, Liverpool are coming up against Sheffield United at the right time. This could be their ideal chance to recover from the recent misfortunes. Taking into account the Blades' usual struggles to score at all this season, and the fact that the Reds' have not netted a single goal in the first half in six successive games, betting that the first half will end with a draw, could be a sure bet at +163. Thus, a $100 bet could earn the bettor $163, as per DraftKings.
Parlays for these four matchups of Premier League Round 26
A solid parlay bet could be the following: Manchester City to beat West Ham 3-1; Leicester triumphing over Arsenal, and Chelsea and Manchester United score over 2.5 goals. In addition, Sheffield United and Liverpool to go into half-time with a draw, 0-0, 1-1, 2-2 – it does not matter, it needs to be a draw. At $100, the bettor could win up to $1,151.
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