Last weekend was a bit of an emotional rollerocaster. We started off proceedings with a 13/5 winning bet on Friday evening before Liverpool (and Richie Towell) let us down in the following days but an Alex Mowatt goal for Leeds banked us a 3/1 shout on Monday evening. Basically, we have momentum as the focus quickly shifts back to the Premier League. Stick with us here at Balls.ie and everything will be alright.
The Balls.ie Football Show Ladbrokes Bet Of The Week:
Tottenham To Win 2-0 Against West Brom @5/1
With eight wins from their past nine games, Spurs are finally looking like the team that competed for the title last season. They announced their intention to challenge once again following a convincing 2-0 victory over Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino's side welcome a solid West Brom team to White Hart Lane knowing it will be difficult to break them down.
Remarkably, the past three games between these two clubs have ended as 1-1 draws. While that may not fill you with confidence, Spurs have found the back of the net with relative ease in recent weeks. The North London side have only failed to score two-lus goals in a game on one occasion since the 19th of November. Expect that run to be extended when the referee blows the final whistle.
Olivier Giroud To Score Last vs Swansea @10/3
Giroud must be rubbing his hands together with the prospect of playing a feeble Swansea team after scoring in the past four games - three of which have arrived in the 87th minute or later. The Frenchman can do no wrong these days (unless he's celebrating a late equaliser, of course). The talismanic striker has scored 12 of his last 17 shots on target.
Swansea are recovering from Bob Bradley's heinous reign of terror which now sees Paul Clement at the helm. The former Derby County manager faces a monumental task on Saturday afternoon with Swansea priced at 5/1 to leave the Liberty Stadium with all three points. Expect a bright start by the Welsh side, buoyed by a new managerial appointment but Arsenal's class will shine through over the course of the game.
Jermain Defoe To Score And Sunderland To Draw 1-1 With Stoke @22/1
Stoke travel to the North-East of England having failed to win 14 of their previous games at the Stadium of Light. Despite there being a nine points in the difference between Stoke and Sunderland but not much will separate these two sides come kick-off. The Potters are in sketchy form as of late, having won on only one occasion in their past seven games - which included a convincing 2-0 defeat against Wolves in the FA Cup most recently.
While Sunderland remain an enigma. Unless David Moyes' can stamp out the inconsistency which plagues his team, then the Wearsiders will struggle to escape the relegation zone. However, two successive draws (vs Liverpool & Burnley) have somewhat steadied the ship. The man steering said vessel, is none other than Jermain Defoe.
The 34-year-old is the most prolific English goalscorer in the Premier League this season with 11 goals. Expect Defoe to add another to his tally as only Alan Shearer and Frank Lampard have more Premier League goals in January.
Chelsea To Come From Behind And Win Against Leicester @9/1
The previous two Premier League champions face off at the King Power stadium on Saturday evening - yet they are experiencing contrasting fortunes this season. Despite the loss to Tottenham, Chelsea still sit firmly top of the table. While Leicester have displayed glimpses of the side they were last season but clearly miss the influence of N'Golo Kante in midfield - who will face his former club for the second time since departing in the summer.
Leicester will aim to start this game strong in front of the home crowd and may very well take the lead but Chelsea's strength in character will shine through. After all, losing is not something Antonio Conte is too accustomed to, having not lost two successive league games since 2011 while manager of Siena.
The last time Chelsea defeated the reigning Premier League champions twice in the same season, they went on to lift the trophy (2009/10), so victory on Saturday may prove to be a good omen for the Blues.
Manchester United And Man City To Win On Sunday @3/1
Everton welcome Manchester City to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon. The hosts have regained form in recent weeks, having only lost once in their past five Premier League games yet they face a rejuvenated Manchester City team. If recent history is anything to go by then the Toffees will struggle against Guardiola's side as they have failed to defeat City in their past seven games. Interestingly, Everton won four home games in a row against the Citizens under the guidance of David Moyes between 2010 and 2013.
The game may very well come down to the form of Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero on the day but the latter should reign supreme.
They saved the best for last this weekend as Manchester United take on Liverpool in the North-West derby. The visitors will aim to add another scalp to their collection after defeating Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Everton and Man City this season. However, José Mourinho's team are consistent to say the least. The last time Manchester United tasted defeat in the Premier League was at the hands of Chelsea at the end of October. Since then their form guide reads WWWWWWDDDWD.
Liverpool have only defeated Man United three times in their past fourteen visits to Old Trafford but victory on Sunday would certainly stamp their intentions of lifting the league title for the first time in 27 years. United on the other hand are in sixth place, three points behind their cross-city rivals. Undoubtedly, this will make for fascinating encounter but expect a rigid and efficient performance by the hosts.
