Premier League Tips – 11th & 12th March

Leeds United have struggled against Brighton in recent times and the Seagulls enjoy a very good record over their rivals, having only lost one and drawn two of the 12 games played between them since February 2014. They have won on three of their last five visits to Elland Road and their form is such that they won’t be afraid of what Leeds offer here.

The home sides erratic form saw the sacking of Jesse Marsch and while Javi Gracia has come in and has landed one win so far in the games that he has played but the signs are that he wants to play a completely different style to Leeds previous two managers and that could lead to problems.

Brighton are a team that can take full advantage of that. They have some quality players, notably Carlos Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma, Moses Caicedo and Solly March, who has been in his best form since playing in the Premier League for the first time a few years ago.

I do think Leeds will go for the win here, and they usually score a goal at home, but I think Brighton have so much quality that they will be able to soak up what Leeds throw at them and then hit on the break to claim the win.

Crystal Palace are a team that Manchester City have had a few problems with in the recent past including a couple of problematic defeats. However, outside of that, this is a fixture that Manchester City has dominated over the years with Palace managing just 3 wins since 2002, while Manchester City have managed 19 in that same period.

Last season, this fixture finished in a 0-0 draw and while Palace would probably take that once again here, I can’t see it happening, City have had a week to prepare for this game and they know that they cannot afford any more slip-ups as they chase Arsenal at the top of the table.

In fact, I think City, while having some issues defensively, are primed ready for a really strong end to the season and with their front three all getting amongst the goals, whoever they rotate into those positions, that is an ominous sign for Palace here.

As such, I can Manchester City enjoying the majority of possession in this game and taking the lead and then picking Palace off with precision when the home side comes forward and tries to get back into the game. As such, I feel a 3-1 win for City is a great option here.

Seven of the last ten games between these two teams have seen over 2.5 goals scored, while four of the last five have also seen both teams score. That said, Arsenal have a fantastic record in this fixture, losing just three games, all away from home, to Fulham since 2001.

Historically this is a fixture which has tended to see goals scored at both ends and there have been some high scoring games at times, including 4-1 and 5-1 wins for Arsenal back in 2018 and 2019. So it is safe to say that Fulham fans will not be relishing their London rivals turning up at Craven Cottage this weekend.

However, there is an argument that no Fulham side has ever been in as good a position to get a result against Arsenal than the current team who lie in a superb 7th place in the Premier League table and who have a very good home record losing just 3 of their 13 home games so far.

I do see both teams scoring in this game as Arsenal have been letting a few goals in of late, but I think the Gunners have enough attacking quality to get the job done here and pick up another three valuable points.

It is fair to say that the wheels have come off Newcastle’s season over the last few weeks, Without a win in a while and beaten in the Carabao Cup Final, Eddie Howe’s team now face a grim fight against a number of teams for a spot in the Champions League or perhaps even the Europa League next season.

That starts here in a game that traditionally has seen the result be a 1-1 draw. In fact just one of the last eight competitive games between the two has seen more than two goals scored and six of those games have finished 1-1.

So a draw, considering the opponents and their form, sounds like a good bet, but I don;’t think Eddie Howe will view it that way and he will want his team to get back to winning games so that their season doesn’t come to a rather uninspiring finish after looking very good for the first two-thirds of the year.

Wolves don’t concede many but they don’t score too many either and I think that Newcastle’s strong defence can keep Wolves out and that I think makes the 1-0 home win arguably the best value bet of the weekend here.