The English Premier League returns this weekend after a week off for FA Cup fixtures. It was a great round of FA Cup games, which injected some much needed excitement into a English domestic football season that has been slightly ruined by the dominance of Liverpool so far.
The Reds currently sit 16 points clear atop the EPL table and have all but wrapped up the title race, however, there is still plenty on the line for the teams vying for both Champions League qualification and of course, the all important relegation race.
As usual, we have a full preview and betting picks for some of the key matchups of the weekend below.
EPL Matchday 25 Betting Picks
Leicester City vs Chelsea
Saturday, 7.30am ET, King Power Stadium
The game of the round sees the 3rd placed Leicester hosting the 4th placed Chelsea at King Power Stadium on Saturday morning. The Foxes have had a stellar season to date, and currently sit in 3rd place on the EPL table, just three points behind Manchester City. They have won five of their last 10 games and are coming off a dominant win against West Ham on Matchday 24.
Ayoze Perez found the back of the net twice as the Foxes plundered four goals on 19 shots and 67% time in possession in a comfortable win. If the Foxes can keep their spot int eh top four, it will eb the first time they have qualified for the Champions League since their miraculous EPL title run back in the 2015-16 season.
The Blues currently sit a further eight points back from Leicester in fourth spot and are in a much more heated battle to qualify for the Champions League. They sit just six points ahead of three trailing teams in Manchester United, Tottenham and Wolverhampton and will be desperate to win here to bring the Foxes back into that race.
Chelsea are on the back of a draw with Arsneal on Matchday 24, one that they will be disappointed to have not come away with maximum points. The Blues scored a go ahead goal in the 84th minute of the game at Stamford Bridge, before relinquishing one just three minutes later to Bellerin.
Since the 2015-16 season where the Foxes won the title, the two teams have faced off 9 times in all competitions. In that period, the Blues have won five games and lost just one and have scored 15 goals to just six for Leicester.
The Blues start as slight underdogs on the road, but we like their value given their dominant record over Leicester in recent history. They are on the back of a good win in the FA Cup over Hull City on the road. Back them to win here.
Pick: Chelsea Money Line (+152 at BetRivers)
Tottenham vs Manchester City
Sunday 11.20am ET, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Another big matchup to round out the Matchday 25 games sees Tottenham hosting Manchester City from 11.30am on Saturday. The Citiznes are in the position to make one final push for a miraculous comeback in the title race, but they can barely afford to drop another point in the run home, even so, it likely wont be enough.
Manchester City are coming off what could be considered as a lucky win on the road in Sheffield two weeks ago. As he so often has, Sergio Aguero rescued the Citizens with a go ahead goal in the 73rd minute, which helped his team claim a 1-0 win. Man City were much better in their FA Cup tie on the weekend, smashing Fulham at home to the tune of 4-0.
Over their run of dominance which saw them win four titles in the last eight years, Manchester City’s kryptonite has arguably been the Spurs. In a period where they have boasted a dominant record over nearly every team, Manchester City has won just five of their last 11 games against Tottenham.
We can, however, see the Citizens breaking that trend this week. They are in much better form at the moment and although they are away from home, deserve to start as favourites. The Spurs have won just four of their last 10 games and it’s tough to trust them after dropping points to the likes of Watford, Southampton and Norwich over the last five games.
We think this should be a pretty closely contested affair which sees both teams find the back of the net, with Manchester City ultimately coming out on top.
Pick: Manchester City Win + Both Teams Score (+170 at DraftKings)
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