Premier League best bets: Goals and cards galore as the league celebrates a fallen hero
It's Matchday 10 of the Premier League season, and things are feeling rather somber in soccer in the UK. We’ve lost a true great since last weekend: World Cup winner and Man United legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who passed on Sunday at 86. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Charlton, do yourself a favor and read this beautiful tribute by Richard Williams in the Guardian. Charlton meant so much to the English game. He survived the Munich air disaster that killed 23 people, including eight of his Man United teammates, in 1958. He won the 1966 World Cup with England — at home. He hired Sir Alex Ferguson and turned United back into a sporting behemoth. He was, and will remain, a legend.
But life goes on, and so does soccer. Charlton will no doubt be honored at every ground this weekend as the Premier League returns. We’ve got an interesting slate of games coming up, with many of the most interesting matchups coming from outside the top six: think Bournemouth vs. Burnley, already a relegation six-pointer, or Chelsea vs Brentford, the game that will tell us if the Blues are on the rebound for real or stalling out in mid-table mediocrity.
Where are the best bets hiding, though? We think you’ll find them here.
Wolves vs. Newcastle — After last weekend’s scintillating performance against Crystal Palace, Newcastle is cruising toward the top 4. While Wolves can play spoiler like it did against Manchester City, we think Newcastle should take this one with a little effort. At +275, betting on a Newcastle victory coupled with at least one Wolves goal feels like a smart choice.
Aston Villa vs. Luton Town — Speaking of scintillating performances! Aston Villa is the talk of the Premier League after its glorious 4-1 demolition of West Ham last weekend. That game was pitched as a relatively even fixture; Villa made most pundits look silly for suggesting the two teams were anywhere close to performing at the same level.
Luton, the newly promoted team with just one win to its name this season, shouldn’t be a difficult prospect for the high-flying Villans. We expect them to win this one at a canter. But we think betting on a final scoreline featuring three or more goals is a steal at +130. In nine Premier League games this season, Villa has scored or conceded three or more goals in a whopping seven of them. If it’s goals you’re after, clearly Villa is the team to watch.
Arsenal vs. Sheffield United — Arsenal fought back to seal a draw last week after a lackluster performance against Chelsea. On one hand, Arsenal’s toothless play is a cause for concern; on the other, watching Arsenal get a result despite playing poorly should be a relief for fans of the Gunners. Arsenal isn’t usually great at digging in and committing when things aren’t going its way. Its Chelsea result shows that this squad has a bit more backbone and bite than last year’s vintage did.
Regardless, Arsenal shouldn’t have to worry too much about performing poorly against rock-bottom Sheffield. What they should worry about is tackles: the Blades are yellow card merchants, picking up 15 in their past five games and 12 in their last three against the Big Six. With stats like that, we think betting on Sheffield to earn more than three yellow cards is prudent at +225.
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