A quirk in the Premier League’s scheduling gives us with two Friday night matches.
Cardiff host Watford in Wales while there is the excitement of a local derby at the London Stadium between an out-of-form West Ham and relegation-battling Fulham.
The League Cup final leaves a depleted Premier League fixture list, with just four fixtures on Saturday and a couple on Sunday before Chelsea and Manchester City face-off at Wembley.
The Friday matches are the centre of our attention for this article...
Cardiff City vs WATFORD
Cardiff have won their last two Premier League matches, putting them a point above the relegation zone. A victory over Southampton in their last league outing was invaluable.
Having been knocked out of the FA Cup already, Neil Warnock’s side had nearly a fortnight to prepare for this match, which could be a benefit against a Watford team that were in Cup action last weekend.
The Hornets are up in eighth at the moment and can overtake Wolves with a victory in Wales on Friday night.
Javi Gracia’s side have been hard to beat all season and have lost just twice in their last 14 in all competitions. The visitors are a tempting 4/11 to avoid defeat.
Gracia has selection decisions to make with Jose Holebas suspended and Roberto Pereyra a doubt. Adam Masina will likely slot in at left-back, but Pereyra’s absence would be key for the visitors.
He has been a difficult player to pick up all season, drifting across the pitch and finding space between the lines. If he is available, the 3/1 price to score anytime looks a solid bet.
Watford have been one of the league’s stronger teams away from home, losing just four league matches on the road all season.
This will be a tough test against a confident Cardiff side, who have put in some impressive performances at home this season. We can expect a competitive match under the lights – both teams to score is 8/11.
The meeting of two teams who will pack the midfield always makes cards probable. A combative 90 minutes is likely. Cardiff’s Harry Arter has seven yellow cards already this season – he looks a good bet at 9/5 to pick up his eighth on Friday.
The visitors are 27/20 to take all three points. Despite Cardiff’s home form, that is a bet worth considering.
TIP: Watford to win @ 27/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Cardiff 1-2 Watford (Priced at 15/2 with 888sport)
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WEST HAM UNITED vs Fulham
West Ham have had a difficult 2019 so far. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have gone winless in five matches, including the shock FA Cup defeat to AFC Wimbledon.
The Hammers are 10th at the moment, but their hopes of a top eight finish are diminishing with every poor result.
There was positivity at Craven Cottage when Claudio Ranieri arrived. That fresh optimism has waned. The defence is not quite as sloppy as it once was, but the attack is now faltering.
The west London club are eight points from safety with 12 matches to play and are nearing ‘need a miracle’ territory. Fulham are the only Premier League team without an away win this season.
They have been nothing short of terrible on the road, losing 11 of their 13 matches so far. Eight goals scored and 32 conceded does not make for pretty reading and makes them the perfect opponents for West Ham.
Ranieri’s side have been losing at half-time and full-time in seven of their last eight league matches. West Ham are a very good price at 7/4 to make that happen again.
Pellegrini received some great news this week as Manuel Lanzini has returned to training. He is still a long way from match fitness, though, and the Hammers’ manager is unlikely to have any of his injured players back for this one.
The main discussion point is right-back, where Ryan Fredericks could get the start ahead of Pablo Zabaleta. After some great football earlier in the campaign, the Hammers’ attack has been less effective in recent weeks.
Felipe Anderson has not had the same space to operate from the left and Marko Arnautovic is without a goal since January 2nd. Facing Fulham will give Arnautovic and Anderson a good chance to return to form. They are 23/20 and 13/8 to score anytime respectively.
The hosts are in at 41/50 to win this one in 888sport’s football betting. A handicap bet looks good value considering Fulham’s woes on the road.
TIP: West Ham to win (-1) @ 21/10
PREDICTED SCORE: West Ham 3-0 Fulham at 13/1
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
