Southampton to beat Crystal Palace – 34/27
After the heartbreak of last weekend’s defeat to Swansea, Crystal Palace must be wondering what they have to do to pick up even a point. The home crowd will be nervous for the visit of Southampton, too, particularly after the Saints defeated Arsenal in the EFL Cup in midweek.
Alan Pardew’s side have now lost six on the bounce in the league, while Southampton claimed an important victory over Everton last time out. Despite the quality in the Palace squad, Pardew has been unable to stop the leaking of the defence or get the best out of his attacking players. Southampton have one of the meanest defences in the league, meaning that the Eagles would need a true turnaround to take anything from this game.
Although they have to play away from home, Southampton to win the game is the clear value bet from this match.
Stoke City to beat Burnley – 8/13
Stoke City return to the Bet 365 Stadium on the back of an impressive victory away at Watford last time out. Despite missing several of their key players, Mark Hughes’ team looked well-balanced and limited their hosts to only a handful of chances. Burnley suffered their second defeat in a row last weekend, however, as they succumbed to the pressure of Manchester City to lose 2-1.
Separated by only a couple of points in the table, these two sides have markedly different ambitions for the season. Stoke are about to enter a challenging Christmas period that could easily derail their hopes of a top half finish, while Burnley will be delighted to have breathing space from the relegation zone.
Despite how resolute Sean Dyche’s side can be, Stoke’s performance last weekend, along with the bellowing home crowd, makes them the best offer from this game – even at 8/13.
Tottenham to beat Swansea – 9/25
Success against Crystal Palace last time out needs to be the start of something greater for Swansea, but its hard to see that growing against Spurs at White Hart Lane. Although the Lilywhites suffered defeat against Chelsea, their much improved performance gave an indication that they can return to their levels of last season.
Odds are heavily in Spurs’ favour this game and understandably so. Harry Kane’s return to the side has rejuvenated the team in possession, while Swansea’s five goals scored last time out have been the outlier in an otherwise difficult season for the club offensively.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side absolutely must win this game and its likely they will do so rather comfortably.
