All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Dortmund vs Tottenham – Champions League Group H Preview

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Dortmund vs Tottenham – Champions League Preview – Tottenham can all but confirm top spot in Group H with a win in Germany against Borussia Dortmund.

After taking four points from Real Madrid in their last two games, Spurs have put themselves in pole position. Their 3-1 victory over the reigning European Champions last time out sealed their place in the last 16 of the competition and now they’ll be hoping to finish the job.

Kane could be on the bench after coming off in the loss to Arsenal on the weekend Photo Credit: skysports.com

At the weekend Tottenham suffered only their third defeat of the season as they crashed to a 2-0 loss in the North London derby. With Spurs now licking their wounds it will be interesting to see how they react against Dortmund. Despite being announced fit against Arsenal, Harry Kane looked like a man carrying an injury. Kane missed both of England’s two friendly games the week before and I fear he may have been rushed back too soon. With that in mind, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was to start on the bench in Germany, to aid his recovery.

Dortmund still have a slim chance of qualifying for the knock out rounds. If Real Madrid lose to Apoel on Tuesday and they beat Tottenham, it would leave Dortmund with the chance to go through by beating Madrid in their last group game. This is obviously highly unlikely, but it gives something for Dortmund to play for.

Peter Bosz’s side are in poor form and lost again at the weekend to Stuttgart. That result means they haven’t won in the league since September. They’ve also only recorded one win in that time in all competitions, and that was in the DFB Cup against lower opposition. As a result of their poor form, Dortmund are already nine points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and look set for a sixth straight year without a league title.

Aubameyang could return after being left out on the weekend loss to Stuttgart Photo Credit: skysports.com

Despite their poor form, this is still a team more than capable of scoring goals. It is yet to be seen as to whether star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be reinstated to the squad after being suspended last time out. The Gabon international grabbed himself 42 goals last season and already has another 15 this term.

The last time these two met, Tottenham recorded their first ever win against Dortmund with a 3-1 victory at Wembley. Their only two previous meetings came in the Europa League in 2016, where Dortmund won both games. With that in mind, I think BTTS and over 2.5 goals is a safe bet, with both sides carrying a significant attacking threat.

 

Prediction: Dortmund 1-2 Spurs

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE 2-1 SPURS- 10/1

SKYBET: BTTS AND OVER 2.5 GOALS- 5/6

SKYBET: ALLI TO SCORE FIRST AND DRAW 2-2- 70/1

SKYBET: AUBAMEYANG AND KANE TO BOTH SCORE- 11/4

SKYBET: BTTS AND DORTMUND TO WIN- 2/1

SKYBET: BTTS IN BOTH HALVES- 10/1

Watford vs West Ham United – Match Preview

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Watford vs West Ham United – Match Preview – New West Ham boss David Moyes takes his side to Vicarage Road as they face an in-form Watford side.

This week has seen mounting speculation over the future of Watford boss Marco Silva. After impressing at Hull City last season, Silva has again shone following Watford’s impressive start to the new season. With Everton having a reported approach turned down already, all eyes are on whether they will go back in once more. Silva would certainly fit the mould at Goodison and has so far dealt with every task thrown at him, making him a logical candidate for the job. Even without Silva’s managerial input, Watford have been impressive this season in the league. The Hornets currently sit ninth, just four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool.

Richarlison is attracting other clubs with his performances for Watford Photo Credit: skysports.com

The attacking style of play that Silva has coached has breathed a new lease of life into a number of players, not least of all Tom Cleverly. After a hit and miss time at Everton, the former Manchester United midfielder joined Watford in the summer and has been an integral part of their season to date. Despite only joining in the summer, Cleverly has captained the team on numerous occasions this campaign, highlighting the confidence that Silva has in him. Another star performer has been summer signing Richarlison. Only three months since joining the club for £12million, it is reported that several of the Premier League big hitters are eyeing up the Brazilian.

West Ham on the other foot are a club in disarray. After dismissing Slaven Bilic last week, the club have turned to Moyes until the end of the season. This is the Scotsman’s first job since leaving Sunderland last year following their relegation to the Championship. With many fans uninspired by their new appointment, Moyes needs a good result as soon as possible. The club currently sit in the relegation zone but are only one point behind fourth-bottom Bournemouth. There is no doubting the quality within the Hammers’ squad and if Moyes can unlock that potential and find the right balance, there’s no reason why they can’t shoot up the table.

Can David Moyes turn West Ham’s fortunes around? Photo Credit: skysports.com

I can only see goals coming in this game. Only the top six clubs have scored more goals than Watford this season (17), whilst West Ham have the leakiest defence in the whole division, conceding 23 goals in just 11 games. If Moyes is to sort this side out, it’s the defence that needs work. With experienced professionals such as Winston Reid and Jose Fonte, the club should not be as poor defensively as they are. With the way the two clubs are at the moment, I can only see one winner on Sunday. This could very well turn out to be the shock result of the weekend, but personally, I can’t see it happening.

 

Prediction: Watford 2-0 West Ham

 

SKYBET: WATFORD TO WIN 2-0- 17/2

SKYBET: RICHARLISON TO SCORE FIRST AND WATFORD TO WIN 3-1- 50/1

SKYBET: WATFORD TO WIN TO NIL- 5/2

SKYBET: HERNANDEZ TO SCORE AND WEST HAM TO WIN- 4/1

SKYBET: BTTS AND WATFORD TO WIN- 3/1

SKYBET: OKAKA AND DEENEY TO BOTH SCORE- 15/2

Leeds Utd vs Middlesbrough – Match Preview

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Leeds Utd vs Middlesbrough – Match Preview – Middlesbrough take a trip to Leeds on Sunday as Gary Monk faces his old team for the first time since leaving in the summer.

Monk was in charge at Elland Road for just one year, where he led the club to a seventh-place finish. Now at Middlesbrough, they sit in fifth place, seven points behind Sheffield United who occupy second. With big money signings coming into to bolster their squad, many (including myself) made Middlesbrough favourites to win the league this year. With an already talented squad following their relegation from the Premier League, the signings of Britt Assombalonga, Johnny Howson and Darren Randolph means they have one of the most coveted squads in the division.

Assombalonga has netted three goals in his last five games Photo Credit: skysports.com

As we all know, the Championship isn’t quite that simple. Middlesbrough started slowly but have started to pick up some momentum and have finally started to show the form we all expected in August. With three wins on the bounce, there is now a firm belief they can get back to where they should be and put in a real push for an automatic promotion spot. Middlesbrough’s upturn in fortunes has coincided with Assombalonga’s return to form. The former Peterborough and Nottingham Forest striker has netted three goals in his last five games, taking his season tally up to eight.

Leeds’ initial start to the season has faded somewhat in recent weeks, with the club now dropping out of the playoffs and down to tenth place. They’ve lost five of their last six games in league and cup, with Thomas Christiansen’s side winning just once since September. A huge part of that has been Leeds’ inability to score goals. In those last six games, the Yorkshire side have notched just seven goals, with three of those coming in the only game they won. A large part of this has been the poor form of Pierre-Michel Lasogga. The German striker has struggled to find the net following his blistering start to the season, with just two goals in six games.

Lassoga has struggled to find the net in recent games for Leeds Utd Photo Credit: skysports.com

The home side have won three of the last six meetings between the two teams and haven’t lost at home to Middlesbrough since 2011. When Middlesbrough were last in the Championship before gaining promotion, they managed a 0-0 draw at Elland Road after beating them 3-0 at the Riverside Stadium earlier in the campaign. These games are usually tight, with just one goal or fewer separating seven of the last eight meetings. With that in mind, I think a draw could be on the cards. Whilst Leeds aren’t in great form, they have good players and I think they’ll bounce back against a very good Middlesbrough team.

 

Prediction: Leeds 1-1 Middlesbrough

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE DRAW 1-1- 9/2

SKYBET: ASSOMBALONGA AND LASOGGA TO BOTH SCORE- 13/2

SKYBET: BAMFORD TO SCORE FIRST AND BORO TO WIN 2-1- 45/1

SKYBET: BTTS AND LEEDS TO WIN- 11/2

SKYBET: ROOFE TO SCORE A BRACE- 14/1

SKYBET: WINNING MARGIN LEEDS BY EXACTLY ONE GOAL- 100/30

SKYBET  REQUESTABET: BTTS, 4+ CORNERS EACH TEAM AND 20+ BKING PTS EACH TEAM – 6/1