All articles by: Thomas Mcgrath

West Bromwich Albion vs Stoke City – Match Preview

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West Bromwich Albion vs Stoke City
Monday 20th January 2020
Sky Bet Championship. The Hawthorns

Live on Sky Sports Football – Kick-off: 20:00 GMT.

West Bromwich Albion return to the Hawthorns on Monday night as they host Stoke City in the SkyBet Championship.

Both sides will be hoping to return to winning ways after they were both held to stalemates in their most recent Championship affairs. West Brom drew 2-2 with Charlton for the second time this season, meanwhile Stoke drew 0-0 at home to Millwall.

West Brom have lost only twice in the league all season, and once in their last eighteen matches. Their defeat to Middlesbrough in December threatened to derail their surge to the Premier League, but Slaven Bilic’s side have responded in tremendous fashion. Albion have since returned to the top f the league, ne point ahead of second placed Leeds United and eight seven points clear of third placed Brentford.

Stoke on the other hand have lifted themselves out of the relegation places, and a lot of that is down to the introduction to Michael O’Neill as manager since the Northern Irishman’s arrival the Potters have lost five of his twelve Championship matches in charge, which compared to Stoke’s earlier form is a huge improvement. Stoke lost eleven of their opening fifteen matches in charge which saw the dismissal of Nathan Jones in November. The main goal for O’Neill and his players will be to secure Championship football for another season.

West Brom won this season’s earlier meeting 2-0 at the Bet 365 stadium. Albion have won the last three consecutive outings between these two sides, and impressively lost only once in the last ten. Stoke’s last win in this fixture came in December 2017, a 3-1 win at what was then the Britannia Stadium, in what was then a Premier League fixture.

The referee for this encounter is Tim Robinson. Robinson has taken charge of fifteen Championship encounters this season, accumulating a total of forty-nine yellow cards, and one red card. This considered I would recommend a minimum of 30+ booking points for this fixture.

Robinson took charge of the reverse fixture between these two sides in November, and awarded three yellow cards in West Brom’s victory.

West Bromwich Albion vs Stoke City will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football with kick-off at 20:00 GMT.

Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Stoke City

Suggested Tips – West Bromwich Albion vs Stoke City – (BET 365)

  • Correct Score – West Bromwich Albion to win 2-0 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Charlie Austin – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – West Bromwich Albion vs Stoke City – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – West Bromwich Albion to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 15/8.

Markets last updated on Monday 20th January 2020 at 18:15 GMT.

Burnley vs Leicester City – Match Preview

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Burnley vs Leicester City
Sunday 19th January 2020
Premier League, Turf Moor

Live on Sky Sports Premier League HD – Kick-off: 14:00 GMT.

Burnley return to Turf Moor this weekend as they host Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Both sides will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League following defeats in their last league encounters. Burnley were defeated 3-0 away at Chelsea, meanwhile Leicester were shocked by Southampton at the King Power, the 2-1 defeat administered a hefty dent to their faint title aspirations.

Following their recent form Burnley have been sucked in to an unwanted relegation battle and sit only three points above the drop zone. Sean Dyche’s side have lost their last four matches on the bounce and are yet to register a win in 2020.

Leicester on the other hand will be eager to get back to winning ways following last week’s defeat to Southampton. The Foxes have lost three of their last five league encounters which has seen them slip to third in the league and fall below last season’s Champions Manchester City. Brendan Rodgers’ side are two points behind City, and a massive sixteen points behind leaders Liverpool, with one more game played.

Leicester ran out 2-1 winners in the most recent meeting between the two back in October and are unbeaten in the last three meetings overall. Burnley’s last win came in April 2018, a 2-1 win at Turf Moor.

The referee for this encounter is Anthony Taylor. The forty-one-year old has taken charge of eighteen Premier League matches this season, accumulating a total of seventy-seven yellow cards, ad three red cards. This considered, I would recommend a minimum of 30+ booking points.

Taylor oversaw Burnley’s 1-0 defeat to Everton on Boxing Day where no cards were awarded. Taylor is yet to take charge of a match involving Leicester in the Premier League this season.

Burnley vs Leicester City will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League with kick-off at 14:00 GMT.

Suggested Tips – Burnley vs Leicester City – (BET 365)

  • Correct Score – Leicester City win 2-0 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Jamie Vardy –(link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Burnley vs Leicester City – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – Leicester to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 15/8.

Markets last updated on Sunday 19th January at 09:42 GMT.

Newcastle United vs Chelsea – Match Preview

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Newcastle United vs Chelsea
Saturday 18th January 2020
FA Premier League, St James’ Park

Live on Sky Sports Premier League- Kick-off: 17:30 GMT.

Newcastle return to Premier League action this weekend as they welcome Chelsea to St James’ Park on Saturday evening.

The Magpies will be keen to return to winning ways in the league, after failing to do so in their last four outings. The midweek FA Cup win over Rochdale was a needed boost for Steve Bruce’s side, however attention now turns to getting three points on the board back in the Premier League. Newcastle are yet to win in the Premier League in 2020.

Chelsea on the other hand will be hoping for more of the same following their 3-0 victory over Burnley at Stamford Bridge last time round.  Following a disappointing end to 2020 which saw three home defeats in a month, Frank Lampard’s side have bounced back well and lost once in their last six matches. The Blues currently occupy fourth place, and will be wanting to further cement their place in the top four, and secure Champions League football for another season.

Newcastle’s club record signing Miguel Almiron has scored three goals in the last three weeks for the Magpies, after previously failing to do so in his first eleven months on Tyneside. The Paraguayan’s goalscoring touch helped Newcastle progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup with the win over Rochdale. Almiron is priced at 5/1 on SkyBet to score anytime in the match.

Chelsea have the far superior recent record in this fixture, and have won the last three on the bounce against Newcastle. In fact, the Blues have lost only one of the last nine winning seven and drawing one; a run which stretches back to December 2014. Newcastle’s last win in this fixture came in May 2018, a 3-0 win at St James’ Park.

The referee for this fixture is Chris Kavanagh. Kavanagh has taken charge of fifteen Premier League matches this season, accumulating a total of forty-nine yellow cards. This considered, I would recommend a minimum of 30+ booking points for this fixture.

Kavanagh has taken charge of Chelsea twice this season; he awarded five yellow cards in their 2-0 win over Brighton, and three yellows in their recent 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. Meanwhile he has taken charge of Newcastle once this season, and awarded three yellow cards in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Newcastle United vs Chelsea will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event HD with kick-off at 17:30 GMT.

Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Chelsea

Suggested Tips – Newcastle United vs Chelsea – (BET 365)

  • Correct Score – Chelsea to win 2-1 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Tammy Abraham – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Newcastle United vs Chelsea – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – Chelsea to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 7/4.

Markets last updated on Saturday 18th January 2020 at 10:25 GMT.