All articles by: Thomas Mcgrath

Manchester City vs Aston Villa – Match Preview

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Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Saturday 26th October 2019
FA Premier League, Etihad Stadium

Live on BT Sport 1 – Kick Off: 12:30 BST

Manchester City return to Premier League action this weekend as they host Aston Villa at the Etihad on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side followed up last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace with a 5-1 thrashing of Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Raheem Sterling grabbed a hat-trick, his first in the Champions League.

Their opponents Aston Villa enjoyed a dramatic last-minute win over Brighton in the last round of PL fixtures. Matt Targett, an unlikely scorer struck in stoppage time to secure all three points for Dean Smith’s side. Villa currently sit 12th in the league following back to back wins for the first time this season. After a slow start to the season where they lost their opening two fixtures, Villa have shown tremendous signs of improvements, and are now unbeaten in their last four in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola, the perfectionist, will be disappointed with how his side have started the season, despite the football they have played at times, and despite the position they find themselves.  City have lost twice in their last five, which has allowed last season’s closest rivals Liverpool to open up a six-point lead at the top of the PL. A win for City on Saturday lunchtime however would reduce Liverpool’s lead to three points, albeit potentially only for a day, as Liverpool aren’t in action until Sunday teatime as they host Tottenham Hotspur.

If recent form between these two is any sort of indication of how this weekend’s encounter will unfold, then there’s only one outcome. City boast an imperious recent record against this weekend’s opponents, winning 5/6, drawing one. Villa’s last win came in 2013 when Andreas Weimann struck in the closing stages to secure a 3-2 win for Villa, preventing City from top spot at the time. City went on to win the league that season, with Liverpool yet again a close second.

The referee for this weekend’s fixture is Graham Scott. This is the sixth consecutive season Scott has officiated in the top flight. The 51-year old taken charge of six fixtures in the Premier league so far this season, awarding sixteen yellow cards and two red cards in these matches. This is the first time Scott has officiated a match concerning these two sides in the league this season, but did oversee Villa’s 3-1 EFL Cup win away at Brighton.

This match will be shown live on BT Sport 1, with kick-off scheduled to take place at 12:30 BST.

Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa

Suggested Tips – Manchester City vs Aston Villa – (BET 365)

  • Correct score – Manchester City to win 3-1 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Riyad Mahrez – (link no longer available)
  • Half-Time / Full Time – Draw/Manchester City – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Manchester City vs Aston Vila – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – Manchester City to win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 – 3/1. 
  • Player to score a brace – Raheem Sterling – 3/1. 
  • Match Specials – Aston Villa to score in the 1st 10 Minutes – 14/1.
  • Winning Margin – Manchester City by exactly 2 goals – 7/2.

Markets Last Updated – Friday 25th October – 02:56 BST.

Arsenal vs Vitoria Guimaraes – Match Preview

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Arsenal vs Vitoria Guimaraes
Thursday 24th October 2019
Europa League, Emirates Stadium

Live on BT Sport 2 – Kick Off: 17:55 BST

Arsenal return to Europa League action on Thursday night as they face Vitoria Guimaraes at the Emirates on Matchday three in Group F.

Unai Emery’s side will be desperate to return to winning ways following Monday Night’s shock defeat to newly promoted Sheffield United in the Premier League. Lys Mousset’s first half goal was enough for all three points, yet Emery felt his side were in hard luck, despite their unsatisfactory performance.

Their opponents Vitoria Guimaraes currently sit bottom of the pile in Group F, and have lost both their opening two group matches to Frankfurt and Standard Liege. Despite their slow start to the Europa League, Guimaraes have made a promising start to Portugal’s Primeira Liga, where they sit 4th. Ivo Vieira’s side have lost once in their last five in the league, and will be relishing their trip to London, as they look to get points on the board in the Europa League.

Following Monday night’s defeat, Arsenal currently sit 5th in the Premier League, and the defeat to Sheffield United was their first since the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in August. Beaten by Chelsea in the final of this competition last season, Arsenal will be hoping to go one better this season, as well as secure the luxury of Champions League football which is something they haven’t done since the 2016-17 season.

Unai Emery has demonstrated his trust in youth so often this season, with the real turning point seeming to have come in the 3-0 away win against Frankfurt. Impressively, that was the first time an English side have beaten Frankfurt at home in a European cup competition. Emery started an attacking trio behind Pierre Emerick Aubameyang of Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and Emile Smith-Rowe, aged 18, 19 and 20. Willock opened the scoring, before Saka grabbed the second late on, securing a good away win for the Gunners. Willock and Saka have a combined 12 PL appearances so far this season (Willock 8, Saka 4), which is more than either managed in the last campaign.

A player who will certainly be relishing this fixture is Vitoria’s Marcus Edwards. Edwards joined the Portuguese side in the summer on a four-year deal from Arsenal’s North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The 20-year old enjoyed a number of battles with Arsenal from U21 to U23 level, and scored and assisted in Spurs’ 3-2 win over Arsenal in 2017.

Thursday nights Europa league fixture is the first time these two sides have ever faced each other.

The referee for this Europa League clash is Serdar Gozubuyuk from the Netherlands. This is the first Europa league match the 33-year old has officiated this season. Gozubuyuk took charge of three Europa League games last season, awarding thirteen yellow cards and one red card in the process. This considered, I would recommend a minimum of 30+ booking points.

This match will be broadcast line on BT Sport 2 with kick-off scheduled to take place at 20:00 BST.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Vitoria Guimaraes

Suggested Tips – Arsenal vs Vitoria Guimaraes – (BET365)

  • Correct Score – Arsenal to win 3-0 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – (link no longer available).
  • Anytime Goalscorer – Marcus Edwards – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Arsenal vs Vitoria Guimaraes – (SKYBET)

  • Both Players To Score – Gabriel Martinelli and Alexandre Lacazette – 7/4.
  • Correct Score Group Betting – Arsenal to win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 – 3/1.
  • To Score and Lose – Marcus Edwards – 7/1.
  • Match Specials – Arsenal to score 2+ 1st Half goals – 21/10.

Market last updated at 13:00 BST on Thursday 24th October 2019.

KRC Genk vs Liverpool – Match Preview

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KRC Genk vs Liverpool
Wednesday 23rd October 2019
Champions League, Luminus Arena

Live on BT Sport 2 – Kick Off: 20:00 BST

Defending Champions of Europe Liverpool travel to Belgium on Tuesday to face Gent on Matchday three of the UEFA Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp’s side got points on the board at the second time of asking in Group E following their   4-3 victory over Red Bull Salzburg; a game in which the Austrian side showed tremendous character to come from 3-0 and level at 3-3. Mohamed Salah’s strike in the closing stages secured all three points for the Reds, but they were given one hell of a scare.

Genk are the only side in the group yet to register a win but will take a lot of encouragement from Liverpool’s recent European away form, especially in the Group stages. Jurgen Klopp’s side lost each of their three away group matches last year and opened the defence of their European crown this campaign with defeat away to Napoli.

The hosts currently sit 6th in the Belgian Pro league following their 1-0 defeat away to second placed Standard Liege on Saturday. Felice Mazzu’s side have endured an inconsistent beginning in the league this season, winning five, losing four and drawing the other. Despite their mixed bag of results in the league, Genk are unbeaten at home, and drew their home group match with Napoli 0-0. SkyBet are offering odds of a home win at 8/1.

If Liverpool are to clinch back-to back wins in the group stage, it looks like they will have to do so with a much changed back four on Wednesday night. Both Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold have not travelled with the squad to Belgium, which indicates potential recalls for Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren. Gomez started Liverpool’s previous group match alongside Virgil Van Dijk and following both Alexander-Arnold and Matip’s absence will be hoping for another start on Wednesday. However, there was a place in Liverpool’s travelling squad for Mohamed Salah, who missed Sunday’s 1-1 with Manchester United following an ankle injury picked up against Leicester prior to the International break.

Wednesday nights encounter between these two sides is the first time they have met in any European Cup competition.

The referee for Wednesday nights encounter is Slavko Vincic from Slovenia. The 39-year old has taken charge of thirteen matches so far this season, accumulating a total of fifty yellow cards in the process. This considered, I would recommend a minimum of 20+ yellow cards for this fixture.

This match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 2 with kick off scheduled to take place at 20:00 BST.

Prediction: Gent 0-1 Liverpool

Suggested picks – KRC Genk vs Liverpool (BET365)

  • First Goalscorer – Sadio Mane – (link no longer available).

Suggested picks – KRC Genk vs Liverpool (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Betting Group – Liverpool to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 21/10.
  • Popular Player Stats RequestABets – Mane 3+ shots and Joe Gomez to be carded – 11/1.
  • Popular Player Stats RequestABet – Liverpool to win, over 2.5 goals, Van Dijk 1+ shots on target and 1+ corners each team in each half – 11/2.
  • RequestABet Specials 33/1 to 66/1 – Mane and Firmino to score, and Hagi and Milner to be carded – 50/1.
  • RequestABet Specials 11/1 to 28/1 – Origi to score, Liverpool to win, BTTS and 13+ match corners – 11/1.