The FA Cup quarter-finals leave us battling with a truncated Premier League schedule this weekend but we can still look forward to a trio of top-flight fixtures on Saturday, as four relegation candidates take up the 15:00 slots before an evening trip to Craven Cottage.
The relegation double-header at 15:00 sees the two most out-of-form sides in the top flight face off as Brentford travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley, while Luton will look to bounce back from their midweek collapse against a struggling Nottingham Forest. Then, we head to west London as Tottenham target a top-four berth when they face Fulham.
- Luton vs Nottingham Forest - Both teams to score
- Burnley vs Brentford - Over 2.5 goals
- Tottenham to win at Fulham
Luton vs Nottingham Forest
Luton were victims of the biggest top-flight comeback victory in more than 20 years in their midweek tie against Bournemouth and that 4-3 thriller is illustrative of how the Hatters have conducted business during their first season in the Premier League.
The hosts, who sit 18th in the table but just three points adrift of Saturday’s opponents Nottingham Forest, have scored 41 goals and conceded 59 so far and 56 of these 100 strikes have come at Kenilworth Road.
Both teams have scored in 17 of their last 20 Premier League matches and they have just two clean sheets to their name this term, while there have been goals at both ends in five of Nottingham Forest’s last six top-flight away games, despite a recent downturn in goalscoring prowess from the Tricky Trees.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have been shut out in their last two outings against Liverpool and Brighton but they should have no problems rediscovering their scoring touch against the defensively frail Luton, but keeping the adventurous hosts out at the other end is a different matter entirely.
Forest have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine competitive outings and Luton, despite their poor results, have scored 21 goals across their last 10 matches, which includes tough fixtures against Brighton, Newcastle, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Burnley vs Brentford
Burnley and Brentford are the two most out-of-form sides in the Premier League over their last eight fixtures and a lot of that comes down to their torrid respective defensive records, setting the scene for a potentially high-scoring affair at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Burnley, who sit 19th in the Premier League ladder, have the second-worst defensive record in the top flight with 62 goals conceded and over half of these have come on home soil, while only the bottom three sides in the division have conceded more goals than Brentford this term. As a result, there have been plenty of goal-filled games featuring these two sides.
Over 2.5 goals has landed in six of Burnley’s last seven Premier League games and their matches have averaged 3.71 goals-per-game in this period. Brentford’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last time out was the 12th time that three or more goals have been scored in their last 15 league games and their previous five outings have produced a massive 19 goals in total.
With Burnley 10 points adrift of safety and Brentford only five points above the drop zone, this is a crucial tie in the relegation battle and both the Clarets and the Bees will feel it is a winnable one. These are the only two teams to have averaged less than half-a-point per game over the last eight gameweeks and the goals could flow as both managers target a vital return to winning ways, especially considering five of the last seven meetings between these teams have featured three or more goals.
Fulham vs Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur will move into the Premier League top four with a win on Saturday evening and they look good value for the three points against a Fulham side who have struggled against Spurs for a long time.
The visitors thrashed Aston Villa 4-0 last weekend to take them within touching distance of a Champions League qualification position and, with the Villans not in action until Sunday, they could heap the pressure on their top-four rivals with a win on Saturday evening.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have won six of their last 10 in the top flight and have scored a massive 24 goals in this period, while only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have netted more Premier League goals than them this season.
Fulham are, admittedly, in decent shape right now but they have lost two of their last four matches and their record against their London rivals leaves a lot to be desired over the past 15 years or so.
The Cottagers’ last win over Tottenham came all the way back in 2013 and they haven’t beaten them at Craven Cottage since a Danny Murphy-inspired FA Cup win in January 2011.
The 15 meetings between these sides since then have produced 12 wins for Spurs, two draws and a single 1-0 win for Fulham in North London, with none other than former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov scoring the only goal of that game.
With Tottenham’s confidence buoyed following that impressive win at Villa Park, expect them to produce another points-winning performance at Craven Cottage this Saturday.
