With the EFL Cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle taking place on Sunday, the Premier League is running with a reduced schedule, but there are still eight games to enjoy.
We have picked out four bets for Saturday’s fixtures, which are the last before the international break.
- BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE - EVERTON AND WEST HAM
- NOTTINGHAM FOREST TO WIN VS IPSWICH
- ERLING HAALAND TO SCORE - MANCHESTER CITY VS BRIGHTON
- WOLVES TO WIN VS SOUTHAMPTON
Everton vs West Ham
David Moyes’ Everton side take on his former club West Ham, who have had a troubled season since the veteran manager departed last summer.
The Hammers are on their second replacement since the Scot left London and though there are signs that Graham Potter could be a fine appointment, his side have yet to find consistency.
An away win at Arsenal serves as the highlight of West Ham’s season and was followed by a victory at Leicester, but they were brought back down to earth on Monday night by a 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle.
Over on Merseyside, Moyes is showing the impact a new manager can have on a struggling group of players.
Everton brought their former boss back to the club to protect them from the threat of relegation and after a defeat to Aston Villa in his opening game, the Toffees have embarked on an eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Moyes must be praised for inspiring a side that were struggling to score goals under Sean Dyche, but in making them more potent, they have begun to concede with more regularity.
Each of Everton’s last five games have seen goals at both ends and we could see another example of this on Saturday.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich
Nottingham Forest’s recent away form is all that is holding them back from taking grasp of a place in next season’s Champions League.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have lost each of their last three away games in the Premier League, conceding 11 goals in the process.
Yet they are unbeaten in ten matches across all competitions at the City Ground, drawing with Arsenal and beating Manchester City in recent weeks.
If Forest can start picking up some points on the road then there should be nothing to hold the third-placed club from finishing within the Champions League places.
Ipswich look to be the perfect opponent under the circumstances, with the promoted club without a win from any of their last nine Premier League games.
That run has seen the Tractor Boys play four home matches at Portman Road and they have lost them all, with Brighton, Manchester City, Southampton and Tottenham all inflicting defeats.
Forest may not be playing well on the road, but they have the extra quality needed to beat an Ipswich side that, though competitive, are struggling to pick up points.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST TO WIN
Manchester City vs Brighton
Manchester City will be looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat at Nottingham Forest when they host Brighton.
Pep Guardiola’s side are currently fifth in the Premier League and though a top-five place is likely to be sufficient to qualify for next season’s Champions League, competition for these spots is proving to be fierce.
Brighton are seventh and could leapfrog City if they win at the Etihad, after a run of four straight victories in the top-flight.
The Seagulls are unbeaten since being thrashed 7-0 at Nottingham Forest, which has included an FA Cup run in which they have eliminated both Chelsea and Newcastle.
European football could be on the agenda for Brighton again next season, with young manager Fabian Hurzeler guiding his side through a troubled spell.
That is something that his counterpart at City has yet to truly do, with Guardiola unable to find any real consistency, despite his side having emerged from their worst spell, towards the end of 2024.
One player who has begun to find some form for the hosts is Erling Haaland, who has scored seven goals in his last 10 Premier League games and could well find the net against a Brighton side that do not keep many clean sheets.
ERLING HAALAND TO SCORE
Southampton vs Wolves
Wolves will view this game as a golden chance to really distance themselves from the threat of relegation.
The 17th placed club have a six-point cushion separating themselves from the relegation zone and they could easily make that gap bigger over the weekend.
Ipswich have that tough home game against Nottingham Forest, while Leicester host unpredictable Manchester United.
It would seem probable that at least one of those teams will lose and Wolves will fancy their chances of beating a Southampton team that are adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, with a mere nine points.
Though Vitor Pereira has not properly turned around his side’s form, they have been picking up the odd positive result and seven points from a possible 15 over the last five games has been enough to see them climb away from the bottom three.
Southampton gave a spirited display in a 3-1 loss at Anfield in which they went ahead against Liverpool last week, but ultimately it was their fifth straight defeat.
If Matheus Cunha was available this would be a more certain win for Wolves, yet even without the suspended forward they still possess enough talent to claim a vital three points.
WOLVES TO WIN
