Player to score – Ivan Toney (Arsenal v Brentford)
Arsenal come into this match on the back of consecutive defeats to Manchester City and Everton. The Gunners need all three points to regain momentum in their Premier League title challenge and will be buoyed by their record of eight wins from nine home matches in the league so far this season.
Brentford, however, will be tricky opponents with Ivan Toney in particularly strong scoring form. Indeed, the 26-year-old has found the back of the net six times in his last seven outings and will fancy his chances of disrupting an Arsenal defence that looked far from settled against the physicality of Everton last week.
Under 2.5 total goals – Bournemouth v Newcastle
Newcastle United remain in good shape to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League, but Eddie Howe’s team are struggling for goals at the moment. Indeed, the Magpies have found the back of the net just twice in their last five league matches, drawing blanks in each of their last two away games.
Bournemouth are also struggling in the final third of the pitch, scoring just once in their last three outings. They have failed to score in five of their last six matches in the Premier League and so there’s good reason to believe this weekend’s meeting between Bournemouth and Newcastle won’t produce many goals.
Match to be a draw – RB Leipzig v Union Berlin
Bayern Munich’s recent troubles have opened the door at the top of the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and Union Berlin both hopeful that they could emerge as genuine title challengers. This meeting between the two contenders could have a major bearing on how the rest of the season pans out.
RB Leipzig are unbeaten in their last 12 Bundesliga matches while Union Berlin enter this fixture on the back of four straight wins. Union Berlin have scored two or more goals in each of their last four matches while RB Leipzig had scored in 17 consecutive matches before last week’s drawn with FC Koln.
Both teams to score – Leeds v Manchester United
Leeds United and Manchester United will meet for the second time in just four days when they face each other on Sunday after a 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Leeds looked dangerous in moments of quick transition with the likes of Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto benefiting from the absence of Casemiro in the United team.
Casemiro will still be suspended for the visitors to Elland Road this weekend, meaning Leeds will be able to re-use the attacking game plan that worked so well for them at Old Trafford during the week. Even if Manchester United take three points, Leeds will have surely caused them problems at some point.
GRAHAM’S BET BUILDER
Manchester City need a victory to get their Premier League title challenge back on track. Brentford are the only team to have won at the Etihad Stadium this season and the defending champions will be strong favourites to see off an Aston Villa team that conceded four to Leicester City last weekend.
City have won the second half of their last four home meetings against Aston Villa. However, Erling Haaland could find opportunities hard to come by against a Villa team that likes to sit deep and deny space. Unai Emery’s side have also kept clean sheets in their last two away games in the league.
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