Player to score – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur)
Aston Villa face a crucial match in their efforts to secure a place in the top five against Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night. Marcus Rashford’s injury means Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Unai Emery’s team and his recent scoring form suggests he will be a threat against the visitors from North London.
While Watkins hasn’t reached the heights of previous seasons, he has still scored 16 goals in the Premier League this term. Villa have found the back of the net at least once in every home league match they have played going back to a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in October. Watkins will have chances against Spurs.
Under 2.5 total goals – Inter v Lazio
Inter Milan could go top of Serie A with a home win over Lazio on Sunday, depending on what happens in Napoli’s match against Parma. Simone Inzaghi will heavily rotate his team as he has done for several recent league games, but the San Siro outfit have won their last two matches without conceding a goal.
Lazio kept things tight against Juventus last weekend and will look to do the same thing against the defending champions. There has been under 2.5 goals in Inter’s last four Serie A matches, while there have been under 2.5 goals in six of Lazio’s last seven matches in the divisions. This could be a cagey one.
Match to be a draw – Arsenal v Newcastle
The season has fizzled out for Arsenal who have all but secured their place in the top five. Newcastle United, however, still need points to qualify for the Champions League and could leapfrog the Gunners into second place by registering a win at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.
Despite their recent poor form, Arsenal are unbeaten in 24 of their last 26 Premier League matches. Meanwhile, Newcastle have won six of their last eight games in the division and will fancy their chances of securing a result in North London this weekend.
Both teams to score – Barcelona v Villarreal
Barcelona officially clinched the La Liga title with an away win over Espanyol on Thursday night, meaning the Catalans don’t have much to play for against Villarreal on Sunday. Hansi Flick could give some fringe players a start, but Barca still have strength in depth and will be dangerous in the attack, as they always are.
Villarreal come into the game at Montjuic having scored three times against Leganes on Wednesday and will fancy their chances of at least notching against the newly crowned champions. Only Barca and Real Madrid have scored more goals in La Liga this season than the Yellow Submarine.
Graham’s Fourfold
Our red-hot tipster is back with his best bets from across Europe’s top leagues, including a La Liga cracker that just yells goals!
Think Graham’s picks have legs? Could they race into the winners’ enclosure? Why not throw all four runners into an acca? £10 potentially returns £190 if they come in!
Chomping at the bit?
CHELSEA vs MAN UNITED – BET BUILDER
Chelsea can take another step towards Champions League qualification by beating Manchester United on Friday night. Ruben Amorim will have one eye on next week’s Europa League final and is expected to rest a good number of key figured such is the importance of that meeting with Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.
United are without a win in their last seven league matches, while Chelsea come into Friday night’s encounter on the back of a 3-1 win over Liverpool in their last game at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have struggled for consistency this season, but this is a big opportunity for them to edge closer to achieving their top five target.
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