Midweek Premier League action returns with two heavyweight clashes that have implications in the title race. We’ve put together a 6/1 boosted Premier League Treble for the occasion. BetVictor Previews the action.
Over 3.5 goals – 5/4
Aston Villa v Manchester City
Whilst Aston Villa were excellent under Unai Emery last season, few would have expected them to be challenging for the top four so soon.
Only one point behind title favourites, and next opponents Manchester City, Villa have become genuine title contenders.
One only has to look at Villa’s home form to see how emphatic the Emery effect has been. Villa Park had become a quasi circus under previous regimes; epitomised by the two wins Villa picked up at home in their relegation season in 15/16. Now they are on a 13-game winning streak at home in the Premier League, stretching back to February.
Deploying a high defensive line brings big risks and potentially big rewards. Thus far, the rewards have definitely paid off for Emery’s Villans. However, there have been occasions where this playstyle has backfired. A 5-1 defeat to Newcastle and 3-0 defeat to Liverpool were kind on Villa, despite the heavy defeats. Even in victory against Tottenham, the 2-1 scoreline flattered Villa massively with Spurs missing many chances you would expect them to score.
Man City on the other hand have hit a bit of a rough patch, going three Premier League games without a win. Conceding eight goals over the three games will be a genuine cause for concern for Pep Guardiola as his team eye up another Premier League title.
When these two sides faced last season under their current managers, Man City won convincingly 3-1 at the Etihad with the game wrapped up at half-time.
We expect a goal fest in this game with both teams eager to forget their dropped points at the weekend. Villa’s high line and reliance on missed chances will likely be punished by Erling Haaland whilst the Villans have scored in every Premier League home game under Emery thanks to the inspired form of Ollie Watkins.
Over 2.5 Chelsea cards – 3/5
Manchester United v Chelsea
Old rivals Chelsea and Manchester United locks horns at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. Over the years, this fixture has earnt itself the reputation of being a fiery one. One can cast their mind back to the double sending off of Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres in a match that was dubbed the ‘Mark Clattenburg show’. In fact, Chelsea – Manchester United is the Premier League fixture to have received the most cards, outside the derby fixtures.
It is no secret that Chelsea have struggled with discipline this season. Indeed, the Blues have received an astonishing 47 cards this season – more than any other club in the Premier League, and four ahead of their nearest rivals Wolves. Their recent record has been particularly poor – an eye-watering 19 cards in the last four games, including two sending offs.
Injuries and poor form have greatly hindered Chelsea’s defence this season. The long-term absence of reliable full-backs Reece James and Ben Chillwell, coupled with the underwhelming performances of Marc Cucurella, have forced the Blues to play the likes of Levi Colwill and Axel Disasi out of position. The traditional centre-backs will likely struggle to cope with the pace and flair of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.
The midfield will also be a feisty affair. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will have to deal with renowned wind-up merchant Bruno Fernandes and a Scott McTominay who is certainly not afraid to get stuck into a challenge.
Expect fireworks at Old Trafford this evening.
Over 4.5 match cards – 3/5
Brighton v Brentford
Sometimes the stats just speak for themselves. This is exactly the case for a mid-table clash between Brighton and Brentford where cards are concerned.
If the league was settled on yellow cards amassed, Brighton would be squeezing their way into the champions League football with a hefty 40. Coincidentally, Brentford are 11th based on points and also 11th based on yellow cards received.
Milner, Pedro, Gros, Igor and Hinshelwood were all booked against Chelsea at the weekend. The Blues themselves also picked up 3 yellows and a red for Gallagher. Brighton would have won this line alone when they played Forest in late November, picking up 5 more yellow cards and a late red card for captain Lewis Dunk. Brentford games tend to offer up fewer cards than Brighton’s, however, with the home advantage for the Seagulls, it seems likely that Brentford will be under the cosh for a lot of the game, most likely leading to more tackles flying in.
BetVictor’s Premier League Treble
*Odds subject to change.
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