The Headline Pick: Mohammed Salah – Everton (A)
There’s a chance that Liverpool have the opportunity to lift the Premier League title in the Merseyside Derby this weekend, which could provide additional poignance to an already explosive fixture.
Liverpool have scored six goals in their last four games. Mo Salah has two goals from his last four starts, leaving him on a total of 16, which is well in contention for the Golden Boot. He’s also on penalties for Liverpool, with James Milner unlikely to make the starting lineup for this game.
Everton have plenty of issues defensively, with their four goal thumping to Chelsea doing little for their confidence. They are without a clean sheet in their last seven games, having conceded nine goals in their last four games.
Salah is now available to back at 11/2 to score two or more goals against Everton this weekend.
The Budget Pick: Olivier Giroud – Aston Villa (A)
Chelsea could be on an upwards trajectory now, as they look to secure Champions League action for next season, ahead of Manchester United. Hammering Everton 4-0 will do wonders for their confidence and up next it’s an Aston Villa side who have just conceded four at Leicester.
With Tammy Abraham likely to be out of the Chelsea side until after the International Break, it’s another opportunity for Giroud to pick up crucial minutes, with Euro 2020 on his radar come the end of the season. He has two goals and one assist from three starts in recent weeks.
Chelsea have scored an impressive eight goals over that period, while Aston Villa have conceded nine over the same spell. Jose Reina has made 17 saves in that time, but still made some obvious errors in his last game.
The VAR Pick: Bruno Fernandes – Spurs (A)
Bruno Fernandes has certainly made headlines since arriving in Manchester, and for the right reasons too. He now has two goals and three assists from his last four games and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Set pieces are an important attribute of his game, clearly demonstrated by his conversions from free kicks, corners and penalties already. Manchester United have been awarded more penalties than any other side in the Premier League this season.
This rejuvenated Red Devils forward line will have high expectations as they come face to face with former Reds boss Jose Mourinho. It was the Reds who triumphed in the reverse fixture and they’ll be looking to do the double at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
You can back VAR and bet on Manchester United to score a penalty against Spurs at odds of 5/1.
The Sleeper Pick: Dele Alli – Manchester United (H)
While much of the focus will be on Manchester United in this fixture, do not rule out the potential of the Spurs attack in this fixture. With key players missing through injury, Dele Alli has been a vital source of goals and assists in the most recent period.
He now has one goal and two assists from his last two starts, and also found himself on the scoresheet in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. He’s had 11 shots in his last four games, demonstrating his potential.
Jose Mourinho certainly knows how to get the best out of this volatile Englishman and this game is the stage to do it – both sides need a strong end to the season as they hunt down those Champions League places. He also crucially has a fixture in the big Blank Gameweek 31.
The Wildcard Pick: Anthony Martial – Spurs (A)
While Fernandes has been the go-to route into the Manchester United attack in recent weeks, it would be naive to overlook Anthony Martial’s contributions. He has found the back of the net in three of his last four games.
This upturn in form has coincided with the arrival of Bruno and this pair are building up a clear relationship already. Creativity has been an area United have been lacking in for a good while now and Martial is making the most of this improvement.
The Spurs defence are known to be error-prone, particularly from set pieces and they’ve conceded eight goals in their last four games. Doubling up on this United attack in the coming weeks could provide a huge differential.
Martial, to score is 7/5 against Spurs.
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