Midweek Football Picks 2018 (April 17-19)

This is a 'make up' week in the English Premier League with teams involved in the FA Cup Semi Final on Saturday and Sunday having missed a couple of Rounds of League games. All four Semi Finalists will play between Tuesday and Thursday and there will be one more midweek in May where the remaining 'games in hand' are scheduled to be played.

With four League games from Tuesday to Thursday, I have four Picks which can be seen below.

It is a big week for all of the teams involved with Cup Semi Final places up for grabs, while the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United won't want to drop more points after losing this past weekend.

Brighton and Southampton are the teams playing who are involved in the Premier League relegation battle, although there has begun to be a separation of the bottom three to the rest of the Division which could really add to this being an anti-climatic end to the season.


Brighton v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: Saturday was a tough afternoon for both the Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur players, but this isn't the time of the season to feel sorry for yourselves as things begin to get decided at the top and bottom of the Premier League table.

Both teams look to be in relatively comfortable spots to achieve their goals of avoiding relegation and Champions League Football respectively, but the two managers won't allow complacency to set in.

Instead I imagine Chris Hughton and Mauricio Pochettino will be very keen on picking up a vital three points to keep the momentum going to achieve those goals.

Out of the two teams it is easier to imagine Tottenham Hotspur recover from their humbling at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday. They had been in fine form prior to that and have won their 5 away games in all competitions, while Brighton are not to the same standards as the likes of Manchester City.

It should mean more of the ball for Tottenham Hotspur and more of an opportunity to create chances.

They are aided by Brighton just hitting a poor patch of form with 4 losses from their last 5 games in all competitions and off a tough 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace over the weekend. Their 8 point gap to Southampton looks too much for The Saints to close, but Brighton are still 5 points away from the 40 point mark and there may be a few nerves in the home dressing room.

Brighton have also really struggled when facing the top Premier League clubs even if they have beaten Arsenal at home this season. Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all won by at least two goals at the Amex Stadium while the latter two teams scored 5 and 4 goals respectively in wins here.

Generally Brighton have struggled to bridge the gap to the top teams with goals hard to come by in those matches. They have shown enough defensive discipline to make life tough for Tottenham Hotspur, but I think the latter will have plenty of the ball and they have the attacking players to create chances and win this game well.

The FA Cup Semi Final is on Saturday, but Pochettino won't risk losing a top four place with an upset here and there is enough time for his players to recover for the Semi Final. A strong Tottenham Hotspur team can show why they have scored at least twice in 7 of their last 8 away games and I fancy they can win well here.


Bournemouth v Manchester United Pick: The Manchester United defeat to West Brom at Old Trafford has to be one of the most surprising results of the Premier League season and it is a fixture from which Jose Mourinho will demand his players move on very quickly.

This is a big week for Manchester United and will determine much of how the season is reviewed as they bid to solidify their 2nd place spot in the Premier League before facing Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup Semi Final on Saturday. Two losses would really put a negative spin on the campaign, but two wins can see the West Brom defeat put in the rearview mirror.

Earning a win at the Vitality Stadium is going to be far from easy as Bournemouth will come into this one with nothing to lose.

That has allowed the players to perform with some freedom and they have been very good at home in recent weeks with a single loss in 9 games played here. The determination has been clear to see with Bournemouth conceding the first goal in 6 of their last 7 games at the Vitality Stadium yet they have not lost a single one of those games.

It should be noted that only Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have visited Bournemouth in their last 9 games who are a part of the big six. The Gunners lost here, but Tottenham Hotspur came from a goal behind to beat Bournemouth and join Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool as winners from trips to this ground.

Despite the changes Manchester United will make, they can become the latest of the big six clubs to win at the Vitality Stadium as the players come out with some better desire than they showed on Sunday. That defeat to West Brom should help in that regard and I do think Manchester United can earn a victory here even if it won't be an easy game.

Manchester United have been 2-0 down in each of their last 2 away games which has to be a concern, but they have shown they can score goals on their travels too and I think they can win a high-scoring fixture. If you fancy Manchester United to win, you can get them to win a fixture featuring at least two goals at odds against which has to be taken on.

Backing at least three goals to be shared out overall is also a decent looking price, but I am expecting Manchester United to bounce back and will take the odds against quote I mentioned.


Burnley v Chelsea Pick: This should be a fascinating Premier League game on Thursday evening and much is going to depend on how Chelsea begin this fixture as to the eventual outcome.

If they pick up from where they left off at Southampton, Chelsea will be very dangerous and potentially become the latest of the top clubs to win at Turf Moor. Burnley have only lost 5 times at home in the Premier League, but 4 of those have come against teams in the current top six with only a late equaliser against Manchester City breaking that trend.

On the other hand if Chelsea begin as they did for the first 60 minutes at Southampton then Burnley are playing well enough to cause problems having won 5 Premier League games in a row.

Both should be motivated as Burnley try for an outstanding top six finish, while Chelsea may feel there is still a slight opening into the top four if they can finish the season with five straight League wins.

The FA Cup Semi Final on Sunday shouldn't be a huge distraction for the Chelsea players, but it may mean some changes to the first team to keep players fresh. Even then you would imagine the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian will be played in attacking areas against a Burnley team who have been struggling for clean sheets of late.

They've still been winning games though as Sean Dyche has taken a positive approach with the old time two up front producing plenty of goals for the team. Burnley have scored at least twice in their 5 wins in a row and they will look to get after a Chelsea team who have been far from watertight in recent matches.

It does make me think the layers are underestimating the chance of seeing at least three goals in this one with the odds against quotes looking tempting. There haven't been a lot of goals in matches at Turf Moor this season, but the last 2 here have both featured at least three goals while League games with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur did the same.

Chelsea may concede more than they are used to, but they still pose a real attacking threat and these teams combined for five goals earlier this season. They may not get to that number again, but they can certainly help reach three goals shared out and I will back that at an attractive price.


Leicester City v Southampton Pick: At this time of the season teams are desperate for points when they are down at the bottom of the Premier League table and Southampton really need to find a way to win a League game.

Blowing a 2-0 lead against Chelsea hurt even more when Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town both won later on Saturday afternoon and even Swansea City earning a point has put Southampton in a precarious position.

Mark Hughes has come in as manager, but the tide has not been turned for Southampton who have lost 4 League games in a row and conceded three times in each loss.

The performances in the last couple of games will have given Hughes some belief that Southampton can still avoid the drop, but they have to take advantage of Leicester City who don't have a lot left to play for. The defeat at Turf Moor means Leicester City are not likely to finish in a European spot and they have not been in the best recent form.

It has been more trouble for Leicester City at the King Power Stadium where they have not won any of their last 4 League games and this does feel like an opportunity for Southampton. Forget the FA Cup Semi Final to be played on Sunday, this game is everything for Hughes and the club and Southampton have to show their desire against an opponent that may not be fully concentrated with little left to play for.

Taking advantage of the opportunity will mean defending better than they have though and I do think Leicester City will play a part in this one with the players able to play with some freedom. If Southampton get desperate there is still enough quality for Leicester City to punish them and I can see a fixture where both teams score on current form.

Southampton have to take risks though and I can see this fixture going against recent trends at the King Power Stadium and produce one more goal to cover the goal line. At odds against it is worth backing seeing at least three goals shared out on Thursday as Southampton try to give themselves a huge boost of confidence by winning here.

MY PICKS: Tottenham Hotspur - 1 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Bet365 (2 Units)
Manchester United Win & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.05 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Bournemouth-Manchester United Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.75 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Burnley-Chelsea Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.20 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Leicester City-Southampton Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)