NFL Week 13 Picks 2023 (November 30-December 4)

It might have started poorly with the Detroit Lions laying another egg on Thanksgiving Day, but the rest of the Week 12 Picks could not have gone any better in what is the best return from a single week in the season so far.

There are still six regular season weeks to be played though and so plenty can still go wrong, which means the focus has to remain to ensure a positive return at the end of the 2023 season. The PlayOffs can always be a bit more difficult to manage, but the hope is that a solid return in the regular season will push some momentum into those selections in the run to the Super Bowl.

Thanksgiving Weekend is certainly seen as the benchmark for the focus to turn to those PlayOff runs, although we do have a smaller Week 13 schedule with a number of teams having a late Bye Week. Even then, the games increase in importance and we will begin to see some real separation as far as Divisional titles and the coveted Number 1 Seed in each Conference is concerned.

The AFC continues to produce a mass of teams chasing the Wild Card spots, but the same could be said for the NFC after the likes of Seattle and Minnesota were beaten in Week 12. There are certainly fewer contenders in the NFC, but no one should doubt the quality of those at the top of that Conference and we should get some huge games between now and the Super Bowl in February.

Last week I wrote about the way the potential PlayOff picture could shape up in both Conferences, but also stated that things change dramatically week after week.

The feeling that the Houston Texans could win the AFC South was hugely dependent on beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12, but that was not the case and now the Jaguars are a team targeting the Number 1 Seed in the AFC.

The Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions suffered big losses in Week 12 that will dent some of their ambitions- the Browns looked like a Wild Card contender, but another Quarter Back injury has dampened their expectations after losing in Denver, while the Lions hopes of finishing with the top Seed in the NFC look to be over after the defeat to the Green Bay Packers.

In saying all that, the suggestion that the Buffalo Bills would miss the PlayOffs looks much stronger after another defeat and they will need this Bye Week desperately. Things have to figured out very quickly with games against Kansas City and Dallas in Week 14 and 15 respectively, especially in the AFC where a number of teams are ahead of the 10th placed Bills with games running down.

Following the results in Week 12, the top five in my standings are as follows:

1) Philadelphia Eagles (10-1): Overtime drama saw the Eagles become the first team with double digit wins for the season. They host the 49ers this week and a win would put the Philadelphia Eagles in a very strong position to finish with the top Seed in the NFC.

2) San Francisco 49ers (9-3): they look like the team they were earlier in the season and are in complete control of the NFC West. Revenge and redemption will be on the minds as they travel East to face the Eagles, while a win would put San Francisco in a strong position to earn the top Seed in the Conference instead.

3) Baltimore Ravens (9-3): it was not the most convincing Offensive showing, but the Defensive unit is for real and going to get healthier through the Bye Week. The last four regular season games will get the Baltimore Ravens into PlayOff mode pretty quickly and they could be the team to beat in the AFC.

4) Kansas City Chiefs (8-3): the defending Super Bowl Champions will have something to say about that and looked better in Week 12. The Chiefs also look to have a very manageable end to the regular season and have to be favourites to earn the top Seed in the AFC and all roads going through Arrowhead would make them favourites for another Super Bowl appearance.

5) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3): a case could be made for Detroit, Miami or Dallas to occupy this position, but the Jaguars were most impressive in Week 12 with an important road win over the surging Houston Texans. The Dolphins and Cowboys are yet to beat 'good teams', which means they are still in the 'show me' category, while the Lions loss to the Green Bay Packers was really disappointing.

The top two face off in an incredibly good looking game on Sunday afternoon, while the Ravens are on a Bye Week. All three will still be involved in the top five next week, while only upsets could see Kansas City and Jacksonville knocked out (both are big favourites in Week 13).

Assuming those two avoid the upsets, those five teams will likely be my top five next week too, perhaps in a different order. However, that is when things will really begin to be shaken up with Philadelphia and  San Francisco facing big Divisional games, while Kansas City and Jacksonville have tough Conference games on deck.

It may also be a time when the PlayOff picture really begins to clear up, but it is important for the top teams to not overlook Week 13 opponents to the big games ahead.

Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys Pick: Both of these teams played Divisional rivals on Thanksgiving Day and both have a very important Divisional game coming up in Week 14, but there is plenty to keep the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) and Seattle Seahawks (6-5) focused on one another on Thursday Night Football.

Instead of benefiting from a few extra days off, these two teams are playing on a 'regular' schedule between games, albeit on Thursday rather than the more traditional Sunday. That may actually be good news for the Cowboys and Seahawks who play the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers respectively in Week 14 and each team is trailing those Divisional leaders by two games.

Winning on Thursday Night Football would mean an opportunity for the Cowboys or Seahawks to really enjoy Sunday evening when the Eagles and 49ers take lumps out of one another and Dallas and Seattle will be hoping an opportunity to close the gap completely to those Divisional leaders is in front of them in Week 14.

Looking ahead would be a mistake and the teams are meeting in Week 13 after different Thanksgiving Day experiences- the Cowboys blew out the Washington Commanders, while the Seahawks suffered a blow out defeat to the very strong looking 49ers.

Pete Carroll has to be concerned with the run of games coming up for Seattle and he will be hoping that Geno Smith is healthier with another week of recovery under his belt. The Quarter Back had a rough day in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but Smith is not going to have things any easier against this Dallas Cowboys Defensive unit.

The Offensive Line has been struggling and Kenneth Walker III is set to miss another game at Running Back so even the hope of being able to establish the ground attack may be beyond the Seahawks. It is almost vital for them to be able to run the ball if only to slow down this Cowboys pass rush that is likely going to be in Geno Smith's any time he drops back to throw down the field.

Last week the 49ers pressure made it next to impossible for the Seahawks to get much going through the air and the feeling is that this game is going to look very similar on that side of the ball. It has to be a big concern for the Seattle fans with the team dropping back to back games to fall into a closer Wild Card race than may have been expected a couple of weeks ago.

We may get a similar look on the Offensive side of the ball to what we saw out of Seattle on Thanksgiving Day and a major concern is that the Defense is not going to be able to slow down a Cowboys team that put up 45 points in their own Turkey Day outing.

All season we have seen Dallas dominate at home and they are playing with a strong rhythm under Mike McCarthy's guidance since he took over the play-calling on this side of the ball. They are unlikely to be distracted by the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles as that will be almost meaningless unless Dallas can win this one and the feeling is that the Cowboys will be able to do what they like when they have the ball in their hands.

Dak Prescott is seemingly never that far away from throwing in a really poor outing, but he will be able to rely on this Offensive Line to give him time in the pocket. The Dallas Offensive Line has also been very strong at opening up holes for Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle, while both players are also going to be a key part of the passing game.

Earlier in the season the Seahawks Defense looked to be playing at a high level, but they have found things more difficult of late and this Dallas team are capable of finding a balance that is tough to stop.

As long as Dak Prescott remains focused and does not have his multi-turnover kind of day, the Quarter Back should be able to work out of a clean pocket and the Cowboys can keep the chains moving with consistency throughout this contest.

Dallas have remained perfect as the home favourite with a 5-0 record against the spread and they can match the kind of dominant wins that the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have handed out to Seattle.

The Defensive unit can step up and make some big plays in the second half to ensure the Cowboys are able to pull away and they are expected to win by double digits on Thursday Night Football.

Miami Dolphins @ Washington Commanders Pick: After the crushing loss at the Dallas Cowboys, Ron Rivera may have feared that his time as Head Coach of the Washington Commanders (4-8) was going to come to an end. That is still looking likely at the end of the season, but Rivera remains in charge, even if he has been told that friend and Defensive Co-Ordinator Jack Del Rio had to be let go.

It was never going to be easy for any Defensive Co-Ordinator as soon as the Commanders began to trade away key pass rushers, which has exposed the Washington Secondary.

Now they have to face the Miami Dolphins (8-3) and the high-powered Offensive unit that is run by Mike McDaniels, although recent weeks have been tougher for the Dolphins. They were never going to sustain the early season numbers, but Miami have got room for improvement on recent outings and they are simply not as effective on the road as they are at home.

In saying that, Miami did win on the road last week at the New York Jets and they will have a balanced approach that is going to be very difficult for the Washington Commanders to deal with.

Raheem Mostert has shown he can power the running game for the Dolphins and he should help establish the run against this Washington Defensive Line that has struggled. With a pass rush not nearly as effective without Chase Young and Montez Sweat, Washington's Secondary have really been having problems against any Quarter Back they have faced, and Tua Tagovailoa should be able to get Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle very much into the action.

The Miami Dolphins are not producing their very best Offensively, but this is the chance to 'get right' and make sure they are keeping the pressure on those below them in the AFC East.

However, the wins have kept coming from the Dolphins without big Offensive performances thanks to an improving Defense under Vic Fangio's guidance. They have gotten healthier, even if they have lost Jaelan Phillips for the season, and the Dolphins have looked like they can produce enough on this side of the ball to really believe they could make a run to the Super Bowl.

A statement can be made in this game against a Washington team struggling in all aspects of their Football.

Sam Howell has not been helped by this Offensive Line, who will also have a difficult time establishing the run against the improving Miami Defensive Line. That puts even more pressure on the Quarter Back and he is going to be facing a Miami Secondary that has made plenty of big plays, just ask Tim Boyle from Week 12.

Those plays could give the Dolphins those extra possessions that will be needed to cover a number like this one on the road, and Miami have the capabilities to do that.

A big road favourite is not an ideal team to be backing, but this is a good spot for the Miami Dolphins to have a big game on both sides of the ball and they can win and cover.

Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints Pick: There has to be some frustration with the surprisingly poor performance on Thanksgiving Day, but the Detroit Lions (8-3) remain in control of the NFC North. Head Coach Dan Campbell will have been looking forward to this road game, but he will have spent a few extra days with his players to prepare them to bounce back from the home defeat to the Green Bay Packers.

They are facing the New Orleans Saints (5-6) in Week 13 and the home team are still very much in contention for a place in the post-season, despite the losing record.

The NFC South has proven to be one of the weaker Divisions in the NFL with all four teams holding a losing record and the Saints are sitting alongside the Atlanta Falcons with their 5-6 mark. The defeat to the Falcons in Week 12 will have really hurt New Orleans, but they will be playing at home in this one and that has to give them a chance to bounce back.

However, the Saints are dealing with a huge amount of injuries and have an important Divisional game on deck, which may take some of the focus away from this game. New Orleans will be keen to win, but playing without a number of key performers on both sides of the ball makes it very difficult to imagine how the Saints can keep themselves competitive.

The likes of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Kendre Miller are all likely to be missing from the New Orleans Offensive unit, while Alvin Kamara may have to be used more effectively in the passing game. The Running Back is very capable, but he may not have a lot of success pounding the ball against the Lions Defensive Line and it becomes tougher for Derek Carr at Quarter Back without some of the names mentioned.

While he can target Kamara and Michael Thomas, being without Olave and Shaheed is a tough situation for Derek Carr. There have been some problems in the Lions Secondary in recent games and they were really taken aback by the Green Bay passing attack on Thanksgiving Day, but it is going to be very hard for Derek Carr to replicate that with back up Receivers on the field.

However, the Saints are going to have some opportunities to move the ball as long as they can avoid the turnovers that have swing games against them.

It is also going to be a difficult day trying to slow down the Detroit Offense, which is going to want to make a point after the defeat to the Packers when Jared Goff was guilty of really hurting his team with turnovers.

Jared Goff should be playing out of a clean pocket, but the Quarter Back will also benefit from being able to hand the ball to David Montgomery or Jahmyr Gibbs who should be able to rip off some big gains on the ground behind the Lions Offensive Line. In recent games, the Saints have not been able to stop the run very effectively and Montgomery and Gibbs should be able to showcase their tandem powers at the Running Back position.

This is going to open up some of the passing lanes for Jared Goff and the Lions can recover from their defeat on Thanksgiving Day.

Road favourites had a very good Week 12, but it is not easy to win by big margins in hostile environments, although the extra preparation time between games is an advantage for Dan Campbell's team. The Lions have been better at home over the last twelve months, but playing in an indoor Stadium is not going to be a problem for them in Week 13 and they can win and cover here.

Arizona Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Steelers Pick: Even the return of Kyler Murray has not been able to turn things around for the Arizona Cardinals (2-10) and this season cannot end quickly enough. They are set to earn a high Draft Pick, although the players on the roster will want to be kept around for a rebuild, while also trying to play spoiler for those chasing post-season spots.

Games against Divisional rivals will mean a lot more to the players in general, and you have to question where Arizona will find the motivation to win this game. For starters they are facing a non-Conference opponent and the Cardinals are playing in an early slot on Sunday afternoon.

They are also facing a Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) team looking to prove that former Offensive Co-Ordinator Matt Canada was the problem having won their first game since Canada was fired. It was a very strong Offensive effort to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Steelers have a good chance to back that up against this Cardinals Defense which has been struggling.

A big problem for the Cardinals is that the Defensive Line have not been able to clamp down on the run at all- with that in mind, you have to think this is a really bad match up for Arizona when facing Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris and this Pittsburgh Offensive Line which has opened up some big running lanes in recent games.

Kenny Pickett has been banged up at Quarter Back, but he should be able to operate out of a relatively clean pocket if the Steelers are running the ball as they should be able to do. He can then target his Receivers from third and manageable spots to keep the chains moving, while Pickett may even be able to open up and take some deep shots down the field.

The expectation is that Pittsburgh should be able to produce another relatively strong outing on the Offensive side of the ball and that will put some pressure on Kyler Murray and the Cardinals Offense.

James Connor will be highly motivated to produce a big game in a City he loves, but the Running Back could have a tough time with an improving Pittsburgh Defensive Line. He could be helped by Kyler Murray's ability to scramble, which may mean Connor can become a key part of any RPO plays that are run by Arizona, but the Steelers have clamped down on the run with enough strength to force Murray to beat them through the air.

It has made life tougher playing behind this Arizona Offensive Line, and Kyler Murray is not exactly blessed with the most consistent of skill players. Marquise Brown is a former Baltimore Raven who would love to remind the Steelers what they might have been 'missing', but he is banged up an the Cardinals are likely going to be throwing with a collapsing pocket all around Murray.

That could potentially lead to a mistake or two from the Quarter Back and the Pittsburgh Steelers may produce one of their bigger wins of the season.

There has to be a slight concern that Pittsburgh are set to play on Thursday Night Football, but they will not want to take advantage of the fact that AFC North leaders Baltimore are not playing in Week 13. Add in the fact that the Week 14 game in a few days time is against the really bad New England Patriots and the Steelers should have the motivation and focus to win this one by more than a Touchdown.

MY PICKS: Dallas Cowboys - 8.5 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Miami Dolphins - 8.5 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Detroit Lions - 4.5 Points @ 1.91 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Pittsburgh Steelers - 6.5 Points @ 1.92 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Week 12: 6-1, + 5.23 Units (8 Units Staked, + 65.38% Yield)

Week 11: 5-2, + 2.54 Units (7 Units Staked, + 36.29% Yield)

Week 10: 3-5, - 2.35 Units (8 Units Staked, - 29.38% Yield)

Week 9: 3-2, + 0.82 Units (5 Units Staked, + 16.40% Yield)

Week 8: 2-2-1, - 0.18 Units (5 Units Staked, - 3.60% Yield)

Week 7: 3-2, + 0.82 Units (5 Units Staked, + 16.40% Yield)

Week 6: 4-3, + 0.56 Units (7 Units Staked, + 8% Yield)

Week 5: 4-3-1, + 2.46 Units (10 Units Staked, + 24.60% Yield)

Week 4: 3-5, - 2.35 Units (8 Units Staked, - 29.38% Yield)

Week 3: 4-4, + 0.43 Units (9 Units Staked, + 4.78% Yield)

Week 2: 3-4-2, - 1.36 Units (12 Units Staked, - 11.33% Yield)

Week 1: 5-2, + 2.51 Units (7 Units Staked, + 35.86% Yield)

Midweek Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2019 (December 3-5)

December is always an extremely busy month in the English Football calendar and the Premier League has an additional round of fixtures this midweek.

For the first time Amazon will be streaming all ten of the fixtures to be played from Tuesday through to Thursday and the short turnaround is not just an issue for the real life managers, but also for those of us who are playing Fantasy Football.

With that short gap between games in mind, this thread is not going to be as long as some others. I have been waiting for as long as possible to make a decision about my free transfer to use this week with the main concern being Tammy Abraham and his availability against Aston Villa. You can see my thought process of how I am going to deal with the Abraham situation in the Fantasy portion of the thread with the disclaimer that I could make a decision right up until the deadline for GW15 which is 6:30pm UK time on Tuesday 3rd December.


Crystal Palace v Bournemouth Pick: This is a big week for fans of English Football as Amazon become the latest broadcaster to offer Premier League Football having secured two packages in December.

They have decided to broadcast every Premier League game in this round with the ten games split over three days and the first one to kick off on the streaming channel will be Crystal Palace versus Bournemouth.

This is an important game for both Roy Hodgson and Eddie Howe as they look to guide their clubs back into the top half of the Premier League table with a victory. The Division is a tight one with only 2 points blanketing 5th placed Tottenham Hotspur down to Crystal Palace in 11th, while Bournemouth are two points further behind than their hosts.

Crystal Palace had a big win at Burnley on Saturday, but defensive injuries can't be ignored when you think of the chances that the hosts missed on the day. Those are likely to be punished by a Bournemouth team who have scored in their last 4 Premier League games including in back to back away games at Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Eagles have been conceding a fair few goals of late so the clean sheet would have been welcome on Saturday even if it was a touch undeserving. That won't matter to Roy Hodgson, although he will want to see a better effort in protecting their own goal.

On the other hand Crystal Palace will believe they can hurt a Bournemouth team who have lost 3 in a row in the League and conceded at least twice in each defeat. Even a goal-shy Newcastle United managed two goals against Bournemouth recently so I expect Crystal Palace to have their moments in this one even if they have been far from the most clinical of teams in the top flight.

Both teams have been creating enough to believe they can do the same against what have been vulnerable defences. Games between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have been high-scoring of late with the last 4 overall all ending with at least three goals shared out and that same number hit in 7 of the last 8 at Selhurst Park with the sole exception being a 1-1 draw.

That is arguably the one scoreline that prevents this game going in the same direction as the recent trend between these clubs, but backing at least three goals to be shared out at odds against is the play.


Burnley v Manchester City Pick: The second of the games to kick off on Tuesday, 45 minutes after the first, comes from Turf Moor as Manchester City try and give CPR to what is a flagging Premier League title challenge.

A poor run of form has seen Manchester City win 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions and that has allowed Liverpool to keep pulling away with 11 points between the clubs that finished one and two last season. The defending Champions might be saying all the right things about not giving up and just trying to win matches, but no one can really deny that Manchester City have simply not looked right in recent weeks.

Injuries are not helping, but Manchester City should be able to cope better than they have and the lack of intensity for large portions of the 2-2 draw at Newcastle United will have been a big concern. Losing Sergio Aguero is a big blow anyway, but he has scored three of the four goals Manchester City have managed at Turf Moor under Pep Guardiola and that absence could be keenly felt on Tuesday.

Last season Burnley didn't really lay a glove on Manchester City who won 0-1 here, but this season teams are taking more chances against what is clearly a vulnerable defence. Aymeric Laporte has been a big miss and Vincent Kompany's experience could also have been invaluable at this time, but without them Manchester City look far from confident at the back.

Burnley have been creating plenty of chances in their home games all season and in Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood they have players who can punish Manchester City in this one. Even on Saturday it was a lack of composure in the final third which hurt Burnley in their 0-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, but I think they are going to cause problems through set pieces in this one and I expect the home team to take more chances.

I did consider backing Burnley with the start being given to them on the Asian Handicap, but my main feeling is that they are going to need to score if they are going to cover that mark for a full payout. They have certainly created enough to believe they can find the net, while it is very difficult to see any team containing Manchester City even when not at their very best.

Both teams to score is an odds against shot in this Premier League game and I think that is a big price considering all the factors in play. I do think Burnley play with more ambition than they had in this corresponding fixture last season when battling to avoid the drop and that can see both teams hit the net in this game.


Chelsea v Aston Villa Pick: There is little doubt that an early Chelsea goal on Saturday would have changed the entire complexion of the eventual 0-1 defeat to West Ham United and The Blues certainly had enough chances to win the game. They were missing Tammy Abraham who has cemented his role as the starting Number 9 for Chelsea, although Frank Lampard has to shoulder some of the blame by picking a rusty Olivier Giroud over Michy Batshuayi to the surprise of almost everybody.

The former England midfielder would have had his reasons, but the changes made to the forward line were not helpful to Chelsea who need a reaction on Wednesday. Pedro was another who surprisingly was given a start considering he has not been involved in recent weeks and ultimately Chelsea paid for being wasteful in front of goal while David Martin also made a couple of decent saves for West Ham United.

It sounds like Abraham will be available for this fixture on Wednesday and that could give Chelsea a huge boost. I would expect Willian to also start and the more familiar feel to the front line should be crucial for the home team. While Chelsea have dropped a lot of points here, they had won 3 Premier League games in a row at Stamford Bridge prior to Saturday and no one can deny the amount of chances that Chelsea have been creating.

I am expecting more of the same on Wednesday when they host an Aston Villa team off a morale boosting 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. They came from behind to secure the result against Manchester United, but Aston Villa continue to look vulnerable at the back and I am very much expecting to see that exploited by Chelsea in this fixture.

Dean Smith does demand an attractive brand of football from his Aston Villa team and they will get forward and look to hurt Chelsea in this one. I think they have a chance of creating one or two good opportunities which makes it hard to get a read on the game, but Chelsea's 3 clean sheets in a row at home in the Premier League prior to the result on Saturday has me leaning to The Blues winning and winning by a margin to cover the Asian Handicap.

Aston Villa have suffered 3 narrow losses (one goal margin) and 2 by a wider number in the Premier League this season. However one of those games saw Aston Villa score in the very last minute to narrow the defeat at Wolves to 2-1, and the underlying stats suggest Aston Villa are fortunate they have not been on the wrong side of more heavier losses.

We have seen Chelsea create enough at home to believe they can bounce back here although they need to show a little more composure in the final third. They should have got a few more at home than they have so far this season and I think Chelsea might also be playing an opponent that put in a lot on Sunday and are potentially a touch fatigued while also thinking about the big Midlands derby with Leicester City which is next on deck.

Chelsea might have only won 3 home League games so far this season, but 2 of those came by at least two goal margins and I will back the hosts to cover the Asian Handicap in this one.


Leicester City v Watford Pick: The late, late goal to beat Everton was greeted with rapturous celebrations from the Leicester City players and fans, but they will need to settle down and just refocus ahead of this next Premier League game.

As the closest challengers to Liverpool in the Premier League table, Leicester City and Brendan Rodgers know they have to keep winning and hope that puts some pressure on the League leaders. They kick off before Liverpool on Wednesday, but Rodgers will be urging his players to focus on this game and not worry about events taking place at Anfield.

He will also be reminding his players of his own commitment to the cause with rumours suggesting Rodgers would perhaps like a crack at the vacant Arsenal job. Brendan Rodgers himself denied he is focused on anything but Leicester City, but you do have to wonder if those distractions perhaps play a part in this fixture.

In reality it is an ideal game for Leicester City to rally together as they face manager-less Watford (who likely have made an appointment by the time this game kicks off). A lack of confidence is clear in some of the performances Watford have produced and losing to relegation rivals Southampton on Saturday is a major blow for the club who have made the right decisions to avoid relegation in recent years.

Watford didn't play badly at Southampton, but defensively there are some major question marks while they don't score a lot of goals either. They have lost 4 of their last 6 away games in all competitions and also their last 4 at the King Power Stadium and I am finding it difficult to see anything but another Leicester City win.

Where Watford lack goals, but concede too many, Leicester City have been largely pretty good from a defensive point of view. They have also managed to score at least two goals in 6 straight games at the King Power Stadium and throughout their 7 game winning run and I do think there will be too much firepower in the final third for the visitors to cope with.

Backing Leicester City to win this one and cover the Asian Handicap is the play for me.


Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: It has been little under a year since Jose Mourinho was sacked as manager of Manchester United and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the former 'Special One' is back in M16 with a new team on Wednesday.

Jose Mourinho has taken over from Mauricio Pochettino as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and his new team have won 3 in a row under his guidance while scoring plenty of goals. The goals being conceded will be a concern, but in a twist of fate Mourinho could put another nail in the coffin of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's managerial career at Manchester United with a win on Wednesday.

Even more ironically it could lead to Pochettino returning to the Premier League having long been linked with the top job at Manchester United and the rumours refuse to go away while Solskjaer struggles to find consistent performances and results. The 2-2 draw with Aston Villa was the first time this season a small section booed the players off at Old Trafford, while more and more are beginning to question the logic of appointing a manager without any real credentials to be in charge of the 'biggest club in the world'.

All those rumours can be quashed if Manchester United can win this fixture, but the pressure will be ramped up massively if they are beaten ahead of the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium. The players have to find a way to cope with the situation which is also magnified by the fact that Mourinho is returning with a new team.

Tottenham Hotspur have looked revitalised under the new manager although I am not sure how much work they are being able to get through on the training ground. The benefit for Spurs in this one is that Mourinho should know Manchester United backwards and that means he will also be best equipped to set his team up to nullify what United bring to the table.

You would have to think Tottenham Hotspur can expose what has become a vulnerable Manchester United defence, while they have the midfield to control the pace of the game. Jose Mourinho has to be concerned by the defensive performances though so I am not sure he will want to sit on a narrow lead, even if the manager will be desperate to avoid a defeat at Old Trafford.

On the other side Manchester United have to show more than being a sheer counter attacking team as they try and pressure a team who have conceded two goals in all of their games under their new manager. In recent games Manchester United have looked better in creating chances, although once again I have to wonder if Mourinho is not the best equipped to prevent the home team doing what they want.

Recent history between these teams have seen plenty of tight games as Tottenham Hotspur have improved and perhaps even surpassed Manchester United on the field. This has felt like potentially being another, but I don't think either team is defending well enough to believe they are going to keep the other from scoring.

A 1-1 draw was the outcome of Arsenal and Liverpool visiting Old Trafford this season and that looks a real player here. However I think both teams have shown enough going forward and vulnerability defensively to believe this could be the fourth game in a row at Old Trafford that features at least three goals shared out.

An early goal will open things up and if that comes the layers might be right in making the chances of seeing at least three goals an odds on shot.


Southampton v Norwich City Pick: The main feeling I had about this game was the obvious conclusion of there being at least three goals shared out, but the layers might finally be getting on top of that market as far as Southampton games are concerned. Against Watford that market was almost priced up at odds against, but it is as low as 1.57 for this game.

Part of the reason has to be the way Norwich City have approached games all season with a strong looking attacking threat, but with a miserable defensive record. It was all highlighted in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, but I can't back at least four goals here knowing the importance of the fixture to both teams.

I doubt the managers will want to open things up if they are ahead and that makes it a more difficult game to read. While I do think a 2-1 scoreline either way is possible, again it is priced up way too low and especially so when you consider that none of the last 7 Norwich City away games have ended with three or more goals shared out.

Southampton do create a lot of chances, but outside of Danny Ings there has not been a consistent threat. Even against Watford on Saturday they were fortunate to come away with a win despite Shane Long doing his best to miss presentable chances and so there look to be better options out there.

I can't recommend Southampton at odds on to win any game of football to be perfectly frank- they have only won back to back home games once since January 2017 and that makes them hard to really believe in. However I will admit that for any prediction leagues you may be involved in, I would be backing the home team to come away with the points and that is largely down to Norwich City's poor defensive record away from home.

Even then The Canaries have had clean sheets in 2 of their last 3 away games at Bournemouth and Everton and won at Goodison Park so I am moving on beyond this fixture with better options out there during the week.


Wolves v West Ham United Pick: Things got very emotional for David Martin at the end of West Ham United's win over Chelsea on Saturday and his efforts in goal might just have saved Manuel Pellegrini's job at the London Stadium.

Backing it up won't be easy as West Ham United prepare to travel to Molineux where Wolves have been very difficult to beat all season. There are still some major questions for West Ham United to answer from a defensive point of view and I think Wolves are definitely going to be posing some real problems for them.

A lack of clean sheets has been holding Wolves back from seriously challenging the top four places, but they are playing well at the moment and 1 loss from their last 15 in all competitions is hard to ignore. Wolves have won 3 of their last 5 here too and they hammered West Ham United here last season, pardon the pun.

This is a team who do create chances, but I do think Wolves are also missing a complimentary goalscorer to Raul Jimenez which would really help them as a team. The Mexican has been in great form all season though and is an integral part of the Wolves set up and I do think Wolves can have successes against a West Ham United team who had conceded three goals in 3 straight League games prior to the win over Chelsea.

Some will point out the mistakes made in goal by Roberto Jimenez, but this is a team who have allowed teams to create plenty of chances. On another day Chelsea would have been out of sight in the first twenty minutes on Saturday and I think Wolves are going to have too much for their visitors in this one.

West Ham United have taken some heavy losses in recent away games and I don't think the one win over Chelsea should cloud that fact. It was a very important win, but the effort produced will be difficult to replicate against another tough Premier League side and I think that might tell on the day.

Backing Wolves to win a game featuring two or more goals is the play as the home team have needed at least two goals in all but one of their home wins this season in all competitions. West Ham United do have a tendency to just concede too many goals and I think that shows up in this fixture.

At odds against backing Wolves to win a game featuring two or more goals is the play for me.


Liverpool v Everton Pick: The first Merseyside derby game of the season sees Liverpool and Everton in contrasting moods with the former leading the way in the Premier League and the latter on the verge of replacing manager Marco Silva.

That change could come as soon as Thursday morning if Everton were to lose this game and then fall into the bottom three if Southampton were to win their home League game against Norwich City on the same evening. It is not often a manager is given a couple of votes of confidence, but that has been the case for Silva who has almost lost his job after Everton's home defeat to Norwich City and then late loss at Leicester City.

Picking his players up from that defeat at the King Power Stadium is going to very difficult for Silva and this is as tough a test for Everton as they come. The side have lost 5 of their last 6 away Premier League games and have been conceding far too many goals while not having the same threat in the opposition final third and I do think they will struggle to cope with the home team.

In saying that Liverpool have been far from at full tilt themselves and they continue to leak goals, although it has yet to be a situation which has led to dropped Premier League points at Anfield. They have yet to have a home clean sheet in all competitions and Liverpool are now going back to Adrian for one game in goal after Alisson was sent off in the win over Brighton.

Adrian has certainly left the defence feeling vulnerable, but Liverpool have scored goals for fun at home and I would worry for Everton if they fall behind in this one. The front three should be rested having seen two of those players withdrawn on Saturday to earn some minutes of recovery and I think Everton are going to find it very difficult to contain this team.

The two League games between these clubs were very tight last season, but I think Liverpool can make life a bit easier for themselves this time around. With an additional day between games compared with Everton, I think Liverpool will be the final game that Marco Silva manages for the blue side of Merseyside and I think the home team are going to produce a relatively comfortable win on the night.


Sheffield United v Newcastle United Pick: Both Sheffield United and Newcastle United earned important points this past weekend when they perhaps were not expected to and that means there is some momentum to take into the midweek League fixtures.

These two are set to meet on Thursday and I do think both Chris Wilder and Steve Bruce will be targeting the fixture as one from which they can earn the full points.

Sheffield United have looked a little better in recent games and beating Arsenal and Burnley followed by a strong performance for the majority of the 3-3 draw with Manchester United in their last 3 games here will give them confidence. They are a team who create chances but are perhaps missing a clinical striker, although Lys Mousset is trying to change the narrative having scored in 4 of the last 6 games he has played.

He made it 2-0 against Manchester United before coming off in the last game at Bramall Lane and Mousset is likely going to be the big threat to Newcastle United. This is a team who have struggled for consistency and Newcastle United have conceded plenty of away goals all season which makes it hard to see them avoiding a defeat here.

The Magpies did win at West Ham United, but 4 losses from their last 5 away games has to be a concern. Newcastle United were downright poor in their 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa a couple of games ago and I do think Sheffield United will create the chances they need to turn this fixture into three points.

It is difficult to back a team at odds on to win a game when they have managed to do that in 4 of their 14 League games played this season. However 3 of those wins for Sheffield United have come at Bramall Lane and Newcastle United have yet to draw an away fixture.

Sheffield United have scored three goals in each of their last 2 home Premier League games and might have just found something in Mousset. I expect him to make the difference for them against Newcastle United who produced a big effort to earn a 2-2 draw with Manchester City last weekend and who host a winnable fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

That could mean some changes for this fixture which gives Sheffield United enough of an edge to secure a narrow victory on the day.


Arsenal v Brighton Pick: The decision to remove Unai Emery as manager of Arsenal seems like being one that the board ideally didn't want to make and the lack of a replacement being announced suggests that is the case. Jose Mourinho had been linked with the top job at Arsenal but has ended up at rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while the fans are looking for a top, top name to take over.

More realistically is that Arsenal are going to plump for someone like Nuno Espirito Santo or Brendan Rodgers who have been overachieving with Wolves and Leicester City respectively, but you can't rule out Freddie Ljungberg just yet.

The caretaker manager will be given the chance to impress for a second game having overseen the 2-2 draw at Norwich City which underlined the way things have gone for Arsenal this season. Going forward they look a real threat, which isn't a surprise considering the attacking talent they can pick from, but defensively Norwich City created some big openings throughout the game.

I would expect more of the same on Thursday with the limited time to train and change methods between games at this time of the season. That does make it hard to believe in Arsenal who have not won any of their last 8 games in all competitions and who have failed to win their last 4 at the Emirates Stadium, but this does feel like an ideal game to get back on track.

That is no disrespect to Brighton who gave Liverpool a couple of scares in the 2-1 loss at Anfield on Saturday. However they could have been put to the sword very early on and Brighton have lost their last 4 away games in the Premier League and conceded at least twice in each of those games.

Graham Potter has improved the playing style and it has produced some big results, but I also think Brighton can be a little too open and that can be exploited. The likes of Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester United created plenty of chances against Brighton in recent home games against them and I would not be surprised if Arsenal can do the same here.

The home team are lacking confidence which makes them vulnerable and Brighton have scored at Old Trafford and Anfield to make it hard to completely draw a line through them. They also managed a 1-1 draw here last season so have to be given due respect in this fixture, but I think Arsenal can create enough chances to win the game.

For all their nice play, Brighton have not scored more than one away goal in any of their last 6 Premier League games. On the other hand Arsenal have scored at least twice in 5 of their 7 League games played at the Emirates Stadium so backing the home team to win a game featuring two or more goals is the call.

MY PICKS: Crystal Palace-Bournemouth Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Burnley-Manchester City Both Teams to Score @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Chelsea - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Leicester City - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester United-Tottenham Hotspur Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Wolves & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.15 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Liverpool - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)
Sheffield United @ 1.85 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Arsenal & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.83 Coral (2 Units)

November 2019/20: 9-16, - 12.66 Units (50 Units Staked, - 25.32% Yield)
October 2019/20: 16-14-2, + 6.14 Units (62 Units Staked, + 9.90% Yield)
September 2019/20: 13-9-1, + 8.82 Units (46 Units Staked, + 19.17% Yield)
August 2019/20: 14-17-2, - 8.78 Units (64 Units Staked, - 13.72% Yield)

Fantasy Football GameWeek 15

There is a very short turnaround from GameWeek 14 to GameWeek 15 and so I think any changes that people are making to their Fantasy teams have to be with the longer term in mind (meaning two or three GameWeeks and not just for this week alone).

My GW14 team disappointed even though the hit taken to bring in Danny Ings and Trent Alexander-Arnold did at least work out as I would have expected. Both were involved in Bonus Points in GW14 as well as producing multiple returns anyway, although my decision to go with two Liverpool defenders was burned again as they continue winning without clean sheets.

The disappointment for myself is that the last two weeks I have fallen below the average both times, while my continued decision to interchange my Captain is still hurting me. In GW13 I had Raheem Sterling and in GW14 it was Sadio Mane and I don't think it will surprise anyone to read that the latter scored in 13 and the former in 14.

It makes a massive difference and has seen me lose some ground in some of the deeper Leagues I am involved in, while my Ranking has slipped from inside the top 70K to outside the top 325K. I am irritated and annoyed, but things can quickly turn back around and I am looking to put the work in to do that.

As I have mentioned it is a short turn from GW14 ending on Sunday evening and GW15 beginning on Tuesday. I spoke about the Tammy Abraham situation on Saturday and this remains the biggest decision I need to make with the knowledge that my Wild Card from the first half of the season is going to be activated very soon.

I wrote on Saturday that I have decided to keep Abraham through the GW because I wanted to hear the update from Chelsea on Monday- they have games against Aston Villa, Everton, Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur to come before I am expecting to get my Wild Card in play, and I do think Abraham could have a very good time against those teams.

Chelsea create enough to believe he would add to his tally for the season, but the injury picked up against Valencia continues to cloud things. If he misses out on Wednesday the fixtures certainly begin to look a lot less appealing collectively considering the Everton and Spurs games are away from home and I would also anticipate a big drop in his price if the England striker is out again this Wednesday.

There are options out there for my squad which would ultimately help me shore up other areas in the coming GWs and that is where I stand at the moment.

The two players that most intrigue me are Jordan Ayew at Crystal Palace and Lys Mousset at Sheffield United with my very slight lean towards the latter.

Jordan Ayew has been starting for Crystal Palace and I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how they are ready to enter a very manageable portion of their schedule. Bournemouth, Watford, Brighton and Newcastle United are the next four games for Palace, although I have to admit that they are a team who share their goals around and Wilfried Zaha might be the more appealing target having found his goalscoring boots in recent games.

I also think Ayew is more of focal point with the tactics Roy Hodgson uses and he plays with his back to goal to try and get others involved and that is shown by his average shots per game and also the chances that have fallen his way.

On the other hand Lys Mousset has scored four goals in his last six games for Sheffield United and has become a starter for a team who have created chances but are lacking goals. The former Bournemouth player might have shown Chris Wilder he can answer the question about where the goals are going to come from and Sheffield United face Newcastle United, Norwich City, Aston Villa and Brighton in their next four.

It is arguably as good a list as Crystal Palace's fixtures and I think Mousset has every chance of continuing his form. Only David McGoldrick can rival his shot count since the win over Arsenal and John Lundstram has been given the slightly better chances to score, but when a player hits form and is going to be given minutes I think it is a decent time to get behind them.

So there we have it- the deadline is still a little time away before I make my final call but I do know bringing in one of the two strikers mentioned will free up funds to spend in improving other areas. I do have to do something with David De Gea and Andreas Pereira for starters, even if Manchester United have better fixtures to come once they get through the next two games.

The goalkeeper is lower on my list of priorities, but Pereira might soon be under pressure for a regular starting place with Jesse Lingard back and healthy, and both Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba expected to return shortly too. My reasoning for his selection in the first place was that he was playing in the Number 10 role for United and so should have opportunities for more shots and being in a position to produce an assist or two, but that hasn't panned out with injuries and he could soon be squeezed out of the starting eleven (as a Manchester United fan I will be the first to tell you that Pereira should be nowhere near the first team).

If I take out Abraham then there is a real chance to have a massive improvement in the Pereira position in the squad, but I can still make a solid transfer to change him if I do decide to stick with the Chelsea man. My decision has really come down to whether I am changing Abraham or keep my FT for GW15 under my belt to use before the Saturday GW16 fixtures, but it is one that I am likely going to be going back and forth with until the 630pm deadline.


My last feeling before I post this is that Abraham is going to miss out. While I would not be surprised if he is on the bench, I think Frank Lampard will have looked at fixtures against Everton and Lille coming up and recognised he can't really afford to have Abraham suffer a setback if not at 100% and he would expect his Chelsea team to have too much for Aston Villa anyway.

I wrote much of above on Monday evening and so my decision has been reached that I will go with Lys Mousset over Jordan Ayew and look for Sheffield United to outscore Crystal Palace in the next four games before my Wild Card is likely to be activated.

Mousset has the statistical edge over Ayew and it will also allow me to make an important transfer in GW16 to improve my overall team.

My GameWeek 15 Team

David De Gea- Manchester United lack clean sheets, but I have to keep the Spanish goalkeeper in as I am not taking a hit to take him out. No team has really shown a consistent ability to earn clean sheets so there is no point in taking a hit to change this position.

Andrew Robertson- as I have been saying for weeks, Liverpool might not get many clean sheets but they do have the potential for attacking returns from their full backs.

Trent Alexander-Arnold- the same as above. Home game against Everton going to be tough, but Liverpool did earn two clean sheets against them in the Premier League last season.

Caglar Soyuncu- the run of clean sheets came to an end for Leicester City, but they have a chance to begin a new one when facing Watford at home.

John Lundstram- a home game against Sheffield United and effectively picking a midfielder with a chance of earning a clean sheet bonus.

Anthony Martial- people are losing faith with Anthony Martial in the game and two tough fixtures to come. However he remains the Manchester United Number 9.

Sadio Mane (C)- I am planning on keeping him Captain for the next three GWs as Liverpool face Everton, Bournemouth and Watford.

Raheem Sterling- difficult away game at Burnley and then a home game against Manchester United. He could be the main threat for Manchester City though and they should score at least four goals across those two games.

Youri Tielemans- not many returns from the Belgian playmaker in recent games, but plays in an attacking Leicester City team who have a home game against Watford.

Danny Ings- kept his recent goalscoring form up with another on Saturday. Home game with Norwich City should mean he has one or two good chances in this one too.

Lys Mousset- four goals in six Sheffield United appearances is not really going to be sustainable, but I am willing to ride the Lys Mousset momentum for a few games coming up. Sheffield United create chances and Mousset looks more dangerous than David McGoldrick as well as having the confidence of scoring goals behind him.

I bring him in for Tammy Abraham which means a big saving is made and also sets me up to improve other areas of my team.


Bench- Michael McGovern, Fiyaki Tomori (this might surprise with a home game against Aston Villa to come, especially with Chelsea's run of 3 home clean sheets only ending on Saturday. However Aston Villa can cause problems and I am happy with Tomori coming in if one of my starters is absent. Chelsea might have more chance of a clean sheet than Liverpool too, but the attacking talents of the full backs I have makes it impossible to drop them), Andrea Pereira (tough home game and playing deeper than I wanted), Xande Silva

Weekend Football Picks 2017 (December 2-3)

Have a quick look at the fixtures of the top clubs in the English Premier League that are coming up and you can see why December is going to be such a difficult month to get through. Managers will have to rotate the players they have to keep everyone fresh and happy with so many weeks having multiple games scheduled.

With the modern day football stadiums as they are, it will take a lot for any games to be postponed these days at the very highest level and teams have to take things day by day to make sure they are in a position to earn as many points as possible in the Premier League.

We also have a round of Champions League Football and the League Cup Quarter Finals scheduled in December and it is a very, very busy time of the season.

On Friday the World Cup Finals draw was put together and once the initial excitement of the draw was over I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed with the Groups and the potential matches we are going to see. That opinion is likely to change once the domestic season is in the books and knowing more football is to come in the summer, but for now I have to say the Groups just underline how far international football has fallen as far as I am concerned.

England should be very happy with the draw they have been given though as they are matched up with Belgium, Tunisia and Panama and I would fully expect them to get through to the Second Round. In fact the way the draw has panned out I think anything less than a Quarter Final spot would be an underachievement for England, but we can stick the World Cup on the back burner until May.

The Premier League has scheduled matches over two days this weekend and the big game of the weekend comes on Saturday afternoon when Arsenal host Manchester United. The Picks from the Premier League games played this weekend can be found below.

Chelsea v Newcastle United Pick: Only some really quality last ditch defending, a decent display from the goalkeeper and some poor finishing from Chelsea helped Swansea City leave Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 loss on Wednesday. That was a Chelsea team that had a few changes made to the starting eleven to freshen things up, but a returning Eden Hazard may not be good news for Newcastle United in the first match of the Premier League weekend.

There were some concerns that the Chelsea players had lost a bit of faith in Antonio Conte after some inconsistent results, and the 3-0 loss in Roma was a particularly worrying day in the office. However they have since recovered with some strong performances and Chelsea have managed to produce a 5 game unbeaten run during which time they have won 4 games.

Conte is a perfectionist though and I am sure he wants to see his players produce a little more clinical finishing, but I do think they will have the chances to win this game handily enough.

Newcastle United might have restored some confidence in the 2-2 draw with West Brom on Tuesday after coming from 2-0 down, but they are conceding goals at an alarming rate at the moment. With the games coming thick and fast and the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett sidelined, Rafa Benitez can't freshen up his side as he may like and I think Chelsea can prove to be too good for them.

As I said before Newcastle United visited Manchester United a couple of weeks ago, I don't know if this squad is going to be good enough to contain the top teams in the Premier League. Chelsea certainly fit that billing and I will look for them to do the same as Manchester United and win this game by at least a two goal margin and cover the Asian Handicap.

Brighton v Liverpool Pick: There has to be a lot of respect given to Brighton for the hard work they are putting into their games and the defensive resiliency they have shown. Chris Hughton will want that to be the foundation for their successes and earning 17 points already means Brighton have made a big step towards survival in their first season back in the top flight for over thirty years.

Games like this one have to be seen as a 'free hit' for the Brighton players but it does come at the end of a tough week when they have put in a lot of hard work. Unlike the top sides in the Premier League, the Brighton squad depth is not one that can see a host of changes made to keep the side fresh and I think the work done this week could catch up with them

It will always be a difficult game to face a Liverpool side who have been scoring goals for fun in recent away games having managed at least three goals in 4 of their last 5 on their travels including all 3 since the 4-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur.

The space that Liverpool get away from home is certainly going to be exploited with the speed and quality they have in the final third and I do wonder if Brighton will be able to stay with their visitors. Brighton have proven tough to beat here, but they haven't hosted too many of the big names and Manchester City did win 0-2 here.

With the goals Liverpool are producing, I think Brighton will have to take chances at some point and that is where they could be caught out on the counter attack. I will look for Liverpool to keep the goals coming and I will back them to win here by a couple of goals knowing the stake is returned in case of a win by a single goal margin.

Brighton will make life tough, but I think they will go behind and then get caught later on and I would be surprised if Liverpool don't win here to at least return the stake.

Everton v Huddersfield Town Pick: It was a huge game for Everton on Wednesday and you could get a sense of that from the crowd which was not at the usual levels you would expect in a night game at Goodison Park. The 4-0 win would have pleased the majority, but many are still not convinced Sam Allardyce is the positive managerial appointment they were looking for and that contributed to a fairly flat atmosphere.

David Unsworth and the players have to feel they did their best to raise the roof with a strong 4-0 win over West Ham United, but there was a touch of fortune about the result. It took a penalty to break the deadlock, and a penalty save from Jordan Pickford at 2-0 at the beginning of the second half was a key to the outcome.

There is still work to do for Everton to make sure they can begin climbing the table, but they may not be able to really get into what Sam Allardyce wants until a few weeks are passed. Even with that in mind, the confidence coming out of the win over West Ham United can't be underestimated and Everton are facing a poor travelling Huddersfield Town team.

Huddersfield Town work very hard which can make it difficult for Everton, but they have yet to really put a strong goal threat together away from home. The 4-0 loss at Bournemouth and 5-0 loss at Arsenal are concerning results and this game comes at the end of a tough week for The Terriers.

You can see why Everton are favoured to win the game, but I am not convinced they have completely turned a corner. They have won back to back League games at Goodison Park to get the fans behind them, but Everton still look a little nervy at times and they were fortunate to be facing a team with confidence issues of their own on Wednesday.

While I don't think confidence is an issue for Huddersfield Town, I do think there may be a lack of real quality that can be shown up without their fans really getting behind them as they do at the John Smith's Stadium. That energy can get 10% more out of players that they perhaps don't find away from home and I think Everton look a huge price to win this one with another clean sheet.

That price is worth a small interest rather than backing Everton to simply win and I will look for the home team to earn another vital three points in their move away from the bottom three.

Leicester City v Burnley Pick: Both Leicester City and Burnley have produced the kind of results that will make them believe they are capable of finishing best of the rest behind the top six in the Premier League. While Sean Dyche won't entertain this thought at all, some Burnley fans may even feel they can break into the top six with the results they have already earned.

That would be a remarkable achievement for Burnley who continue to bounce back from setbacks in the most positive of ways. After controversially being beaten by Arsenal, Burnley were back to winning ways at Bournemouth and their away form this season has been as good as it was disappointing last season.

Burnley have remained incredibly well organised and that has made them very tough to beat this season. Only Manchester City have won by a comfortable margin, but even then it took late goals to put Burnley away and I do think they can pose problems for Leicester City.

The Foxes have been in good form and they had a very impressive 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday. It can only give them confidence having now won 3 of their last 4 games at home, but I think Burnley will make it tougher than Spurs did who defended poorly for the goals they conceded and had plenty of chances to earn a result.

It feels like a really close game that won't have much between the teams, and both have had some strong results at home/away respectively this season. The draw is a real player, but Burnley may have the better opportunities to win here with their organisation likely to frustrate a Leicester City team who want to hit teams on the counter attack.

Backing Burnley with the start on the Asian Handicap will return half the stake if Burnley are beaten by a single goal margin, but I think they can do better and earn a result here. With wins at Chelsea and Everton already this season and draws at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool I do think Burnley will feel they can get some kind of result here and I like them with the start.

Watford v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: This is a big game for Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday as they try and get back on track in a League where the top teams look like they are not going to be dropping a lot of points. The Premier League title challenge looks long gone after 3 straight away losses, but the top four has to be the goal for Tottenham Hotspur and they can get back on track for that.

It won't be easy at Watford who showed they have plenty of heart and desire when recovering from 0-3 down against Manchester United and get back to 2-3 before a late goal finished them off. Marco Silva's future at the club has been set for the next few months at least and the players have looked like they have really enjoyed playing for this manager who wants to play attacking football.

Unfortunately the injuries at the back have meant Watford have been conceding goals and chances at an alarming rate and that has to be a problem when facing Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Even though they were beaten at Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur had so many clear cut chances to score and you have to think it is a matter of time before they can get things turned around and start gobbling them up.

I expect there will be plenty of opportunities at both ends of the pitch in this one and I am going to look for goals as I did during the week. Tottenham Hotspur look very short when you consider the current form, but I also think there is the chance of backing at least four goals to be shared out in this one.

That happened twice in the League meetings between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur last season and I can't ignore the fact that it has been a feature of Watford's games against the top teams this season. That number would have been hit in 4 of 5 games against the top six from last season including against Manchester United on Tuesday and the defensive injuries do mean both teams look better in the final third than when it comes to defending.

It is a big price for at least four goals and I think that can be the outcome of this one.

West Brom v Crystal Palace Pick: Alan Pardew has been given the top job at The Hawthorns and will get to face his last club in his first match in charge of West Brom. While Pardew is excited about the potential in the squad he has inherited from Tony Pulis, I have to agree with the manager that it will take a little time for everyone to get up to speed to his demands.

Crystal Palace look a little further ahead with Roy Hodgson as the performances have picked up in the two months he has been in charge. With improving performances have come improving results and a win for Crystal Palace here would potentially take them out of the bottom three when so many had already put a fork in the club after a terrible start to the season.

However it won't be easy to win here with the struggles for goals Crystal Palace have had away from home, They have yet to score in the League on their travels, but The Eagles have definitely become a little tougher defensively and that gives them every chance to earn a result.

West Brom had a decent reaction to Pulis' sacking and this feels like a match where the two teams could cancel one another out. I backed Crystal Palace to earn a draw at Brighton during the week and it does feel like the points could be shared in this one too.

Games between these clubs tend to be well fought out and I don't think there is a lot between them. I considered backing Crystal Palace with a small start on the Asian Handicap but a lack of goals is an issue, but I think they can get something here and backing the draw for a small interest has to be worth backing.

Arsenal v Manchester United Pick: Two of the top four meet on Saturday afternoon in the biggest game of the Premier League weekend and the importance of the three points will be lost on neither of them. The motivations and goals for the season are different for both Arsenal and Manchester United with the former likely seeing the top four as the best they can achieve while Manchester United continue chasing rivals Manchester City in a title bid.

Arsene Wenger won't be conceding the title challenge at this point of the season, but they do look a long way behind Manchester City and anything other than a win would likely be curtains for that. However Wenger has been getting the best out of his Arsenal side to hink they can win this one and the confidence of the players is key.

Even with Alexandre Lacazette on the sidelines, Arsenal have options in the forward areas to trouble Manchester United who have not defended as well away from home as they have at Old Trafford. That showed up in allowing Watford back into things at Vicarage Road and the absence of Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Nemanja Matic and Marouane Fellaini does remove some of the defensive cover for the visitors.

It would still be a surprise to see Manchester United as open as they were at Stamford Bridge in the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea, especially as that will play into Arsenal's hands. Instead I expect Manchester United to be a little more solid and expect to create chances against Arsenal on the counter attack as Jose Mourinho tries to earn his first really big away win as manager of Manchester United.

Arsenal will play the same way they always do at home as they try and get forward and create chances, but the loss of Lacazette is a blow for them. If Alexis Sanchez is limited by his hamstring issue then there will be more problems for Arsenal, but the 12 League game winning run at the Emirates Stadium should give The Gunners plenty of confidence.

I do think there will be chances for both clubs in this fixture, but I am also anticipating another close game between them. Manchester United's record in away games at the big clubs under Jose Mourinho has been talked about plenty, but they have been close in a couple of those to turn things in their favour.

I would be surprised if one of the 0-0, 1-1, 1-0, 2-0, 0-1, 0-2 potential scorelines do not come out of this one. I have a sneaky feeling Manchester United can get a result here against an Arsenal team who have won 12 straight home games but only played two top six clubs in that time.

The first goal could be all important, but the better option looks to be there being less than three goals to be scored in this one. That has been huge in Manchester United away games at the big clubs, while the last couple of home games Arsenal have played against teams from the top six have also finished less than three goals.

This should be a tense fixture with both clubs knowing what is on the line for them and I will look for less than three goals to be shared out.

Bournemouth v Southampton Pick: The one worry for Southampton coming out of their 2-1 loss at Manchester City has to be the effort they put into a fixture which saw them undone in the 96th minute. The players do have an extra day to recover from their exertions than they would have expected, and playing in a south coast derby should make sure there is enough adrenaline pumped into the players to get them going for this one.

The Saints will get a chance to play their football with the way Bournemouth approach things and I do wonder if there may be a little more positive attitude from Mauricio Pellegrino here. You can't blame him for trying to make things as hard as possible for Manchester City, but the fans will expect to see more concerted attacking in this fixture and I do think Pellegrino will set Southampton up to do that.

It will certainly help the overall appeal of the game with Bournemouth likely trying to get forward as much as possible themselves. The goals have begun to come for Bournemouth with all of the attacking options they do have and they will feel they can at least test a Southampton team who have not produced a lot of big results in recent weeks.

The performances have been better which means Southampton should be able to play their part in an entertaining game and I think both teams are capable of creating chances. It is an important three points on offer in this one as both Southampton and Bournemouth try to steer clear of the bottom three and I do expect a positive attitude from both managers which should translate onto the field.

The layers are not expecting a high-scoring game, but I do think goals could be the outcome of this one. The last two at Bournemouth have both featured at least three goals and 3 of the last 4 away Southampton games have done the same. Last season we got four goals at the Vitality Stadium between these teams, but I will settle for one fewer here at odds against.

Manchester City v West Ham United Pick: The moment when I lost confidence in David Moyes as manager of Manchester United was hearing him speak ahead of a match with Newcastle United and suggesting the goal was to 'make life difficult for them'. Later that same season Moyes suggested that Manchester City were the standard for Manchester United despite taking over a team that had been Champions the season before his arrival.

That negative mindset ended any chance of success as manager of Manchester United and I do worry for West Ham United as I can imagine that the mindset of Moyes will be to try and spoil the game and hope for something than truly believe he can help The Hammers earn a result here.

The negativity will likely spread to the squad who are coming in off a hammering, pardon the pun, at Everton during the week. Injuries in key areas in the centre of the defence does not bode well for West Ham United and I think they could have a long day in the office if they concede early in this one.

There have been signs that Manchester City are not firing on all cylinders at the moment, but the style of football has worn down opponents and three late winners highlight that. Leroy Sane was missed badly against Southampton, but could return to the squad this weekend, and I think Manchester City will have large periods with the ball which can make them very dangerous throughout this one.

Late goals will breed confidence and Manchester City smashed West Ham United three times last season. I have a feeling this could be one of their better days in the office in recent games and I will look for Manchester City to record a fairly comfortable win on the day.

Goals have not been flowing as well as they were, but West Ham United have looked really poor in recent weeks and the defensive injuries means they have struggled to keep the back door shut. Joe Hart would love to have a big game but unfortunately for the goalkeeper he is unable to play against his parent club, although that might not be a bad thing having been criticised by the new manager for his part in the Everton goals on Wednesday.

All in all it does look a really difficult day for West Ham United and I can't see how they will be able to contain Manchester City. It will need a lot of luck from The Hammers to stay in this one, but I think they could have a really long day if they fall behind early in this one and I will look for Manchester City to cover a big Asian Handicap in the second of the live Sunday games.

MY PICKS: Chelsea - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.81 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Liverpool - 1 Asian Handicap @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Everton Win to Nil @ 2.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Burnley + 0.75 Asian Handicap @ 1.84 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Watford-Tottenham Hotspur Over 3.5 Goals @ 2.75 William Hill (2 Units)

West Brom-Crystal Palace Draw @ 3.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Arsenal-Manchester United Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Bournemouth-Southampton Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.25 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)

Manchester City - 2.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.81 Bet Victor (2 Units)