Jurgen Klopp, Southampton And Everton Triumph: Premier League Picks
By Zahir Gilani
Anfield was evacuated on Tuesday because a man disappeared on a tour, and they were worried about a potential bomb scare.
To be honest, when I first read the headline of a man missing at Liverpool I thought they were talking about Daniel Sturridge (rim shot).
Jurgen Klopp visits an old rival this Saturday when he brings his new side to face the reeling Blues to kick off this weekend’s Premier League slate. From a betting standpoint Chelsea FC are an absolute stay away. If anything you should just fade them as they are clearly still being given too much respect by the bookies.
Being that it’s Halloween perhaps I can suggest some costume choices for our beloved Blues. Cesc Fabregas can be The Mummy, Eden Hazard the Invisible Man, Diego Costa the Werewolf, and Cesar Azpilicueta should be Spiderman – the unappreciated Superhero.
Since Chelsea have been nothing but tricks this season, lets dig through this bag of games and find some treats.
Watford v. West Ham
West Ham this season are undefeated on the road going 4-1-0 and outscoring their opponents 12-4. This is mainly due to their style of play. They give their opponent the ball and are superb at hitting them on the counter attack. However with Watford, even at home the play is likely to be reversed. Watford will let their guests enjoy most of the possession and try to beat them at their own game. In five premier league games at Vicarage Road this season there has only been a total of five goals scored and one of those matches was a 3-0 loss to Arsenal. No result here would shock me, but the under looks fairly certain.
Pick: Under 2.5 goals (-120)
Everton v. Sunderland
Sunderland won their 6th consecutive Tyne-Wear Derby last weekend. However after the last four triumphs they’ve lost their next game by a combined score of 10-2. Big Sam in his managerial career does not fare well here. He is 7-5-13 lifetime against the Toffees and 4-2-6 heads up against Roberto Martinez. Going to stay with the trends here.
Pick: Everton – 1 goal (-120)
Southampton v. Bournemouth
I love the Saints in this spot. Bournemouth, having lost their best player Callum Wilson for the season, are simply going to have a hard time winning games. They already give up twice as many goals as they score away from home and have to try and wrangle Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane, and Dusan Tadic. They’re simply not up to it.
The Saints let a 2 goal lead slip in their last home game against Leicester. This weekend they’ll finish what they start.
Pick: Southampton (-180)
Serie A special: Juventus v. Torino
RANDOM FOOTY FACT: AC Milan just gave 16-year-old goalie Gigi Donnarumma his professional debut, the youngest ever in Serie A
Coming off a midweek loss to Sassuolo, Juventus now find themselves 11 points behind leaders Roma in Serie A, nine points out of the Champions League spots. They desperately need a win at home on Saturday in the Turin Derby. Last April, Torino broke a 17-game winless drought in this fixture. But this Saturday evening they face a desperate Champion who may already be in crisis. A loss to their local rivals would be an epic disaster
Pick: Juventus (-170)
Last week’s record: 3-1 (+3.65 units)
Overall: 17-23-3 (-6.55 units)
Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?