SCORES OF OPTIONS IN EVEN EPL TUSSLE
THIS year’s English Premier League has a top eight that’s more even than seminal Melbourne indie-pop outfit Even. Newcastle and Chelsea are set up to continue to battle for a top-four spot on the table all season and will want to go into the World Cup break with a big win.
Punters will love the Magpies gong into this; they’re one of the most in-form teams in the world, winning their past four matches and unbeaten in their past nine.
Chelsea has a great squad and record against Newcastle but has struggled with consistency, failing to notch a win in its past five outings.
MATCH ODDS NEWCASTLE: $2.26 DRAW: $3.35 CHELSEA: $3 Elite finishers
Both Chelsea and Newcastle have players that have proven their class on the Premier League stage and know how to put one in the back of the net.
The Blues’ Raheem Sterling is one of the most consistent players in the league, scoring over 10 goals for each of the last five years, while Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron has six goals in his past seven matches and is in the next generation of stars.
Both Sterling and
Almiron are great multi additions with anytime scores and provide great value to push SGM odds above $4.
All that pace and skill in attack should mean we see a high-scoring thriller and the last three Newcastle matches have gone over the 2.5-goal market. Punters will want to look hard at that:
OVER 2.5 TOTAL GOALS: $1.92
Hard to split these sides
Chelsea has beaten Newcastle in seven of its last eight meetings, but with the amazing form that the Magpies have been in, they’re well above them on the table.
Flush with cash, Newcastle has made some smart decisions and recruited plenty of excellent role players, which has helped them build a solid foundation and has equalled clean sheets and solid scores each week. Chelsea has plenty of experience up front, with players who know how to score in big games – as evidenced by the Blues being great in the Champions League – but they still need to translate this to the league this season.
Both squads will want to improve their goal difference before the break, so we should see plenty of goals and with both sides having class across the pitch it will be an arm wrestle of a draw.
Newcastle has led 1-0 at halftime in each of its last three EPL matches as a favourite, so it’s worth looking at the halftime/full-time market. NEWCASTLE-DRAW AT $13
The pick
It’s always tough to predict a draw, but given how balanced both these teams are and that combined they’ve played out three draws in the last month, that’s where the value lies. BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE, DRAW: $4
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