Daily Observer (Jamaica)

Fight for top-four English Premier League spots well and truly on

Justbet offers Man United at $2.80 to beat Liverpool in big derby clash

- BY CHRISTOPHE­R SAWYERS Contributo­r

The english Premier League top-four race is heating up and this weekend will see Leicester and Man United looking to strengthen their grip on second and third place, respective­ly, when they take on Southampto­n and Liverpool in two major encounters.

event # 1 – EPL – Southampto­n vs Leicester – 2:00 pm

Southampto­n and Leicester are set to go at it again, this time in the Premier League, just over a week after their FA Cup semi-final clash, which Leicester won 1-0 to advance to the final.

This time around, Southampto­n will host the Foxes, Leicester, and will be desperate to return to some semblance of form, having suffered three straight losses heading into this match. This wretched run of form sees them hovering around the relegation zone which will be of significan­t concern to them.

The Saints have won just twice in their last 15 league matches and more worryingly is the fact that they have conceded at least two goals in each of their last five league games.

After last season’s heart-breaking near miss, Leicester seem determined to right the wrongs and secure a top four finish this season and traveling to an out of form Southampto­n side will pose little threat to a Leicester side that beat these same opponents a week ago. The Foxes can move within two points of second–placed Manchester United who will play host to Liverpool on Sunday.

Striker Jaimie Vardy and his Leicester side will be looking forward to the return to St Mary’s with fond memories as on their last trip in October 2019, they hammered Southampto­n 9-0 to equal the record of biggest away win in the Premier League. They, Leicester, are playing with swagger and high confidence having recorded six wins from their last eight matches in all competitio­ns.

KEY STATS

Southampto­n

• – have lost twice to Leicester already this season, 0-2 in the league and 0-1 in the FA Cup. The last time they lost three times to the same opponent in a season was against Chelsea in 2017-18, while the last time they did so without scoring was against Derby in 1997-98.

• – won the reverse fixture 2-0 in January but have not done the double over Southampto­n in the Premier League since the 1999-00 campaign.

Leicester

Both sides

• – Southampto­n have lost their last three Premier League home games against Leicester by an aggregate score of 15-2. Their 9-0 defeat in this fixture last season is the biggest home defeat by any side in English top-flight history.

The betting tip. Leicester win.

event # 2 EPL – Manchester United vs Liverpool – 10:30 am

All eyes will be on Old Trafford this Sunday as the English Premier League biggest rivalry takes centre stage when Manchester

Prediction Prediction

United host their eternal rivals Liverpool in a blockbuste­r affair.

It has been almost three months since the top of the table clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield, but a lot has changed since then. Manchester United now occupy second place in the standing while Liverpool are struggling to finish in the top four. A win for the outgoing champions, Liverpool, will keep their faint

SOUTHAMPTO­N TO WIN

LEICESTER TO WIN

MATCH TO DRAW

Odds on the Home Team (S/hampton) winning the game 1-0 at full time

Odds on the Away Team (Leicester) winning the game 1-4 at full time

Odds on the game drawing 2-2 at full time

MANCHESTER UNITED TO WIN LIVERPOOL TO WIN

MATCH TO DRAW

Odds on the Home Team (United) winning the game 3-1 at full time

Odds on the Away Team (L/pool) winning the game 0-1 at full time

Odds on the game drawing 1-1 at full time

Odds on Prediction

$3.30 $2.10 $3.70

$11.00

$40.00 $14.00

Odds on Prediction

$2.80 $2.45 $3.50

$9.60

$9.00 $6.40 hopes alive, but leaving Old Trafford with a win against this current United side is easier said than done based on the current form of both teams.

Manchester United have won five straight league games to move within 11 points of leaders Manchester City at the top of the table, they also have a game in hand. The Red Devils, Manchester United, will head into this game 13 points clear of Liverpool and with home advantage for this game, United will fancy their chances of putting another nail in Liverpool’s coffin.

Meanwhile, the reigning

JUSTBET ODDS – Southampto­n vs Leicester Friday, April 30, 2021 Odds Calculatio­n JUSTBET ODDS – Man United vs Liverpool Sunday, May 2, 2021 Odds Calculatio­n

champions, Liverpool, have struggled for the majority of the season, as was highlighte­d with their weekend draw at home to a struggling Newcastle side - that result summed up what has been a well below average season for the Reds. Liverpool will head into this must-win game for them if they are to have any hopes of a top four finish on the back of just one win from their last 5 matches in all competitio­ns. This run of form has the Red half of Merseyside worried, whether their beloved club, who won the Champions League little over 2 years ago, will even be able to qualify for Europe’s premier competitio­n this season. On any other day, Liverpool’s famed front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino would have been picked as obvious game changers for the Reds – but such is the form of the trio that goals have dried up for them at the wrong time – most fans would struggle to remember the last time Mane and Firmino scored a goal for the Reds.

KEY STATS

Manchester United

• – have lost just one of their last 15 home games against Liverpool in all competitio­ns (W10 D4) and are unbeaten in their last eight since a 0-3 loss in March 2014.

• – have not lost consecutiv­e games against Man Utd in all competitio­ns since a run of four between 2014/2016, with the Reds losing 2-3 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in January.

• – in the Premier League, Manchester United have won just one of their last nine meetings with Liverpool (D6 L2) and are winless in five against the Reds (D3 L2). They last had a longer winless run against Liverpool in the topflight between December 1989 and October 1992 (7 games).

Liverpool

Both sides

The betting tip. Manchester United win. which means a $1000 bet would pay $3,300 which means a $1000 bet would pay $2,100 which means a $1000 bet would pay $3,700

which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $11,000

which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $40,000 which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $14,000. which means a $1000 bet would pay $2,800 which means a $1000 bet would pay $2,450 which means a $1000 bet would pay $3,500

which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $23,000

which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $9,000 which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $6,400.

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