ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League Weekend

Star Sports ambassador ALEX CROOK looks ahead to the pick of the weekend Premier League matches, including another boosted ALEX ACCA.

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⚒️ WEST HAM v MAN CITY 🔵 
Saturday, 8pm

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It has been a torrid couple of weeks for Manchester City after dropping points at home to Nottingham Forest to lose valuable ground in the title race and then being thrashed at Real Madrid in the Champions League.

That last 16 looks as good as over following City’s 3-0 drubbing so how will they bounce back at the London Stadium on Saturday night?

You would expect a strong reaction from Pep Guardiola’s but this is a West Ham team with their tails up after picking up a crucial 1-0 win at Fulham in their last Premier League game and then beating Brentford on penalties in the FA Cup.

Missing the injured Crysencio Summerville, arguably their best player since the turn of the year is a blow for the Hammers, and City historically have a good record in this fixture, avoiding defeat since 2017.

But if you are an Arsenal fan worried about City charging you down at the top, I think their performance on Wednesday showed they are not good enough to do it.

They concede far too many goals and not as fluent at the top end of the pitch as we have become accustomed to from watching a Guardiola team.

I personally feel this will be Pep’s last season in charge and at the moment it is ending with a whimper rather than in a blaze of glory.

I am going to be backing the draw with both teams to score at 15/4 with starsports.bet as my long shot of the weekend.

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🔴 ARSENAL v EVERTON 🔵 
Saturday, 5.30pm

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Arsenal could already be ten points clear by the time City kick off if they beat Everton in the Mikel Arteta derby on Saturday teatime.

The Gunners were below par in their mid-week Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen, which ended in a 1-1 draw, but will still be confident of going through in next week’s home second leg.

Everton boss David Moyes does not have a great record away from home against the big teams and even though the Toffees have been good travellers this season, it is hard to see past a home win.

Whenever they have suffered a bump in the road, as they did in Germany, Arteta’s men have tended to bounce straight back.

However this could be another game of attrition for Gunners supporters as Moyes’s game-plan will no doubt be to sit deep and try and contain them for as long as possible.

I don’t think there will be many goals so Arsenal to win, under 2.5 goals and over 3.5 cards as a build-a-bet at 6/1 at with starsports.bet looks good value to me.

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🔴 MANCHESTER UNITED v ASTON VILLA 🟣
Sunday, 2pm

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The race for the Champions League places is really hotting up and two of the main contenders go head-to-head in a crunch clash at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Villa have been in dire form domestically since the turn of the year but warmed up for this one with a morale-boosting 1-0 win at Lille in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

United, meanwhile, have had more than a week to lick their wounds after Michael Carrick lost his 100 per cent record by losing at ten-man Newcastle.

It will be fascinating to see how the home side respond to defeat after a honeymoon start for Carrick in interim charge. Sometimes having such a long break between games can be a bad thing in terms of momentum.

I commentated Villa on Thursday night and they weren’t overly impressive, but did enough to beat a poor Lille side.

The issue Unai Emery still needs to solve is a lack of goals and Villa have now scored just six times in their last eight games.

Under Carrick United have been a lot more clinical and should be confident of getting back to winning ways given Villa’s alarming Premier League slump.

Benjamin Sesko has netted in three of his last four home games and I fancy him to strike again. United to win and Sesko to score returns 2/75/1 with starsports.bet.

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🐝 BRENTFORD v WOLVES 🐺
Monday, 8pm

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Monday’s game smacks of the TV companies getting two of the lesser sides out of the way in one swoop, but it is a big one for Brentford in terms of their European hopes.

The Bees were dumped out of the FA Cup by an under-strength West Ham so it is all about securing a top eight finish for Keith Andrews’s men now and their boss will be demanding a reaction to events at the London Stadium.

Wolves have undoubtedly improved under Rob Edwards but their recent run of positive results has surely come too late to save them from the drop.

They are also yet to win away in the Premier League this season so this is a guild-edged chance for Brentford to get back on track.

I am expecting the Bees to get off to a fast start to banish their cup woes so will be backing Brentford to be leading at half time and full time at 7/5 with starsports.bet.

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RECOMMENDED SELECTIONS
1️⃣ BEST BET: Manchester United to win and Benjamin Sesko to score 1pt at 2.75/1 with starsports.bet
2️⃣ NEXT BEST: Brentford HT/FT 1pt at 7/5 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
📊 BUILD-A-BET: Arsenal to win, under 2.5 goals and over 3.5 cards 1pt at 6/1 with starsports.bet
🎲 LONG SHOT: West Ham v Manchester City draw with both teams to score 0.5pts at 15/4 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
🚀 ALEX ACCA: Bournemouth, Leicester, Millwall, Bromley 1pt at 14/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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