ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League Weekend

Star Sports ambassador ALEX CROOK casts his eye over this weekend’s Premier League action…

🔴 LIVERPOOL v ASTON VILLA 🟣
Saturday, 8pm

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Aston Villa are having a wobble so last thing they need right now is a trip to Arne Slot’s table topping Liverpool.

Slot has made Premier League management look like child’s play so far, joining an elite list of bosses to win eight of his first ten games in the competition.

The Dutchman also oversaw a statement victory in the Champions League on Tuesday as his in-form Reds thrashed Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen 4-0.

In contrast, Villa slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Club Brugge, following on from their 4-1 demolition at Tottenham and being dumped out of the EFL Cup at home by Crystal Palace.

Unai Emery’s side looked jaded in Belgium so perhaps the international break and a chance to regroup is coming at a good time for them.

Liverpool ran out comprehensive 3-0 victors in this fixture last season and have a good recent home record against Villa which I am expecting to continue on Saturday night.

Villa will try and sit in and hit their hosts on the counter attack so the Anfield crowd might have to be patient but Liverpool to win is the first and most straightforward part of my build-a-bet.

It is also hard not include a Mo Salah goal as the Egyptian has netted seven times in 10 Premier League games this season. John McGinn has already picked up two bookings in seven league starts and we have a card happy referee in David Coote.

Liverpool to win, Salah to score any time and McGinn to be shown a card returns around 5/1 with starsports.bet.

⚪️ TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v IPSWICH TOWN 🚜
Sunday, 2pm

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Tottenham will be grateful for the green, green grass of home when they welcome Ipswich to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglu’s injury-depleted side surrendered their 100 per cent European record by losing a crazy game against Galatasary 3-2 in Istanbul on Thursday night.

The margin of defeat would have been bigger but for the Turkish hosts’ wasteful finishing, and it now three successive away defeats in all competitions and those travel problems will be a major issue in Postecoglu’s pursuit of silverware in my opinion.

Luckily for Postecoglou, it is a very different story in front of their own fans and Spurs have clocked up six straight home wins, scoring 17 goals and conceding just four and were rampant in their dismantling of Villa last Sunday.

They are also up against an Ipswich side who already look destined for an immediate return to the Championship having failed to win any of their opening nine games.

Despite looking seriously lacking in Premier League quality after their meteoric rise from League One, Kieran McKenna’s charges have at least scored in four of their five away games and Spurs are a team who always give the opposition chances, especially without star centre-back Micky van de Ven.

Liam Delap has been the Tractor Boys’ main source of goals and has already found the net five times so Delap to score at any time looks a touch overpriced at 7/2 with starsports.bet.

Dominic Solanke came off the bench to score in Turkey and Spurs’ record signing looks full of confidence after his quickfire double against Villa while Brennan Johnson continued his excellent season with a clever assist for teenager Will Lankshear’s first senior goal.

I am expecting another open Tottenham game and a build-a-bet on Delap, Solanke and Johnson all to score at any time pays 19/1 with starsports.bet.

🔴 MANCHESTER UNITED v LEICESTER CITY 🦊
Sunday, 2pm

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Leicester travel to Old Trafford for the second time in less than a fortnight with their 5-2 EFL Cup round of 16 defeat still fresh in the memory.

United remain unbeaten under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, although were far from inspiring in Thursday’s 2-0 win at home to Greek minnows PAOK.

The one bright point from that game was Amad Diallo scoring two excellent goals, and it still baffles me that Erik ten Hag did not show more faith in the Ivorian before he was sacked.

Amad was unable to see out the game after picking up a knock, but if he is fit he simply has to start on Sunday and with United’s strikers misfiring, looks a decent price at 6/4 with starsports.bet to score at any time against a club who previously showed an interest in signing him.

I am expecting Leicester to field a very different team to the one they did in the cup, but Steve Cooper’s men are not great away from home and van Nistelrooy will want to bow out in style before the arrival of new head coach Ruben Amorim next week.

United are a touch on the short side to back them as a standalone bet, but you can combine a home win with Amad scoring the first goal at around 6/1 withstarsports.bet.

You can also combine my three anytime scorers of Salah, Johnson and Amad which has been boosted from 9/1 to 12/1 with starsports.bet.

Good luck,

ALEX CROOK

RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Liam Delap to score at any time 1pt at 7/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
Build-a-bet: Liam Delap, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson all to score 0.5pts at 19/1 with starsports.bet
Build-a-bet: Liverpool to win, Mo Salah to score any time and John McGinn to be shown a card 1.5pts at 5/1 with starsports.bet
BACK Amad Diallo to score at any time 1pt at 6/4 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Manchester United to win and Amad Diallo to score first 0.5pts at 6/1 with starsports.bet
Anytime goalscorer treble: Salah, Johnson, Amad 0.5pts at 12/1 (boosted from 9/1) (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)