ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League Weekend

talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent ALEX CROOK looks ahead to an exciting weekend of Premier League football…

🔵 MANCHESTER CITY v EVERTON 🔵

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Manchester City can go top of the Premier League for at least a few hours if, as expected, they pick up their 10th successive victory against Everton on Saturday lunchtime.

Pep Guardiola’s side fell behind at Brentford in mid-week but still overpowered the battling Bees with a swashbuckling second half performance to land a nice winner for this column.

The way they cut throw the Brentford defence suggested they are once again ready to hit top gear in the second half of the season and slowly, but almost inevitably wear down their title rivals.

Everton have a miserable record in this fixture, failing to come out on top in any of their last 17 meetings. In fact, it is seven years and counting since City last lost to the Toffees.

The visitors will take heart from the way they fought back from behind twice to snatch a point at home to Tottenham last weekend and Sean Dyche will have taken note of how City struggled to deal with Brentford’s long-ball tactics.

However, the champions will simply have too much quality for their relegation-haunted visitors.

Erling Haaland is back in the starting line-up and that usually means bad news for opposition defenders.

Haaland will be keen to get his name on the scoresheet after firing a blank at Brentford and I like the look of a build-bet on Haaland to score first and striker partner Julian Alvarez to score any time at 15/2 with starsports.bet.

⚪ TOTTENHAM v BRIGHTON 🔵

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Brighton’s trip to North London to face Tottenham on Saturday is another fixture that really catches the eye this weekend.

I will once again be at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium where I’m yet to see a dull game this season and expect that to continue as these are two of the league’s most entertaining sides.

Spurs will be on a revenge mission after being hammered at the Amex in December and are also smarting after conceding a late equaliser at Everton to surrender their place in the top four in a game they really should have won cosily.

Brighten meanwhile picked up a morale-boosting 4-1 victory at home to arch rivals Crystal Palace in one of the most impressive performances of the campaign,

What we know about these two teams is that they usually guarantee goals.

Brighton have conceded at least once in 19 of their 21 league games including 10 of their last 11 away from home while Spurs simply always score under Postecoglu.

I was leaning towards a score draw until Brighton’s top-scorer Joao Pedro was ruled out by injury, and his absence should give Spurs the edge.

I fancy Richarlison to continue his recent excellent scoring streak while James Maddison has also been threatening to find the net since his return from injury.

A build-a-bet of Tottenham to win, BTTS and Richarlison and Maddison both to score returns 10/1 with starsports.bet.

I’ll also be having a single on Tottenham to win and over 2.5 goals at 1/1 with starsports.bet.

🟣 ASTON VILLA v MANCHESTER UNITED 🔴

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Say it quietly but after a turbulent season Manchester United appear to finally be discovering some decent form ready for an all-out assault on the business end of the campaign.

Erik ten Hag has been much maligned but his team, boosted by the return from injury of several key players, are yet to taste defeat in 2024, with four victories and a draw from their five games in all competitions.

After a dramatic stoppage-time victory over Wolves a Molineux it was a more serene afternoon at Old Trafford last Sunday as United eased to a 3-0 win over West Ham

As for Villa, they were really disappointing in crashing out of the FA Cup with a 3-1 defeat at home to Chelsea in mid-week.

Unai Emery’s men have now lost each of their last two home matches just as they were threatening to go an entire calendar year without defeat at Villa Park.

Even without stricken centre-back Lisandro Martinez, I think the visitors are overpriced to beat a tired-looking Villa in what could be a huge game in the race for a Champions League spot.

I will be backing United to win at 2/1 with starsports.bet

United captain Bruno Fernandes has scored six goals in seven Premier League games against Villa. Fernandes is 14/5 with starsports.bet to score at any time.

ALEX CROOK

RECOMMENDED BETS
Build-a-bet: Haaland to score first and striker partner Julian Alvarez to score any time 1pt at 15/2 with starsports.bet
Build-a-bet: Tottenham to win, BTTS and Richarlison and Maddison both to score returns 1pt at 10/1 with starsports.bet
Build-a-bet: Tottenham to win and over 2.5 goals at 2pts at 1/1 with starsports.bet

BACK Manchester United to beat Aston Villa 1.5pts at 2/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Bruno Fernandes to score at any time 1pt at 14/5 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)