This week in the EPL features a little of everything ladies and gentlemen of the soccer loving world. With that said, there are some close games that could create some intrigue. This article from VegasBetting features EPL Picks Weekday for January 18-19th of the season.
Will Manchester United be able to bounce back after blowing a two goal lead? Also, can Tottenham gain some more good form? Finally, will Brighton mount any kind of offense to keep Chelsea somewhat honest on Tuesday?
Especially with a 9-6-5 record (wins-losses-draws), the Red Devils must defeat the Bees in Brentford on Wednesday. The problem is that Manchester United can play great for one half and then just inexplicably throw an entire game away in a flash. Too often this season that has happened and did last week. Bruno Fernandes staked the Reds to a two goals lead midway through the second half. It looked like everything was sealed and shut.
Scoring is still somewhat of a problem as the Red Devils have struck for just 32 goals in 20 games. That is just 1.6 goals a match. Their +3 goal differential is a direct result of their lack of ability to finish when it plainly counts. There was that tenth win all but guaranteed for Manchester United and in not even five minutes, it was snatched away as Aston Villa found a way to equalize.
There has been a little momentum generated in the last several matches including as for every win seems to be followed up by a less than stellar result. The Red Devils are only 2-1-2 mark in their last five. Now, what about those numbers for the weekday portion of the English Premier League?
EPL Weekday Odds (1/18-1/19) | ||
---|---|---|
Chelsea | -185 | -172 |
Brighton | +500 | +460 |
Draw | +250 | +275 |
Tottenham | +125 | +129 |
Leicester | +210 | +200 |
Draw | +230 | +225 |
Man Utd | -150 | -136 |
Brentford | +375 | +340 |
Draw | +235 | +265 |
Now, as for those Brentford Bees, the EPL has some teams that generate some buzz. However, Brentford is not one of them. They are starting to let the goal differential get away from them — scoring 24 goals and allowing 30 goals. The Bees dropped to a 6-9-5 mark which includes a 2-3 stretch over the previous five contests. Brentford went down meekly 4-1 to Southampton as the Saints covered and won with ease.
The Red Devils enter this game as 1/2 goal favorites. Why? It is rather easy. Other than that five minute brain cramp in Birmingham, Manchester United has looked the more offensively spry team when compared to Brentford. The spread has been set at the usual half goal, with reasonable -136 odds that Manchester United wins. Meanwhile, Brentford ranges around +340 to +380 on the Vegas soccer betting sites that the Bees win outright.
Manchester United will find a way to win on the moneyline advantage by at least a goal over the Brentford Bees Wednesday.
Over in the land of Amex, Fulmer, the Chelsea team should easily defeat Brighton this Tuesday. So, the problem oddly for Chelsea is how much they have sputtered of late. Many have been confounded by their 1-1-3 record over the past five matches. The inconsistency has let Liverpool into the mix for second place on the English Premier League table. EPL Weekday Picks had this as a bit of a rout.
Brighton though bounced back, with two huge draws to go with two wins in the last four matches. That has some backers of Chelsea mildly concerned. Though Brighton is ninth in the table, they have a league leading ten draws because they just cannot put teams away. It is that elementary. Their defense is reasonable which has resulted in a goal differential of, you guessed it, zero.
With playing Chelsea (2nd in the table), the team is hoping to continue Chelsea’s malaise. Most feel that the Chelsea Blues can take this match by more than one goal. This EPL Weekday pick holds something in the cards though. It has the look of a closer contest but one that the Blues should be able to pull out in the later minutes of the second half. They may sputter for a good bit but should pull through against a team they are 6-0-3 against lifetime.
So, Vegas Sports Odds list Chelsea at -185, while Brighton’s number is +460. Brighton seems unlikely to win but their odds to draw stands around +275 or so. We are taking Chelsea at one unit on a conservative moneyline pick on Tuesday. Their close loss to Manchester City gives us hope. Is this a pick that make some dollars? Go see some of our latest Vegas News and Picks at your perusal.
Our final game for EPL Weekday Picks takes us back to King Power Stadium, Leicester. Tottenham and Leicester City rumble on Wednesday afternoon and this could be chaos, as Leicester City does have two wins in their past three matches. However, the Tottenham Spurs are 3-0-2 in their past five contests.
The biggest question for Leicester City is can they control the pace against the Spurs. Leicester is around .500 at 7-7-4 mostly because they give up a few too many goals at 33. There have been some matches they did not put away or maintain a clean sheet.
With Tottenham, they are in excellent shape table-wise (6th overall). Creativity in the final attacking is lacking which keeps teams close. Their 10-5-3 record is as much due to their defense and goaltending. Timely scoring can only save a team so often. The Spurs have been living on the edge too often lately.
Leicester City has +210 odds to win outright. This expects to be a game where a late goal turns the tide. That leads us to pick the underdogs Friday.
The best sportsbooks offer some great choices. Take a look:
Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Works on injuries for a variety of sites. Edits articles from NASCAR to football and beyond. Occasionally runs sites like mynhltraderumor.com and Full Press Hockey/Bets. Does a podcast for Full Press Hockey and a few other sports too. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris does focus on things like fitness, fishing, and sports. One would be surprised that Chris runs, hikes, and rock climbs. There are even those occasional mini-triathlons. One truly can pack a lot in a small package. Chris can lift things over his body weight with ease. Also, if there is a NASCAR rain prop, Chris can tell you if there will be a Monday race. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a wide range of places from Amazon to USA Today to a variety of rumors and fantasy sports sites. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of high-stakes fantasy trophies and rings that Chris sports in his house. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Shut up and play.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network