WHICH MANAGER WILL GET THE BOOT?
In the past few weeks we have referenced the sack race, with the battle to avoid being the next manager to depart a Premier League post heating up and although there has been a number of possible contenders, it is fair to say that it could now be whittled down to just two.
That's because Ralph Hasenhuttl and Marco Silva are in a rather perilous position and as a coincidence, Southampton play host to Everton this weekend � a game that could finally see a manager be given their P45.
Going into this one, it is a case of 17th playing host to 16th and although if Southampton win, they will stay where they are (assuming they don't win by six clear goals at St Mary's), defeat for Everton might finally devalue Silva once and for all.
If we look at the odds in terms of these two managers and the sack race market, it looks as follows:
Ralph Hasenhuttl 3.0
Marco Silva 4.0
As you can see, there really is not a great deal of difference between the two and this suggests that time could eventually run out for one of these managers, come the end of this upcoming Premier League schedule.
THE HEAVYWEIGHTS COLLIDE
4.30pm Sunday Afternoon. Do not be anywhere else bar Anfield, at the pub or on your sofa because the clash between Liverpool and Manchester City is going to have huge ramifications in this season's title race.
Liverpool will probably look at this as a game where they can afford to draw but at the same time, Jurgen Klopp and his players will look to turn the screw and subsequently extend their gap at the top to nine points.
For Manchester City it is certainly a case of do not lose and this presents Pep Guardiola with a dilemma. Does he go for just a point and keep the gap at six, or does he try and make a huge statement on Merseyside.
Looking at Liverpool's home form over the past two seasons, they have been simply incredible and therefore you would have to make them the favourites going into this one. If you think the Reds will ride clear at the top of the table, you can back them at odds of 2.70.
Summary: Back Liverpool to win on Sunday
ALL SQUARE AT MOLINEUX
Wolves have not lost any of their last six league outings and that run, is the second longest unbeaten streak in the division at present. On the face of it, it is a stat that makes for pretty good reading and you would have to say that Nuno Espirito Santo's men are dealing with this campaign well.
However, when you scratch at the surface you will see that the Molineux outfit have drawn four of those and from their first eleven matches of the season, no fewer than seven have ended in honours being all even.
This Sunday they play host to an Aston Villa outfit who have performed admirably against Manchester City and Liverpool in the past fortnight and will now look to add to their burgeoning points tally.
With Wolves having to deal with Europa League action on Thursday, there is the potential for them to be a little leggy and the question is whether or not Villa can take full of advantage of this potential situation.
There is no doubting that Villa pose an attacking threat, but at the same time they have been accused of being naive in defence and with that in mind, another draw could be the order of the day. If that is the case, you can pick up odds of 3.60 for your troubles.
Summary: A stalemate in the Midlands
A TOP TREBLE
Last weekend's four-fold bet came in (all top four teams to win), so let's try it again this time around. Although the more eagle eyed will be aware that Liverpool and Manchester City are playing each other, therefore we will have to trim it to just a treble and it is one that looks like this:
- Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
- Leicester vs Arsenal
- Liverpool vs Manchester City
Should all three home wins come in, it will pay out somewhere between 6.00 and 7.00.
