Month: May 2018

Chelsea head into this weekend’s FA Cup final on the back of a 3-0 hammering to Newcastle last weekend. The Blues finished the season by blowing their top four hopes, falling apart in the last week of the campaign. However, the damage was done much earlier, as the failure to invest last summer came back to bite the club. The side had little to offer other than the approach which many had already worked out how to counter, and as a result the Blues have looked predictable across the campaign.

Antonio Conte needs to change that this weekend, in what is set to be his final game in charge. The Italian is widely expected to depart following Saturday’s meeting with Man United and Jose Mourinho at Wembley, given that he bears the brunt of many of the club’s failings. Will he head out with silverware, as Chelsea look to go one better than last season in this competition?

Team News: Will Tinkering Conte Make Changes for Finale?

Chelsea have limited worries ahead of this one, with David Luiz likely to sit out yet again. The Brazilian defender is missing out on the World Cup after a tough season at the Bridge, and he’s likely waiting for a managerial change in the summer as he looks to resurrect his career. The only other player to miss out on Saturday in Ethan Ampadu, but this clash might have come a little too early in his promising career for the Welshman to feature.

The big issue for Conte again is the choice between a 3-4-3 or adding another body in central midfield, which he’s done in consecutive weekends. Against this United side, he may prioritise safety, leaving Eden Hazard and either Olivier Giroud or Alvaro Morata acting as the front two.

Man United have no players ruled out yet, but they do have doubts around Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Felliani this weekend. They could also miss French forward Anthony Martial, with the striker being linked with a summer switch to Stamford Bridge, having fallen out of favour under Mourinho. There are suggestions that the Portuguese will aim to mirror the Chelsea set up, with a potential three-man defence taking the field for the Red Devils this weekend.

Man United Form

Man United finished the season with a narrow win at home to Watford, days after a 0-0 draw at West Ham. They’ve limped across the finish line in the top flight, having won one, drawn one and lost one of their last three, seeing just two goals scored across those games. Their recent defeat at Brighton came with a much changed side, but it did mean that the Red Devils lost away at all three promoted sides this term, along with losing at home to bottom side West Brom, and drawing at Stoke. While they signed Romelu Lukaku to fix their issues against the worst sides in the division, United continue to struggle against unambitious sides.

Even if United had won all five of those matches mentioned, they’d have still finished five points shy of Man City. The Citizens have set a high bar this term, and United have struggled to match it. They’ve proved this term that there’s little between the four or five sides directly behind City, which is a worry for the likes of Tottenham and United, with Chelsea and Arsenal looking to rejuvenate this summer. The Red Devils have issues this weekend and next season, based on their inconsistency this term.

Chelsea v Man United Head to Head

The Red Devils won the previous meeting, but Antonio Conte has won three of the five meetings he has had with Jose Mourinho. Should the Italian be departing this summer, then he’ll be looking to head out with a positive record against a man who he has had plenty of fare ups with during a two season spell in England.

• Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea, Feb 2018
• Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United, Nov 2017
• Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea, Apr 2017
• Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United, Mar 2017
• Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United, Oct 2016

Betting Tips

• Under 2.5 Goals – 4/7 with BetVictor
• Olivier Giroud to Score – 5/2 with Bet365

Manchester United are favourites for the clash at Wembley, as they come into this one priced at 8/5 with Coral to win this one in 90 minutes. Meanwhile, the Blues are 15/8 with Ladbrokes to claim another trophy, while this game is 2/1 with Betfred to go to extra time. United remain the favourites for glory, with Betfair making them 11/13 to lift the trophy via any means. The bookies are having a tough time picking between these two Premier League giants ahead of Saturday’s final. Can the Blues edge what is likely to be a close encounter?

Jose Mourinho is likely to make this a tight game, given his record in cup finals. The two managers are both conservative by their nature, and we could see Conte starting with three central midfielders to flood the middle of the park. We are expecting both sides to go with a cautious approach in this one, so we think it’s worth backing a low scoring affair. Under 2.5 goals is our first tip on this weekend’s cup final, which can be found at 4/7 with BetVictor.

Conte will have to pick between Morata and Giroud this weekend, and that pick will be crucial in what could prove a very close game. We can’t see any reason to go with the Spaniard, when you consider that the Frenchman has a brilliant Wembley record and remains unbeaten here, so Giroud should get the nod. With a strong record at this ground and in the FA Cup, Giroud is our pick to score, and he’s really well priced at 5/2 with Bet365.

After all of their hard work to get back into the top four race, Chelsea blew their Champions League hopes with a woeful display against Huddersfield. The Terriers secured their Premier League survival with a draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, and that’s left the Blues with a difficult final weekend of the campaign on Sunday, as they need to win at St James’ Park and hope for a Brighton victory at Anfield in order to finish in the top four. That would be a big twist for the Reds, who have an unbeaten record at Anfield this term.

All Antonio Conte’s side can do this weekend is win in their trip to the North East, which will at least restore some momentum ahead of the FA Cup final. The draw with the Terriers summed up the issues which have plagued the Blues all season, with poor defensive errors, toothless attacking play and a lack of alternative approaches. That’s what has cost them so far this season, but will they get the chance to turn things around on the final day?

Team News: Conte to Restore First Team for Finale

The Blues went into their midweek clash without Olivier Giroud or Eden Hazard, which looks like a major mistake following the result. We expect Conte to fix that mistake this weekend, with his strongest team set to take the field on Sunday. However, they will be down in one area, as Thibaut Courtois is a doubt for this weekend. Meanwhile, David Luiz is ruled out of the final weekend game, he’ll likely be focusing on next season’s league campaign, given Conte’s likely exit during the summer.

Newcastle head here without former Chelsea man Christian Atsu, while Blues loanee Kenedy is missing against his parent club. The Brazilian has enjoyed an impressive spell in the North East, which has now come to an end. Another loanee who is set to depart is Leicester’s Islam Slimani, who is set to start for the Toon after coming back from suspension. Aside from that, the only other worry the hosts have is Ciaran Clark, who remains a doubt for this one.

Newcastle Form

Newcastle managed to start an inspired run of form in order to move to safety, but getting away from the drop zone has only made them complacent. They’ve now lost four straight matches ahead of the final game, with their place in the top flight secured. They’re still doing well just to stay in the division, given their Championship quality squad and lack of investment. Benitez turned them into a brilliant defensive unit to launch an unbeaten run, but they’ve been unable to sustain that form.

Losses to Tottenham, Watford, West Brom and Everton have all showed how the Magpies are struggling in the final stages, with their players casting an eye towards their summer break. The hosts have won as many matches as they’ve lost at home this term, while they’ve seen their fair share of low scoring matches at St James’, with 67% of their home outings finishing with less than three goals being scored, and with a tough finish to the season they’re going to likely approach this one with an eye on frustrating their opponents after their awful run of form.

Newcastle v Chelsea Head to Head

A string of home wins have given Chelsea an impressive record against the Magpies, and the Blues have claimed two victories over them already this season, after meeting them in the FA Cup. These two last met at this ground back in 2015, when Chelsea drew 2-2 with Newcastle during their troubled title defence. The manner of the Blues’s victories already this term has shown the gulf between these two, with the Pensioners hitting three goals in each of those wins.

• Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle, Jan 2018
• Chelsea 3-1 Newcastle, Dec 2017
• Chelsea 5-1 Newcastle, Feb 2016
• Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea, Sep 2015
• Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle, Jan 2015

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win – 4/6 with Ladbrokes
• Chelsea to win and Under 2.5 – 29/10 with Coral

Chelsea may not have much chance of finishing in the top four, but they’re still being backed to win their final league match of the season. The Blues can be backed at 4/6 with Ladbrokes to win at St James’ Park, while the home side are priced at 9/2 with Bet365 to claim three points in front of their own support. The draw is priced up at 14/5 with Coral, making Conte’s side the clear pick from the bookies. However, will they follow up on the favourites tag and finish the season by seeing off the out of form Magpies?

While the Blues’ weakened side slipped up in midweek, that ended a five game winning run. Boss Conte tinkered with a winning formula, which left his side struggling to retain their rhythm for their final home match of the campaign. He is set to use his strongest XI for this one, even if it is too late for them to leap into the top four. We still expect them to finish the season with three points, and at 4/6 with Ladbrokes, the Blues seem like good value for a victory this weekend.

Newcastle aren’t in great form here, and we can’t see them putting up a huge fight on Sunday. They’ve got nothing left to play for after securing their safety, and the club already seem to have turned their focus towards the summer transfer window, and the future of Benitez. We expect them to be shaded out by a Chelsea side who need to finish with a victory, and given that the Magpies have lost 1-0 in three of their last four games, we think you can get great value on an away win, with under 2.5 goals to be scored in the match.

Chelsea kept their top four hopes alive on Sunday, after a 1-0 victory over Champions League finalists Liverpool. The Blues are now guaranteed to finish at least level on points with the Reds if they can win their two remaining games of the season. Meanwhile, they’ve closed the gap to fourth placed Tottenham to just two points, although Spurs also have two matches left to play, compared to Liverpool’s one. While Chelsea are back in the frame, the fact that the other two sides are at home in all of their remaining fixtures makes things quite difficult for them to turn it around.

The hosts will still want to finish on a high, even if they’re going to be kicking themselves for past slip ups as a result. Wednesday’s meeting with Huddersfield is a chance for Antonio Conte’s side to continue their fight into the final day, but there are still questions surrounding the Italians choices which put the team in this mess. Complicating matters further is Huddersfield’s push for survival, as a point would all but secure their top flight place for another year.

Team News: Conte Set for Final Bridge Selection

Antonio Conte isn’t one to switch from a winning formula, but the Blues boss might make a slight tweak as he looks for a more attacking display in what is potentially his final match in charge at Stamford Bridge. He won’t be able to make a change up top, with Alvaro Morata a doubt for the midweek encounter. Danny Drinkwater is thought to be back in contention, but he’s unlikely to feature with Conte likely to switch back to a 3-4-3 after using a 3-5-2 to frustrate the Reds at the weekend. That should see the inclusion of Willian, who has enjoyed an impressive season to date.

The Terriers also like to use a 3-5-2 set-up to frustrate their opponents, and we can see something similar coming from the visitors here. Fresh from a 0-0 draw with Man City, David Wagner’s men are going to push for a similar result. They’re unlikely to make big changes from the team which picked up a crucial point at City, although Terence Kolongo is a doubt ahead of this one. The visitors will have to ready themselves for a clash with a side who are looking to achieve something, rather than facing a team who appeared to be on autopilot.

Huddersfield Form

The visitors really needed that point at City, as it moved them three clear of the drop with two matches to play. The two sides below them – Southampton and Swansea – meet in Wales on Tuesday, so there could be a lot of pressure on the Terriers following that one. The visitors have only themselves to blame should they come up short this season, following a run of one victory in eight matches. A point or two more across that run would have made all the difference, and the West Yorkshire outfit now have work still to do.

Huddersfield finish the season at Chelsea and then at home to Arsenal. Taking on the Gunners in Arsene Wenger’s final match in charge is a difficult one, and it’s going to leave the Terriers sweating on their place in the top flight. Having averaged just 0.72 points per game on the road this season, they’re not expected to turn things around on Wednesday night.

Chelsea v Huddersfield Head to Head

Chelsea won 3-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium in December last year, the first top flight meeting between the pair in over 40 years. They last met at the Bridge over 10 years ago, when the Blues won 3-1 against the Terriers in the FA Cup. However, with only three meetings this century, there’s not a huge lot to take from the head to head record between these two – other than the relatively easy Blues win earlier in the campaign.

• Huddersfield 1-3 Chelsea, Dec 2017
• Chelsea 3-1 Huddersfield, Feb 2008
• Chelsea 2-1 Huddersfield, Jan 2006
• Chelsea 0-1 Huddersfield, Oct 1999
• Chelsea 3-1 Huddersfield, Feb 1984

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to Win to Nil – 31/40 with BetVictor
• Olivier Giroud to score – 5/6 with Coral

The Blues’ push for a top four finish should get a boost this week, according to the bookies. They’ve been priced up at 2/11 with Betfred to win on Wednesday night, while Huddersfield are 18/1 outsiders with Bet365. The draw can be backed at 13/2 with Coral, with the Blues clearly expected to take the points. That would be a big blow for the Terriers’ hopes of staying in the division, and their away form certainly backs up those prices. Obviously the hosts aren’t great value to back outright for the victory, but there are other bets worth taking a look at ahead of this clash.

The home side have won five straight matches, following back to back 1-0 wins in the league. They are grinding out results in impressive fashion, which has kept them in the race for fourth. Meanwhile, Huddersfield come here having failed to score away to any top half side in the Premier League, which shows their issues up front. We expect Chelsea’s improved defence to continue that awful Huddersfield run, and we’re backing a home win to nil on Wednesday night, at 31/40 with BetVictor. In addition, another 1-0 wouldn’t be all that shocking, and that can be backed at 13/2 with Ladbrokes.

Olivier Giroud has been praised by Conte this week, and the French forward has really made an impact since arriving at the Bridge mid-season. He’s already faced the visit of Huddersfield once this season, scoring twice for Arsenal against them at the Emirates. With his recent form and a solid record against them so far, we think the Frenchman will once again make the difference for the Blues. We’re backing Giroud to score any time, which seems like good value at 5/6 with Coral.

Can Chelsea bring Liverpool back down to earth with a victory on Sunday? The Reds make the trip south with their minds drifting towards their meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League final at the end of the month, which marks a huge step up for the Merseyside outfit. Jurgen Klopp is about to take charge of his biggest game as Liverpool boss, having guided them through against Roma with a 7-6 aggregate win. However, before all of that the Reds need to get their minds back on to the league, ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues know that three wins from three would see them finish the season level on points with Liverpool, although they’d be trailing in terms of goal difference. However, it would be impressive if they could cut the gap to the Reds, given the praise lavished on Klopp’s side, while Conte’s men are having a poor campaign all around. Can they muster the skill and invention required to finish on a high with a victory in the weekend’s biggest top flight clash?

Team News: Can Blues Inspire a Top Four Fightback?

Chelsea have no new injury concerns ahead of this clash, and they should set up with a side who can push Liverpool in this one. We expect a strong side from the hosts, who are missing David Luiz and Danny Drinkwater once again this weekend. The hosts should stick with their 3-4-3 set-up, which has helped them to four straight victories ahead of Liverpool’s visit this weekend. With so much on the line, we can’t see Conte making any big changes for the weekend clash, and yet again his only real decision is to settle between Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata. The Italian has also been handed a boost, with Marcos Alonso ready to return at left-back after serving his suspension.

Liverpool have a considerable injury list ahead of this trip, which could see as many as eight players ruled out. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all expected to miss out, while Adam Lallana and Emre Can should join them on the side-lines. While Klopp has been used to making changes in between European games of late, he could be forced into more shuffling of the pack when they visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Liverpool Form

The Reds are coming off a 4-2 loss in Rome, which was just enough to send them to Kyiv following their 5-2 win in the first leg. The visitors were lucky at times, and they certainly made life difficult for themselves with some poor defensive mistakes. They’ll be hoping to cut those out ahead of this clash, especially with an eye towards their showpiece clash in Ukraine. However, in the short term, Klopp’s side are coming in to Sunday’s game on the back of a Premier League clean sheet.

The Reds were held to a 0-0 at home to second bottom Stoke last weekend, as they continued their struggles throughout April. They’ve won just one match in the league this month, as they’ve struggled to split attention between two competitions. That’s probably in part due to their issues at the back on their travels, as 73% of the goals they’ve conceded in the league have come on the road so far this season.

Chelsea v Liverpool Head to Head

The Blues have really been struggling against Liverpool of late, with their last home win coming over three years ago. They’ve been waiting since 2013 to claim a Premier League victory against the Reds here, when Samuel Eto’o scored the winner. Meanwhile, the Reds are unbeaten in six meetings, having won both of their visits here under Klopp’s stewardship.

• Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea, Nov 2017
• Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea, Jan 2017
• Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool, Sept 2016
• Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea, May 2016
• Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool, Oct 2015

Betting Tips

• Draw – 13/5 with Betfred
• 2-2 Draw – 12/1 with Bet365

Chelsea come into this clash priced at 5/4 with BetVictor for the victory, despite Liverpool’s European heroics. The visitors can be found at 11/5 with Coral to claim the three points, while the bookies are clearly expecting some entertainment from this one. You can back both teams to score at 6/10 with Ladbrokes, which could prove an interesting option to many who see this one producing goals. Will this clash live up to expectations this weekend, or will the Reds come here looking to shut down the hosts and scrape a point? That’s hardly been Klopp’s style so far, and we don’t expect him to start now.

The visitors don’t really have it in them to play for a clean sheet, but they’d certainly take a point from this game if offered before kick off. A draw is all they need to secure their place in the top four, so it’s not the worst result, especially just days after returning from a tough away trip in Europe. The visitors are bound to be riding high, and refocusing on this one is likely to be a challenge, so getting their domestic campaign back on track could be key. The visitors have drawn three of their last four in the league, while the Blues have won just one of their home meetings with the top seven, so we’re backing a draw at 13/5 with Betfred.

We can see quite a high scoring clash in this one, given that the visitors have conceded quite a few goals on their travels this term. However, in 18 away trips in the top flight Liverpool have scored at least twice in two-thirds of those, so they are certainly capable going forward. Half of the Reds’ trips have seen over 3.5 goals scored in total, and we think there’s value in backing a 2-2 correct score in Sunday’s match, which looks like a temping option at 12/1 with Bet365.