Followers of Premier League football have a packed weekend of action to look forward to with a full round of fixtures from the top flight of English football taking place over the course of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Of the 10 games played, no less than five will be shown live on TV thanks to BT Sport and that will be music to the ears of sports bettors and armchair fans. An excellent opportunity to boost your balance in time for the weekend’s FA Cup ties.
Our team look ahead to what promises to be an interesting spectacle at Goodison Park where an improving Everton take on a desperate Newcastle United from 7.30pm. Both teams need the points for different reasons but who will come out on top? Bookmakers have had their say, offering a book on the match with prices on the winner as well as several specials, such as both teams to score, total goals, first goalscorer and correct score. There are more ways to win than you might imagine. Read on as our team look at the betting odds before making our final tips and predictions.
Toffees Make an Ambitious Appointment
Everton finally appears to have found their feet this season after suffering yet another disappointing start. The Toffees will struggle to reach their true potential while they are handicapping themselves and giving their main rivals an early points lead. This team is filled with talent and, on paper, they really should be pushing for a top-four or six finish, challenging the likes of Leicester, Chelsea and Arsenal. It may be a confidence crisis holding the team back but that’s something they will have to snap out of and fast.
A change on leadership seemed to re-focus the team and in former player and fans favourite Duncan Ferguson, they have a leader who won’t allow them to cut any corners. The big Scotsman was known for his no-nonsense approach to playing football and that saw him earn the respect of all players during his career, both teammates and opponents. He will ask his players to give him 100% effort in every game and won’t stand for anything less. If he sees a player failing to pull their weight they will be cut from the squad. He won’t give a second thought to reputation, value or wages. He wants a hungry pack of winners.
That mentality helped get the team back on track before the board brought in experienced manager Carlo Ancelotti. That was an appointment that made headlines around European football and all eyes with be on the gaffer as he looks to drag his new employers up through the ranks. Everton started the year in midtable but remain within touching distance of the Europa League places. They lost at the Etihad Stadium on 1 January but responded with a win over Brighton in game two. Everton is 1/2 favourites at William Hill to beat Newcastle. That’s sure to appear in a fair share of midweek multiples and accumulators.
Toon Army Running out of Patience
Opponents Newcastle have found points hard to come by of late and are kicking their heels down at the wrong end of the table as a result. The Toon Army haven’t had too many reasons to smile in recent weeks, watching their team stutter and stumble through a hectic festive period. An inability to put together a run of wins means Newcastle are looking over their shoulders at the danger zone.
The Magpies lost three games on the bounce at the end of last year and start of 2020. They began with a painful 3-0 defeat at home to high-flying Leicester City on 1 January and were then held to an embarrassing 1-1 draw in the FA Cup by lower-league Rochdale. That was a result that upset fans. Newcastle then held on for a decent 1-1 draw away to Wolves back in the Premier League.
Newcastle did get things right at the second time of asking when beating Rochdale in an FA Cup replay, an extra match on an already busy schedule they could have done without. Inviting Dale to St James Park, Newcastle booked their place in the Fourth Round thanks to a convincing 4-1 victory. Impressive, but it did little to dampen the fury of fans who were annoyed their team needed two shots at it. The away win here is as big as 6/1 when betting at William Hill. The draw trades at 7/2 – top price through Betfred.
