Market movers: Man City to miss out on top four? Magpies for a great escape?

Holly Thackeray | March 21, 2016

Another weekend of surprise results, derby drama and last-gasp equalisers have seen various Premier League odds rocket and tumble, building up to an exciting run-in at both ends of the table.

For some, survival hopes sank, though others made great strides towards beating the drop. While, the weekend wrangles also raised many questions: can an outsider gatecrash the top four? Will Leicester City cling on at the summit?

So, Coral run the rule over the latest market movers and shakers for customers, to highlight where the value in future flutters could be…

Top four race ramps up after Man City mishap

Most of the top four attention is focusing on ripples of reaction following the Mancunian derby, with Manchester United rising from the ashes, largely due to local lad Marcus Rashford, to sink cross-town competitors Manchester City.

The Citizens, now only one point and place ahead of the Old Trafford outfit in the standings, are still odds-on at 8/13 to end in a Champions League slot, but the Red Devils are now an enticing 15/8 to make it with five of their last eight league outings being at home.

Should you fancy a better price on the Sky Blues, who are still to face Arsenal and Chelsea but are also set to be distracted by Champions League duties, you can back Manuel Pellegrini’s men at 6/5 to miss out on the top four.

Elsewhere, West Ham United stumbled in their pursuit of continental competition, so are still outsiders at 6/1 to be part of the top quartet, with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to 8/1 after shockingly slipping against Southampton. Though, it is worth remembering the Reds do have a match in hand.

Leicester leap, Tottenham title tilt

While, little changed at the top of the table as both Leicester and Tottenham continued to steam ahead of the chasing pack with another matchweek of respective wins, and look set to take their trophy tussle down to the wire.

Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes flexed their title winning form once more with yet another tight 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, their third in a row, to stay odds-on for silverware success at 4/7.

The Midlands men boast a five-point buffer, with inconsistent Southampton and struggling Sunderland up next, and Everton and Chelsea teams with little to play for as their final two foes – so seem almost a cert at that price for glory.

Yet, sandwiched in between, are Swansea City and potentially prickly opponents still with a shot at the top four in West Ham and Man Utd.

By comparison, Spurs may seem sublime value at 13/5 for second-favourites, but have troublesome trips to Anfield, the Britannia, Stamford Bridge for a London derby and St James’ Park ahead, with the latter trek to relegation threats Newcastle on what could be an unpredictable last day of term. While, hosting the revived Red Devils may also pose problems for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

And, finally, despite their expansive and emphatic victory over Everton, hot and cold Arsenal are 6/1 third-favourite shouts for the Premier League – but can they really mount a late surge?

The capital club do have a game in hand, and arguably the kindest run-in of their rivals with floundering Palace, West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and Aston Villa all on the cards but, vitally, have no more chances to pinch points from fellow contenders.

The Gunners also look unlikely to come through clashes with banana skin clubs Watford and West Ham unscathed, and also still have a menacing Man City meeting to come, with only four points the difference between them currently.

Can the Magpies make a great escape?

After a late fight back to snatch a point in the Tyne-Wear derby, Newcastle are now a nifty 7/4 price for survival worth pouncing on.

The Magpies next face relegation rivals Norwich and have further chances to increase their staying power against shaky Swansea City and also rock-bottom Aston Villa in their penultimate tussle. Smart money may now be on Rafael Benitez to keep the Magpies afloat as regional foes Sunderland (2/1 to cling to Premier League status) lost their lead at St James’ Park.

Big Sam’s side now only have the chance to bring down the Canaries from the bottom six, leaving the Black Cats in a perilous position.

As for Norwich, a slim Robbie Brady-inspired victory against Albion sees them hovering just above the drop zone and 11/10 to stay up, with three absolutely key games in a row to come.

Expect the odds to have changed dramatically after the team in bright yellow battle the Magpies, Eagles and Mackems in quick succession, so it may be worth backing them swiftly if you fancy the Canaries for a survival song.

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