Gunners can hurt Man City’s top four bid, Spurs seek Saints win in Premier League
Published:
Lee Gormley | May 6, 2016
The Premier League title may have been incredibly wrapped up with a historic Leicester City success, but their closest challengers Tottenham will look to quickly get over their disappointment and hold on to second place.
Spurs welcome Southampton in the first of three top-flight clashes on Sunday, with Manchester City then engaging in a crunch clash with Arsenal as both search for a Champions League position this term. Meanwhile, Liverpool face Watford after their recent European heroics.
So read on for Coral’s previews of all three intriguing Sunday tussles…
Tottenham v Southampton
- Premier League
- Sunday, May 8th
- Kick-off: 13:30 BST
- White Hart Lane, London
- Live on Sky Sports 1
Spurs seek Saints success in capital
Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs will have to overcome their recent misery of losing out to Leicester quickly in order to avoid slipping out of second spot, and they next face Southampton on home soil, a side they have not lost to since March 2005.
That impressive unbeaten fixture run stretches back seven Premier League outings ahead of their latest clash at White Hart Lane, which the hosts are 27/10 to win to nil, after their 2-0 triumph in the reverse encounter on the south coast.
Ronald Koeman’s Saints are pushing hard for a European position though and have lost just one of their previous eight domestic outings, including a recent 4-2 humbling of Man City, and they are 3/1 to earn three points on their travels.
Kane to star for Spurs?
Spurs attacking duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli were both on target in that previous 2-0 success at St Mary’s but, with the latter midfielder serving a suspension, his England international teammate will be key and is 4/1 to open proceedings.
The Saints will also need to be wary of the forward threat posed by Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son, who are 7/4 and 2/1 to strike anytime respectively, while Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld is 7/1 to fire past his former club.
Republic of Ireland frontman Shane Long has been in impressive form of late and the Tipperary-born striker is 15/8 to net again and add to his four goals in five outings for club and country. Meanwhile, Italian marksman Graziano Pelle is the same price to hit the target and wideman Sadio Mane is 2/1 to strike following his recent hat-trick against the Sky Blues.
Manchester City v Arsenal
- Premier League
- Sunday, May 8th
- Kick-off: 16:00 BST
- The Etihad Stadium, Manchester
- Live on Sky Sports 1
Top four battle in Manchester
After suffering a Champions League semi-final exit to Real Madrid in midweek, Manuel Pellegrini’s Man City will look to edge closer to securing a top four place this term when they host fellow European hopefuls Arsenal, who are unbeaten in the last five fixture meetings.
Arsene Wenger’s Gunners prevailed earlier in the campaign with a narrow 2-1 result in London, and have not lost to the Sky Blues since December 2013, so they will be confident of earning victory on the road, which they are 19/10 to achieve.
The hosts currently reside in the final Champions League place but have bitter city rivals Manchester United breathing down their necks, so points are crucial against an Arsenal outfit three points ahead of them in third, making them 29/20 for home supremacy.
Aguero looks to banish European demons
Argentine attacker Sergio Aguero endured a hapless European night in midweek when losing out to Los Blancos but he is 4/1 to bounce back by opening the scoring on home turf, while his fellow forward Kevin De Bruyne is 7/4 to dispatch anytime.
Arsenal attacking dangers Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud are all 11/4 to find the target on the road, with the latter France frontman having struck the decisive goal when these two sides collided last December.
Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil is also a threat at 5/1 anytime for a Gunners side that are on a run of seven league games without defeat, and they are 18/5 to prevail with both teams scoring on super Sunday.
Liverpool v Watford
- Premier League
- Sunday, May 8th
- Kick-off: 16:00 BST
- Anfield, Liverpool
Reds host Hornets at Anfield
Fresh off the back of their Europa League semi-final victory over Villarreal, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are aiming to enjoy further success on their return to domestic duties, as they host a Watford outfit who stormed to a 3-0 win in their last meeting.
The Hornets ran out comfortable victors on home soil last December thanks to a strike from Nathan Ake and a double from clinical frontman Odion Ighalo, and they are 6/1 to cause another upset on their travels to Anfield this time around.
Although, the Reds showcased their astute attacking abilities on home soil to sink the Yellow Submarine and secure a European final appearance, making them 17/10 for a win without conceding this Sunday evening.
Sturridge seeks further scoring success
Daniel Sturridge was on target in the European triumph in midweek and will be hopeful of securing a spot in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for Euro 2016 after previous injury setbacks. The Reds poacher is 10/3 to open the scoring this time around, with Adam Lallana 7/4 to add to his midweek strike anytime on home soil.
Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho is 5/4 to get on the scoresheet too, while his compatriot Roberto Firmino and versatile midfielder James Milner are 6/5 and 5/1 respectively to find the net.
For the visitors, Ighalo will hope to emulate his reverse fixture heroics and the Nigerian forward is 2/1 to add to his season tally of 16 goals, with fellow attacker Troy Deeney a 7/1 chance to bag the game’s final goal.
Related
Coral’s top tip: Back Arsenal to overcome Man City in the pick of Sunday’s clashes at a tasty 19/10.
