Premier League picks: Expect goals galore for Man City

Saturday is shaping up to be a busy day as clubs continue to jockey for position in the Premier League table.

We’ve hit on four of our last five Premier League picks, and we’re back again with three bets we fancy for Saturday’s fixtures. 

Norwich vs. West Ham

Things have been ugly for Norwich City since the Premier League returned to action last month. 

Norwich was already facing the threat of relegation when the league resumed play following a three-month suspension of the season due to COVID-19, but their chances of remaining in the Premier League have only gotten worse since then. 

Norwich has lost five straight matches. They were held without a single goal in four of those matches before finally ending the drought with one solitary goal in a loss to Watford on Tuesday. 

West Ham hasn’t fared much better, with one win in its last five matches. But a positive result will be crucial to securing their place outside of the relegation bubble. This will be a desperation game for at least one of these clubs, and expect it to be West Ham. With odds of +105 to win, it’s a little more enticing to back them in what is otherwise an uninspiring matchup.

Pick: West Ham to win (+105)

Sheffield United vs. Chelsea

Supporting a club like Chelsea must be like riding a roller coaster. 

Take their win Tuesday against Crystal Palace, for example. On paper, the end result seemed predictable. How we arrived at it, however, was the total opposite. It was full of tension, with a number of close calls for an underdog Crystal Palace side, particularly in the waning seconds of stoppage time. A two-goal lead for Chelsea never appeared safe, as Crystal Palace battled back to within a goal and then hit the post on a header in the box in stoppage time. 

There has been no shortage of goals when Chelsea takes the field. Defending is an adventure. That likely won’t be the case against a Sheffield team that has rarely broken free offensively since the re-start. Expecting another five-goal, high-scoring thriller might be asking for too much. 

Sheffield hasn’t been easy to break down lately, with a pair of wins in three fixtures this month. The challenge will be to defeat a Chelsea side that has lost only one match since the re-start, while hitting the Over 2.5 totals goals in five of six matches. 

Chelsea will have to work for this one. But with issues defending from time to time, and one of the better attacks in the Premier League, backing a Chelsea win and Over 2.5 totals goals is a reasonable play.  

Pick: Chelsea to win & Over 2.5 goals (+140)

Brighton vs. Manchester City

There have been some mixed results for Manchester City since the re-start of the Premier League season. When they’ve won, they’ve won big. When they’ve lost, that same potent attack has sputtered. 

In four wins in Premier League competition between June 27 and July 8, Manchester City has scored a total of 17 goals, just a tick over four goals per game. And Brighton has been guilty of conceding goals of late, which bodes well for Manchester City’s offense if you’re looking at taking the Over with total goals Saturday. 

There’s always a little concern when facing a lesser club that the favored Manchester City might not be as motivated as they would be against a top club. Or perhaps there’s a slight regression in scoring after putting up four goals against Liverpool on July 2 and five goals against Newcastle on Wednesday. 

That five-spot on Newcastle wasn’t by luck. Manchester City, led by David Silva and Gabriel Jesus, had 23 total shots and nine on target. It’s safe to expect a similar effort against Brighton, and if that’s the case, goals should pile up with regularity. 

Pick: Manchester City Over 2.5 total team goals (+120)

Combine these picks into a three-way parlay for total odds of +958 at BetAmerica! A $25 wager has the potential for a total payout of $277.72! 

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