Hotshot Harry's Premier League

WEEK 34

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Predictions will generally be posted by Friday each week,
AND the analyses should be up by Wednesday following each weekend’s games.

The odds that I quote on each game are the first available and are quite
possibly subject to change as the game day approaches. 

WEEK 34 April 21st – 27th

All times are Mountain Standard Time

LAST WEEK’S SUMMARY

WEEK 33

Well, the big game was obviously Manchester City v Arsenal, and as I thought City took all three points. Now if they can beat Burnley in the week, they will go on top and Burnley will go down. Tottenham were pipped at the death and could only claim one point against Brighton. West Ham also could only add one point to their total so nothing much has changed there. Newcastle continues their slide into a season best forgotten, as do Chelsea who are in danger of losing out to all the major tournaments in Europe next year if they don’t buck up.

WEEK 34 GAME 1 – Tues Apr 21st 1:00
HOME AWAY

BRIGHTON
The Seagulls

CHELSEA
The Blues
Odds PICK O/U 3 Odds PICK
PREDICTIONS: As horrible as Chelsea have been of late it’s hard to get behind them here. Brighton at home just might have the edge, especially if the odds are Pick’em. I have to take the home team here. Brighton. PICK.
RESULTS:  . 
ANALYSIS:  Just when things were bad for Chelsea, they got worse, much worse. Now five games without a goal and in this match not even a shot on target. The Blues haven’t been this bad in 114 years. As the stats will show Chelsea were never really in it and the scoreline is a pretty accurate representation of the effort put in by both teams. Manager Liam Rosenior is in serious danger of losing his job, but as with Tottenham, it’s the players that are to blame. Granted Cole Palmer and top goalscorer Joao Pedro didn’t play and Alehandro Garnacho wasn’t used, which had to be a plus for Chelsea. Still, the one’s that did play will have nothing good to take from this game.

WEEK 34 GAME 2 – Wed 22nd 1:00 TIME
HOME AWAY

BURNLEY
The Clarets 

MANCHESTER CITY
The Citizens
Odds +2 O/U 3 1/2  Odds -2
PREDICTIONS: Manchester City have the wind at their backs now in the pursuit of Arsenal. In the end the Title race may come down to goal difference. City are two points behind The Gunners so they are going to be looking for high scoring games. That could happen here but to win this bet they have to win by three clear goals. A tough order for any matchup in the Premier League regardless of who you are. Don’t bet any money that you can’t afford to lose on this one. Manchester City -2.
RESULTS: 0-1
ANALYSIS:  Manchester City got the job done, but only just. Burnley’s stats were all too familiar. A third of possession and only one shot on target. The only goal, Erling Haaland 5th minute, sent Burnley down to the Championship League and put City on top of the Premier League, granted by a very slim margin. The chances were there for City but a combination of sharp goalkeeping, missed shots and bad luck kept the score down to just the one goal. Manchester may not be on top of the pile for long as Arsenal host Newcastle on Saturday and any kind of a result for them would put the Gunners back on top. One strange thing about this game. Maybe someone could explain this to me. The capacity of Turf Moor is 21,944 the official attendance for this game was posted at 21,259. I saw this game and the place was half empty, and I’m not talking about at the end of the game.

WEEK 34 GAME 8– Sat 25th Apr 8:00 
HOME AWAY

LIVERPOOL
The Reds

CRYSTAL PALACE
The Eagles
Odds -1 O/U 3 Odds +1
PREDICTIONS: Liverpool are chasing Aston Villa for the fourth spot in the Table, not that they really need it, as at least the top five positions will be in the European Champions League next year. Crystal Palace have forgotten what the back of their opponent net looks like and I don’t see much improvement here. Liverpool. -1
RESULTS: 3-1
ANALYSIS:  Alexander Isak’s recovery from a broken leg has taken a long time to heal and for him to regain match fitness. A spark of his old self was starting to peek through in this game, and he scored Liverpool’s opening goal. Crystal Palace held their own for much of the game and looked to maybe conjure some kind of a result when Daniel Munoz pulled one back for the visitors. A hotly contested goal as he shot the ball into an empty net while Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman lay on the ground injured. Mo Salah had to leave the game with a suspected hamstring problem and if that is the case this might be the last anyone will see the Egyptian striker in a Liverpool shirt. The Reds now go fourth in the Table squeezing past Aston Villa on goal average. 

WEEK 34 GAME 9 – Sat 25th Apr 10:30 
HOME AWAY

ARSENAL
The Gunners

NEWCASTLE
The Magpies

 Newcastle United Logo
Odds -1 O/U 3 Odds +1
PREDICTIONS: I’m going against the popular position here. Everyone is expecting Arsenal to come roaring back from two defeats and punish Newcastle. This has not been a good season for the Magpies, but I see this as going much closer than conventional wisdom would suggest. I’ll take Newcastle in a surprise. Newcastle +1
RESULTS: 1-0
ANALYSIS:  Arsenal managed to take all three points, but it wasn’t as easy as it should have been. A spectacular goal by Eberechi Eze gave the victory to the Gunners but Newcastle didn’t go down without a fight. The win puts them back on top of the league, but with the Magpies pressing for an equalizer the last few minutes were a nail-biting affair for players and fans alike. This was a close match, much closer than Arsenal would have liked but that has been their usual form of late. They still fail to impress and although they did manage to get the job done they didn’t look particularly good doing it.

WEEK 34 GAME 10 – Mon 27th Apr 1:00 
HOME AWAY

MANCHESTER UNITED
The Red Devils

BRENTFORD
The Bees
Odds -1/2 O/U 3 Odds +1/2
PREDICTIONS: As I have said before, I see United slipping down the Table before the season is finished. Visitors, Brentford are getting a 1/2 goal advantage as far as the betting goes so I’m taking that slim edge. Brentford. +1/2.
RESULTS: 2-1
ANALYSIS:  This game could have so easily ended a different way. United should count themselves very fortunate that Brentford flubbed so many chances in front of goal. For most of the game, they looked more comfortable and in control than Manchester. In control, that is in the buildup, but when it came down to make United pay, they were sorely lacking. Brentford had the measure of the hosts, but as it so often happens the ball just did not roll for them. Brentford could still qualify for Europe, and for my money I think they will.
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WEEK 34 GAME 3 – Wed Apr 22nd 1:00
HOME AWAY

BOURNEMOUTH
The Cherries

LEEDS
The Whites
Odds -1/2 O/U 2 1/2 Odds +1/2
PREDICTIONS: Given Bournemouth’s propensity for draws this is what I see happening here. Leeds are safely out of harm’s way after their thrashing of Wolves last week but I don’t see them letting up. As they are getting the edge I’ll go with the visitors. Leeds +1/2
RESULTS: 2-2
ANALYSIS: As has become all too familiar Bournemouth had to settle for a draw, their 16th of the season. Bournemouth had their second goal, and the lead, with 4 minutes left to play and had a third in the net in injury time. Unfortunately, it was disallowed for a very slim offside. Then with just seconds on the clock Sean Longstaff fired a shot through a sea of bodies and claimed the equalizer on the stroke of time. The draw now gives Leeds 40 points and leaves them 9 points above the drop zone, a safe enough margin with only four games to go. 

WEEK 34 GAME 4 – Fri 24th  1:00
HOME AWAY

NOTTINGHAM FOREST
The Tricky Trees

SUNDERLAND
TheBlack Cats
Odds Pick O/U 2 1/2 Odds Pick
PREDICTIONS: Not much to choose between these two right now. A Pick seems about right to me so it’s basically a toss-up. I give a slight edge to the Black Cats, not to a great degree mind you. Sunderland. PICK
RESULTS: 5-0
ANALYSIS:  Wow didn’t see that one coming, not sure anyone did! With Chris Wood back in the lineup Forest look like a different team than the one they have served up for most of the season. How can you have the ball only 39% of the time and still score five goals? Not sure what went wrong for Sunderland, but it went wrong with a vengeance. Already 4-0 down at half time The Cats had a mountain to climb. A brief ray of hope was seen when Dan Ballard headed home a “goal” for the home team. After a lengthy VAR review, he was found to be onside, but the goal was ruled void because the Forest goalkeeper had been impeded. even if it had of been awarded it wouldn’t have made much difference as Forest scored a fifth goal deep into injury time to complete the massacre.

WEEK 34 GAME 5 – Sat 25th Apr  5:30
HOME AWAY

ASTON VILLA
The Villans

FULHAM
TheCottagers
Odds Pick O/U 2 1/2 Odds Pick
PREDICTIONS: Aston Villa are still clinging onto fourth place in the Table and I don’t see Fulham getting much joy here. Ollie Watkins is starting to regain his form and as this is a Pick’em I’ll go with the home team Aston Villa.PICK.
RESULTS: 1-0
ANALYSIS:  Because Villa have a ten-point lead over their closest rival below them they may not slip further down the table, but if they don’t improve their performance, it could be a close-run thing. They were clueless and incompetent with 60% of possession but only one shot on target. Fulham made the most of their chances and the only goal, scored by Ryan Sessegnon, was all that was needed to hand Villa their tenth defeat of the season. On Thursday they face Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final and even though it is a two-leg contest they will have to do much better than the dismal display they served up here if they are to progress.

WEEK 34 GAME 6 – Sat Apr 25th 8:00 TIME
HOME AWAY

EVERTON
The Toffees 

WEST HAM
The Hammers
Odds Pick O/U 2 1/2 Odds Pick
PREDICTIONS: Another Pick. There are people that would say Everton were unlucky against Liverpool last week, I’m not one of them. Saying that, I still think they are too good for West Ham. If that’s the case, and Tottenham beat Wolves, I see the Hammers slipping back into the relegation zone. Everton. PICK. 
RESULTS: 
ANALYSIS:  With just two minutes of regular time left Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the equalizer that would have put West Ham back in the Relegation zone, at that point Spurs were beating Wolves and those three points would have been enough to drop the Hammers. As it happened two minutes into injury time saw West Ham retake the lead with a Callum Wilson strike. Despite what a lot of people are saying Everton’s position as far as European competition next year is concerned looks to be in jeopardy. Of their four remaining games they have to face Manchester City next week, maybe a couple of results in their next two games, Crystal Palace and Sunderland but then the last game of the season is against Tottenham. Now that game could be very important, especially for Spurs.

WEEK 34 GAME 7 – Sat 25th 8:00 TIME
HOME AWAY

WOLVERHAMPTON
The Wolves

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
The Spurs
Odds +1/2 O/U 2 1/2 Odds -1/2
PREDICTIONS: Maybe this is the week. Wolves are already relegated and Spurs won’t get an easier chance at three points. There are starting to be signs of life at Tottenham, but the bottom line is if they can’t get a result here, and one point won’t do it, then they will be joining Wolves and Burnley next year. Tottenham -1/2
RESULTS: 0-1
ANALYSIS: A lifeline, of sorts for Spurs. Finally, for the first time this year Tottenham win a game. But truth be told they didn’t make it easy on themselves. They had the ball 2/3rds of the time, and they really should have buried an already relegated Wolves side. They had to wait until the 82nd minute until sub Joao Palhinha scored the winner. As has become an unwelcome pattern they almost let it slip away again as Goalkeeper Kinsky produced an excellent save to deny the home team an equalizer in injury time. Spurs injury list continues to climb with Xavi Simmons and Dominic Solanke both having to depart early due to injuries, the extent of their maladies is not yet known but certainly not what Tottenham need right now. Notts Forest thrashing of Sunderland and a draw for Leeds probably gives those two a safe enough margin to escape the drop. As West Ham managed to beat Everton nothing has changed between the only two teams in contention for the trip to the lower reaches. Only four games to go and it’s going to be between these two now.

WEEK 34 GAME 8– Sat 25th Apr 8:00 
HOME AWAY

LIVERPOOL
The Reds

CRYSTAL PALACE
The Eagles
Odds -1 O/U 3 Odds +1
PREDICTIONS: Liverpool are chasing Aston Villa for the fourth spot in the Table, not that they really need it, as at least the top five positions will be in the European Champions League next year. Crystal Palace have forgotten what the back of their opponent net looks like and I don’t see much improvement here. Liverpool. -1
RESULTS: 3-1
ANALYSIS:  Alexander Isak’s recovery from a broken leg has taken a long time to heal and for him to regain match fitness. A spark of his old self was starting to peek through in this game, and he scored Liverpool’s opening goal. Crystal Palace held their own for much of the game and looked to maybe conjure some kind of a result when Daniel Munoz pulled one back for the visitors. A hotly contested goal as he shot the ball into an empty net while Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman lay on the ground injured. Mo Salah had to leave the game with a suspected hamstring problem and if that is the case this might be the last anyone will see the Egyptian striker in a Liverpool shirt. The Reds now go fourth in the Table squeezing past Aston Villa on goal average. 

WEEK 34 GAME 9 – Sat 25th Apr 10:30 
HOME AWAY

ARSENAL
The Gunners

NEWCASTLE
The Magpies

 Newcastle United Logo
Odds -1 O/U 3 Odds +1
PREDICTIONS: I’m going against the popular position here. Everyone is expecting Arsenal to come roaring back from two defeats and punish Newcastle. This has not been a good season for the Magpies, but I see this as going much closer than conventional wisdom would suggest. I’ll take Newcastle in a surprise. Newcastle +1
RESULTS: 1-0
ANALYSIS:  Arsenal managed to take all three points, but it wasn’t as easy as it should have been. A spectacular goal by Eberechi Eze gave the victory to the Gunners but Newcastle didn’t go down without a fight. The win puts them back on top of the league, but with the Magpies pressing for an equalizer the last few minutes were a nail-biting affair for players and fans alike. This was a close match, much closer than Arsenal would have liked but that has been their usual form of late. They still fail to impress and although they did manage to get the job done they didn’t look particularly good doing it.

WEEK 34 GAME 10 – Mon 27th Apr 1:00 
HOME AWAY

MANCHESTER UNITED
The Red Devils

BRENTFORD
The Bees
Odds -1/2 O/U 3 Odds +1/2
PREDICTIONS: As I have said before, I see United slipping down the Table before the season is finished. Visitors, Brentford are getting a 1/2 goal advantage as far as the betting goes so I’m taking that slim edge. Brentford. +1/2.
RESULTS: 2-1
ANALYSIS:  This game could have so easily ended a different way. United should count themselves very fortunate that Brentford flubbed so many chances in front of goal. For most of the game, they looked more comfortable and in control than Manchester. In control, that is in the buildup, but when it came down to make United pay, they were sorely lacking. Brentford had the measure of the hosts, but as it so often happens the ball just did not roll for them. Brentford could still qualify for Europe, and for my money I think they will.
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