This Sunday sees two fantastic Premier League fixtures. Manchester United look to bounce-back from Wednesday's disappointing draw with Burnley against an unpredictable Leicester side, while Manchester City host Arsenal.
It is a big day in the top four race and could be huge for the title race. Here are a few thoughts and tips from 888sport’s Premier League odds and betting markets...
LEICESTER CITY vs MANCHESTER UNITED
Leicester have suffered a challenging start to 2019, having been knocked out of the FA Cup and had several poor league results.
Claude Puel is a man under pressure. The Foxes played well in midweek to take a point against Liverpool, which was a much-needed positive result after losing a 4-3 thriller to Wolves in their previous league outing.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had his first blip as Manchester United manager in midweek. United needed two late goals to draw with Burnley, but still made ground in their top four pursuit thanks to Chelsea’s heavy defeat to Bournemouth.
Crucially, United’s performance was still good. It was not a return to the dark days of Mourinho, they created plenty of chances to win the match, and would have come out as comfortable victors on another day.
The late comeback was a throwback to Alex Ferguson’s tenure and, despite the result being disappointing, there was a positive feeling about the match for United afterwards.
Leicester are an up-and-down side. They have struggled against inferior opponents but have shown their best form against the big boys. We saw that again in midweek and the victories against Manchester City and Chelsea are still fresh in the memory.
The contest between James Maddison and Nemanja Matic will be key. Matic has performed well under Solskjaer and Maddison has been superb this season.
Stopping the former Norwich man is key to nullifying Jamie Vardy, who could cause all sorts of problems on the counter.
This should be an entertaining match with both sides looking to attack at pace. It could go either way, with United the favourites – over 3.5 goals looks the best bet.
TIP: Over 3.5 goals @ 21/10
PREDICTED SCORE: Leicester 2-2 Manchester United at 11/1
MANCHESTER CITY vs ARSENAL
Manchester City’s midweek defeat to Newcastle has seen their Premier League outright odds to retain the title slip to 7/4. City got lucky that Liverpool dropped points too, meaning the gap only extended to five points rather than seven.
Arsenal were on the verge of their own midweek disappointment but managed to scrape past Cardiff at the Emirates.
The Gunners moved into fourth spot on goal difference with the victory, though they could be down in sixth by the time they kick-off at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.
Unai Emery is still dealing with an injury crisis. Nacho Monreal will likely start at centre-back again with Laurent Koscielny expected to be unavailable. Ainsley Maitland-Niles missed out against Cardiff, but Emery needs him to be fit for the trip to the northwest.
Pep Guardiola may wring the changes after a poor display against Newcastle. Gabriel Jesus might get the nod up top, while Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva could return to the line-up.
Raheem Sterling is City’s key man for this clash, facing Arsenal’s makeshift defence and potentially Maitland-Niles at right-back. Sterling is well worth backing at 11/10 to score anytime.
Arsenal have failed to win in their last five away Premier League matches. Manchester City have won 12 of 13 league matches at home. This should be a competitive match, though, considering their contrasting results in midweek.
The Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette partnership will fancy their chances of causing problems against City’s defence, but the hosts will feel much the same.
City are 3/10 to get back to winning ways in front of their own fans. Expect plenty of goals on Sunday.
TIP: Over 3.5 goals @ 22/25
PREDICTED SCORE: Manchester City 3-2 Arsenal (Priced at 16/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
