Shay Says - Episode 19
Welcome to Shay Says, the latest football betting blog from LeoVegas’ Irish ambassador, Shay Given.
This week, the Republic of Ireland and Premier League legend previews four more big fixtures that affect the top and bottom of the Premier League.
Let’s see what Shay Says!
Leeds United v Newcastle
Leeds could well need a win if they have any chance of staying up, but Newcastle also need a victory to try and cement that Champions League spot.
It’s a tough one to call, particularly with it being Sam Allardyce’s first home game in charge as well, it will certainly be a difficult game for Newcastle.
They played well against Manchester City last week and caused them some problems towards the end of the game – it was certainly a performance the team can build on in these last three fixtures.
However, I still think Newcastle will have enough quality to get the job done. The expectation will be high from the Elland Road crowd, but I think if Newcastle keep the ball well and construct some chances, they will have too much for their hosts.
I’m going to go with 2-1 to Newcastle, with Alexander Isak as an anytime goalscorer.
SHAY SAYS: LEEDS UNITED 1-2 NEWCASTLE
Aston Villa v Tottenham
Unai Emery has done an unbelievable job at Aston Villa, and they can be very happy with their season.
I know they’ve had a couple of defeats in recent weeks, but to be challenging for European places with only a few games to go is remarkable considering where they were when he took over.
They’re a really strong team at home too – I was at Villa Park when they beat Newcastle 3-0 and they were simply brilliant in all departments.
Tottenham need a result as well and will be weary that Villa can go level on points with them with a win. They haven’t been good on the road recently, even if their performances under Ryan Mason have slightly improved.
I think home advantage will be big here, and I fancy Villa to sneak it because of that.
I’m going to go 2-0 to the hosts, with Ollie Watkins adding to his tally.
SHAY SAYS: ASTON VILLA 2-0 TOTTENHAM
Everton v Manchester City
What a result for Everton against Brighton – it was simply unbelievable! They never would have imaged a win there, let alone by that many goals, so I would have thought the Goodison Park faithful will be up for this one.
Shaun Dyche will let his players know that they’re still not safe yet, so they’ll still going to give it everything they’ve got.
This is a game Manchester City need to win if they are to have ambitions of securing the treble.
It’s obviously crammed in between two semi-final legs against Real Madrid – the first match on Tuesday was a phenomenal tie with two high-quality teams going at it.
I think Pep Guardiola will rotate his team a little bit and change things around because it was a tough shift in Madrid in midweek, but they still need to win the game.
I’m going to go with 2-0 to Manchester City, with Kevin De Bruyne adding to his goal in midweek. I just think their quality will come through in the end.
SHAY SAYS: EVERTON 0-2 MANCHESTER CITY
Arsenal v Brighton
I think Arsenal have come back stronger since their little blip. They played really well at Newcastle last week and have a lot of time to prepare for these three games as well.
I can see Mikel Arteta getting nine points out of nine in these remaining games and putting the pressure back on Manchester City. They need to start trying to affect them mentally more than anything.
Brighton will be fuming after their heavy defeat to Everton the other day, but they’ve still had an unbelievable season and will certainly put up a fight at the Emirates on Sunday.
I think Arsenal win this however – they’ve got so much quality all over the field and I fancy them to get three points here.
I’m going 2-0 to Arsenal, with Martin Odegaard getting on the scoresheet.
SHAY SAYS: ARSENAL 2-0 BRIGHTON
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