Matters at the foot of the table are still to be resolved, but we’re getting to that point in the campaign where motivation can, in parts, be hard to find.
With this in mind, who represents the best of the betting value this weekend?
Manchester City vs Leicester City (Saturday, 12:30pm)
It’s marked how much Manchester City have improved since the return to fitness of Vincent Kompany – and consequent jettisoning of John Stones, and their form is holding up rather nicely as a result.
Unbeaten in their last five, Pep Guardiola’s men have scored 13 in that time and kept three clean sheets, which explains their good heart. Even without the seemingly irreplaceable Sergio Aguero, sidelined with a groin injury, they have found a way to put the ball in the net.
But their weakness remains: they have no quality left back to speak of. That’s intriguing, because Leicester’s right winger – Riyad Mahrez – has found some form at this late stage of the campaign. The cynics would suggest that the Algerian is angling for a move away from the Foxes; hence his rather late-in-the-day burst of form. Expect him to impress in a goal-fest here.
Recommended Bets
Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals (Evens with Coral)
Riyad Mahrez Anytime Goalscorer (5/1 with Betfred)
Middlesbrough vs Southampton (Saturday, 3pm)
A few weeks ago we speculated whether the Southampton players had already packed their bags for their summer holiday and were counting down the minutes before they can get away, with the day job something of an annoyance.
They are without a win in five, failing to score in four of those, and so the conclusion is that the end of the campaign could not come soon enough for the Saints.
Middlesbrough’s motivation could not be any greater. They have a metaphorical sorry to say to their fans for a rather abject campaign, and victory here would go some way towards that.
You see it so often: once a side is doomed they seem to come out of their shells and play better football. We’re expecting a great showing from the Boro here.
Recommended Bets
Middlesbrough +0.25 Asian Handicap (14/11 with BetVictor)
Middlesbrough Draw No Bet (15/8 with BetVictor)
Bournemouth vs Burnley (Saturday, 3pm)
Both of these teams will want to end their seasons with a bang, with this being the finale for Bournemouth in front of their owns fans for the 2016/17 campaign.
Burnley have been awful away from home this term as has been well documented, and their task on the south coast will be made all the harder by the absence of key defensive duo Michael Keane and Ben Mee, who are both struggling with injuries.
The Cherries are insatiable going forward, and even without a figurehead (Callum Wilson and Benik Afobe are both injured) they should have no problems piercing this porous Clarets rearguard.
Recommended Bet
Bournemouth to Win (19/20 with bet365)
