Sunderland vs Watford Betting Tips and Predictions

Preview

SUNDERLAND VS WATFORD PREVIEW, PREDICTION AND BETTING TIPS

Saturday, 17/12/2016

Stadium of Light

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After a short spell of resurgence, Sunderland hit a blip once again and find themselves at the foot of the table when Walter Mazzari’s Watford take a trip to Wearside on Saturday. The Black Cats’ survival hopes suffered a massive setback when they were trounced 3-0 by fellow strugglers Swansea last weekend. David Moyes’ side produced a praiseworthy but fruitless display against high-flying Chelsea in the follow up midweek fixture. A solitary Cesc Fabregas goal and a late Thibo Courtois super save denied Sunderland a share in the spoils.

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Watford will be 9 steps and ten points clear off the hosts at kick-off but that doesn’t mean the Hornets should expect a straightforward victory at Stadium of Light. Watford haven’t been comfortable in enemy territories lately and their only win in their last 5 away fixtures came at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough back in October. Watford put on yet another colorless away performance at the Etihades last midweek as the hosts, Manchester City picked up an easy 2-0 win under their belt.

Sunderland’s Jan Kirchhoff tore his knee cartilage during the game against Chelsea and might be looking at a lengthy spell of rehabilitation. Kirchhoff is the fifth Sunderland midfielder who is sidelined by injury adding to the list of Lee Cattermole, Lynden Gooch, Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore. Victor Anichebe(thigh), Javier Manquillo(hamstring) and Steven Pienaar(calf) will be going through late fitness tests before the game.

Watford will be without the services of Argentine midfielder Roberto Pereyra again; this time he’ll be out for medical reasons. Pereyra left the pitch in the 30th minute after sustaining a knee injury during the Manchester City game. Pereyra’s absence could bring skipper Troy Deeney back in contention. The forward hasn’t found the back of the net since early October and stands only one goal away from a 100 goal milestone for his club. Craig Cathcart(groin) is also absent but Valon Behrami and Younes Kaboul could return, the latter might receive a repulsive response from the home-crowd as this is his first visit to Wearside since leaving the Black Cats in summer.

We’ll call this one for the hosts. A 2-1 score-line is the likeliest outcome.

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RECENT FORM

  • Sunderland(20th in the league, last 5 matches in all competitions)

0-1(Home, Chelsea)0-3(Away, Swansea)2-1(Home, Leicester)0-2(Away, Liverpool)3-0(Home, Hull)

  • Watford(11th in the league, last 5 matches in all competitions)

0-2(Away, Manchester City)3-2(Home, Everton)1-3(Away, West Brom)0-1(Home, Stoke)2-1(Home, Leicester)

HEAD TO HEAD

Total Played Watford wins Sunderland wins Draws
41 10 17 14

 

LAST MEETING

15 May, 2016

Vicarage Road

Premier League

Watford 2- Sunderland 2

INTERESTING FACTS

  • Sunderland last 20 home games against teams above them-6 wins, 5 draws, 9 losses
  • Watford last 20 away games against teams below them- 12 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses
  • Sunderland have only failed to score in three of their previous 36 league meetings with Watford, but one of these came at the Stadium of Light last season (0-1).
  • Watford have lost four of their five league trips to the Stadium of Light (W1 D0 L4).
  • Jermain Defoe has scored against 35 different teams in the Premier League, but is yet to score against Watford in the competition (three apps, no goals).
  • Watford mustered 33 shots over their two Premier League meetings with Sunderland last season, more than they did against any other side.
  • David Moyes has won his last five Premier League home meetings against Italian managers – winning three vs Roberto Mancini, one vs Carlo Ancelotti and another vs Claudio Ranieri.
  • Sunderland are the only side yet to score a goal from outside the box in the Premier League this season.
  • The Black Cats have conceded a league-high 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of Premier League matches this season.
  • If Sunderland lose this match then they will be bottom of the Premier League on Christmas Day. 21 of the 24 sides to be bottom of the league at Christmas have been relegated that season.
  • Sunderland are one of only three sides to avoid relegation from the Premier League after being bottom at Christmas, however – they finished 14th in 2013-14.
  • Watford striker Odion Ighalo scored more league goals than any other player in the top four tiers of English football in 2015 (29). In 2016, he has netted just three goals in 31 league apps.

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8:00 pm

Stoke vs Everton Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Stoke City will host an in-form Everton side on Wednesday night after a quiet weekend without FA Cup football. Stoke have been in and out of form this season but Mark Hughes won’t be too much disappointed with his side’s position in the table. The Potters are currently ninth in the standings but they missed out on a great opportunity to move within 2 points of 8th placed West Brom when they played out a 1-1 stalemate at home against Manchester United last week. Juan Mata’s 19th minute own goal seemed to be decisive before Wayne Rooney curled in a sublime equalizer in the fourth minute of injury time to earn the Red Devils a share in the spoils.

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8:00 pm

Manchester United vs Hull Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Manchester United return to Premier League action on Wednesday night after playing two cup ties in four days time. United’s Wednesday visitors Hull City are fresh from their uplifting win over the Red Devils in an EFL Cup semi-final tie last midweek. Jose Mourinho’s men walked into the game with a two goal advantage but failed to establish their command at the KCOM Stadium as the Tigers started strong with a mix of young and promising players in their squad. Omar Niasse and Sam Clucas hit two powerful strikes at David de Gea before Tom Huddlestone scored the first goal for the hosts. Huddlestone made no mistake from the penalty spot after Marcus Rojo was penalized for fouling Harry Maguire inside the penalty box. Manchester United equalized in the 66th minute as Paul Pogba scored his seventh goal for Manchester United. Omar Niasse’s late strike reinstated the lead for Hull but it wasn’t enough to let them through to the final as United won the semifinal on 3-2 aggregate.

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7:45 pm

West Ham vs Manchester City Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

West Ham hope to continue their resurgent form when they host Manchester City on Wednesday night. Slaven Bilic’s men seem to have put aside all the drama involving Dimitri Payet as they fired six goals in their last two games. The Hammers picked up an emphatic 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough last week, becoming only the second team to have scored three goals at the Riverside Stadium this season. Andy Carroll had only two touches inside the Middlesbrough box during the whole game but managed to score in both instances to put his team 2-1 ahead at the interval. Middlesbrough came back strong in the second half but Christian Stuani’s first half strike remained the only consolation for the home-side as Jonathan Calleri scored his first goal for West Ham in the stoppage time to pile more misery on the Boro.

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8:00 pm

Liverpool vs Chelsea Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Antonio Conte visits Anfield with his high-flying Chelsea side on Tuesday night with a view to avenging their home defeat to Liverpool earlier this season. A win in the crunch clash will also see them 13 points clear off Jurgen Klopp’s side and maintain their 8 point lead at the top even though nearest rivals Arsenal manage to win against Watford the same day. Diego Costa, who reportedly had a fall-out with his manager and demanding an exit in summer, showed no lack of concentration as he netted the ball in the first half injury time from a Victor Moses cross. It was the Spaniard’s 15th goal of the season, highest in the Premier League. However, maintaining the lead was no cakewalk for Antonio Conte’s men as they were repeatedly ambushed by Hull from counter-attacks. Gary Cahill secured the points in the 81st minute when he flicked a header into the Hull goal from a Cesc Fabregas free-kick.

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7:45 pm

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Bournemouth eye a return to winning ways when they host Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace on Tuesday night. Eddie Howe’s men are winless in their last four matches and should consider themselves lucky to escape with a point from their last week encounter with Watford. It was Walter Mazzarri’s men who started off on the right foot at Vitality Stadium and instilled panic into the Bournemouth backline. The visitors were awarded for their persistent pressing and took the lead midway through the first half. Christian Kabasele rightfully punished the Cherrie’s for their poor marking as his header went in from a Jose Holebas corner. Joshua King threw the homeside a lifeline by netting the ball from an Adam Smith cross. But the hosts were put to the sword once again as Troy Deeney headed home from another corner. In spite of their defensive errors, Bournemouth looked threatening on attack and continued to probe the opposition half for an equalizer. After a series of attacks, it was substitute Benik Afobe who scored the equalizer late into the game. The draw left Bournemouth with only one win in their last seven games and just outside the top half of the table.

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7:45 pm

Sunderland vs Tottenham Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Rock bottom Sunderland will host Tottenham Hotspurs on Tuesday night hoping for an upset to kick-start a move out of the drop zone. David Moyes’s men have been regular residents of the relegation zone since September and the manager is very much aware that the next few matches might define the future for his team. The Black Cats produced another impotent display last week as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against West Brom at Hawthorns. Sunderland failed to create clear cut opportunities and were ruled out of the game within the first 36 minutes as the Baggies raced up to a 2-0 lead. David Moyes attempted a three men backline, probably being inspired by Chelsea and Tottenham, but it didn’t prove much useful for him.

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7:45 pm

Burnley vs Leicester Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Burnley welcome Premier League champions Leicester City to the fortress they built at Turf Moor for Tuesday’s Premier League action. The Clarets have ensured 25 out of 36 points available at home and have proved to be a formidable force to be dealt with at Turf Moor. Sean Dyche’s men are currently 10 points clear off the drop zone and seem like a safe bet for Premier League survival. They have picked up only one point on the road and came agonizingly close to ensure their second away point last week but was denied by a last minute penalty from Alexis Sanchez. Burnley forward Andre Gray had leveled the game in the injury time by scoring from the penalty spot against his boyhood dream club. But Arsenal were thrown a lifeline by referee Jon Moss when he awarded them a penalty in the final minute of injury time for a foul on Laurent Koscielny. Sanchez kept his cool and sent the ball to the net, scoring his 15th Premier League goal of the season. Earlier, Shkodran Mustafi scored his first Arsenal goal to give Arsenal the lead.

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7:45 am

Middlesbrough vs West Brom Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Middlesbrough would be hoping for a far better outcome after their 3-1 defeat to West Ham at home last week, when they entertain West Brom on Tuesday night. The score-line suggests absolute domination from West Ham throughout the game but actually, Middlesbrough were the ones who enjoyed long spells of possession. They couldn’t make much out of their 60%+ possession and 27 crosses into the opposition box. The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute when Andy Carroll pounded a bullet header into the net from a Manuel Lanzini corner. Boro were quick to react and pulled themselves level as Christian Stuani scored from Callum Chambers’ cross. Adama Traore threatened to steal the lead for the hosts a couple of times but it was West Ham once again, who took the lead. Andy Carroll scored in the brink of half time to make it 2-1 for the Hammers. Middlesbrough dominated the entire second half but failed to find their way back into the game. On the contrary, Jonathan Calleri scored in the injury time to rub salt into Middlesbrough’s wounds.

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7:45 am

Swansea vs Southampton Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

After relishing a historic win at Anfield, the Swans are back on home to face Claude Puele’s Southampton on Tuesday night. Last week’s win over Liverpool was Paul Clement’s first win after taking over on January 3rd. Clement should be overwhelmed by the character his team had shown to outplay Liverpool. Fernando Llorente scored twice in a four minute spell two earn the visitors a 2-0 lead in the 52nd minute. Roberto Firmino responded with a brace to restore temporary parity which was decisively broken by Gylfi Sigurdsson’s 74th minute goal. The win dragged Swansea out of the drop zone and moved them to the 17th position.

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7:45 am

Arsenal vs Watford Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Arsenal might get a golden opportunity to cut the gap with Chelsea ahead of their clash with their West London rivals, when they host a striving Watford on Tuesday night. Chelsea will be visiting Anfield at the same time and if Jorgen Klopp’s men succeed to beat Chelsea, a win against Watford would see Arsenal standing within five points of the Blues. Arsenal kept their Premier League title ambitions alive in the most dramatic way last game-week, when Alexis Sanchez secured the points for his team through a majestic 98th minute Panenka from the penalty spot. The Chilean’s goal came five minutes after Andre Gray leveled the score from a penalty and seemed to have ensured a share in the points for Burnley. Earlier, Shkodran Mustafi scored his first goal for Arsenal to give them the lead. The German outmuscled Stephen Ward to meet Mesut Ozil’s corner in the near post and headed it past Tom Heaton in the bottom corner. But Granit Xhaka’s 65th minute dismissal for a double footed tackle on Steven Defour granted a one match advantage for the visitors. However, the home side managed to fend off the Clarets before the injury time dramatics. The win sent Arsenal second in the league but still they are trailing top positioned Chelsea by a substantial 8 point margin.

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4:00 pm

Manchester United vs Wigan Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Manchester United will play their second cup tie in four days time when they host Wigan Athletic on Sunday afternoon. Jose Mourinho’s men’s 17 match unbeaten run were brought to an end by an impressive Hull City at midweek but they still managed to qualify for the final, winning the semifinal 3-2 on aggregate. The Red Devils are unbeaten in all competitions since September and they should expect their unbeaten run against Wigan, who are striving for survival in Championship football. The Latics have won their last two games in the Championship but still, they are 21st in the table and the relegation threat still looms large. Mourinho have shown that he doesn’t treat this matches lightly and is expected to field a strong squad against Wigan to ensure progress to the next round of the competition.

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12:30 pm

Liverpool vs Wolves Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Liverpool will host another cup tie on Saturday after their disappointing exit from the EFL Cup semifinal at midweek. The lunchtime kick-off will see the Reds take on Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who sit 18th in the Championship standings. This might be the perfect opportunity for Jurgen Klopp’s men to lift up their morale ahead of a crunch clash against Chelsea on Tuesday night. Even though Liverpool had a horrible start to 2017, they would still be favorites to get the job done against the Wolves who aren’t in prime form either. Wolverhampton enter the fray after a 3-1 defeat to Norwich last week. The Wolves were also unlucky in their last three confrontations with Liverpool, having lost each of them and scoring only once.

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7:55 pm

Derby vs Leicester Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

For this match we think there might be a bit of an upset and that the Rams will book a spot in the last 16. Leicester's form is poor and the Title holders in our opinion were lucky last Premier League season. Riyadh Maurer and Islam Slimane are on international duty too.

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7:45 pm

Hull vs Manchester United Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Hull City welcome Manchester United on Thursday night for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie. Hull City will be trailing the game by 2-0 at kick-off but they will also be confident of their three match unbeaten run at home. Manager Mark Phelan has made his mark by defeating Swansea in the FA Cup and Bournemouth in the following week. The Tigers travelled to London at weekend to face the top placed Chelsea and produced an admirable endeavour to derail the Blues’ title charge. The match ended in 2-0 for the West Londoners but Chelsea were often cornered by a Hull attack who were missing their nucleus figure Robert Snodgrass.

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8:00 pm

Liverpool vs Southampton Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Liverpool hope to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home when they meet Southampton in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday night. Liverpool have struggled in their recent matches and suffered another severe blow to their title challenge on Saturday as they surrendered the points to relegation fighters Swansea at home. Fernando Lllorente struck twice within the opening minutes of second half before Roberto Firmino scored a brace to restore parity. But Liverpool had no answer to Gylfi SIggurdsson’s 74th minute strike and tasted defeat at home for the first time this season.

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7:45 pm

Plymouth vs Liverpool Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Everyone both nationally and internationally, will be firmly focused on Home Park on Wednesday. Having failed to get the job done against Plymouth in the FA Cup 3rd Round first time round Liverpool now have an arduous journey to the south coast. At least it will be a festival atmosphere at Home Park when the League Two side welcome giants Liverpool on Wednesday evening!

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4:00 pm

Manchester United vs Liverpool Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Manchester United is set to renew their rivalry with arch-rivals Liverpool in a highly anticipated Sunday afternoon clash. The Red Devils enter the fray in stunning form, having won nine games in a row in all competitions. Yet the Sunday hosts find themselves five points worse off than their Merseyside counterparts and are currently positioned sixth in the league table.

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1:30 pm

Everton vs Manchester City Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Everton welcome Manchester City on Sunday as they continue their quest for a European qualification spot. Everton did well to extract seven points out of the possible nine during the festive period which saw Ronald Koeman’s side moving up to the 7th position in the league. A top four finish seems highly unlikely but the Merseysiders might still get a taste of European football this season if they manage to finish sixth. A win over Manchester City would bring Everton within six points of sixth placed Manchester United, who face Liverpool later on.

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5:30 pm

Leicester vs Chelsea Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Leicester City would remain unbeaten in three games should they manage to inflict more damage on Chelsea’s league table lead, who were denied a record 14 match winning record last game-week. Claudio Ranieri faces the challenge to maintain the top-flight status despite winning the title last season. Leicester picked up an encouraging victory at Goodison Park on Saturday, avenging their Boxing Day defeat to the Toffees. Leicester seemed destined for another disappointment when Romelu Lukaku’s close range strike put the hosts ahead. But Leicester substitute Ahmed Musa orchestrated a stunning comeback for the Foxes as the Nigerian struck twice in a span of five minutes to turn the game.

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12:30 pm

Tottenham vs West Brom Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Tottenham hope to keep their title bid on track when West Brom come to challenge the Lilywhites to a Saturday lunchtime Premier League encounter. Tottenham stopped Chelsea’s 13 match winning juggernaut in the previous game-week to climb up third in the standings. Antonio Conte’s men’s failure to register a record 14th win in a row meant they stand five points above second placed Chelsea and seven points above third placed Spurs. A win against West Brom would consolidate their title credentials in an opened up league.

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7:45 pm

Southampton vs Liverpool Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

After being held by lower league opponents in the FA Cup earlier this week, both Liverpool and Southampton will look to bounce back with a first leg win when the sides meet at St.Mary’s Stadium on Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final tie. Southampton have lost three games in the league since Christmas and the wheel of fortune were yet to turn in their favor on Sunday as Championship side Norwich City forced a replay of their FA Cup third round fixture. Steven Naismith scored in the dying minutes at Carrow Road to finish the game 2-2, denying the Saints their first victory in all competitions since mid December.

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8:00 pm

Manchester United vs Hull Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Manchester United face Hull City on the first leg of their EFL Cup semifinal tie at home on Tuesday night. The Red Devils won 8 matches in succession for the first time since 2009 as they crushed Championship side Reading 4-0 at home in an FA Cup third round fixture on Saturday. Manchester United captain Wayne Rooneymade history with his 7th minute opener which saw him draw level with club legend Sir Bobby Charlton’s all time highest scoring record for the Red Devils. Rooney touched the 249 goal milestone in 543 appearances, 215 matches and four seasons earlier than Charlton. Anthony Martial doubled the lead eight minutes later before Marcus Rashford scored a double in the second half.

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4:00 pm

Tottenham vs Aston Villa Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Tottenham might still be living in a world of ecstasy after their fabulous win over West London rivals Chelsea when Aston Villa come to visit them in a FA Cup third round fixture on Sunday afternoon. Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Chelsea ended their 13 match winning streak and denied the Blues a share in the record of Arsenal’s 14 match winning streak. The victory also lifted the Lilywhites to the third position in the standings as their North London rivals Arsenal dipped to fifth. Delle Alli scored twice in the match as Spurs gave minimal chance of a comeback to Antonio Conte’s men, who seemed to have run out of ideas to avoid Spurs’ steamrolling.

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1:30 pm

Liverpool vs Plymouth Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

League-Two outfit Plymouth Argyle make a trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon with the hopes of making further progress in the FA Cup. The Pilgrims have eliminated Mansfield and Newport to reach the third round of the competition but now face a mammoth task of overriding Jorgen Klopp’s Liverpool to survive in the competition. History is against Derek Adam’s side but he would be hoping his side would cause an upset at Anfield, a ground where they are yet to win. Plymouth were dethroned as the leaders of League Two by a 1-0 away defeat against Barnet on Monday. Plymouth are currently second in the league trailing Doncaster by four points but have a game in hand.

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5:30 pm

Preston vs Arsenal Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Arsenal head to Deepdale on FA Cup duty after a disappointing draw against Bournemouth last midweek. The 3-3 thriller at Vitality Stadium may or may not have written the obituary for Arsenal’s title ambitions but the Gunners will draw inspiration from the character they’ve shown in the last 20 minutes, which helped them overturn a 3-0 deficit. Arsene Wenger have won six FA Cup titles during his 21 year stint at Arsenal and should he lift the trophy for the seventh time this season, he will surpass former Aston Villa manager George Ramsey, who also has the honor of guiding his team to six FA Cup silverwares. The Frenchman has already voiced that FA Cup is a “big priority” for his club and is expected to select a strong line-up from the available options he has.

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3:00 pm

Sunderland vs Burnley Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Sunderland get an immediate chance of retribution when they host Burnley in a FA Cup third round tie on Saturday afternoon. The Black Cats were thrashed 4-1 at Turf Moor by the Clarets last Saturday when the sides faced off in a Premier League encounter. Monday’s 2-2 draw against league title contenders Liverpool will obviously help Sunderland’s cause and they will look for a repeating performance to see off Burnley at home turf. Daniel Defoe scored twice from the spot to make the Merseysiders drop points but it wasn’t just a touch of luck that they managed to salvage something from the match. Sunderland organized some menacing attacks throughout the game to disrupt the Liverpool backline and also dropped in numbers to defend their goalpost against one of the most formidable attacking side of the league.

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3:00 pm

Hull vs Swansea Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Marco Silva will have his first taste of English football when his side take on Paul Clement’s Swansea, who, coincidentally, is also a new managerial recruit, in a FA Cup third round clash on Saturday afternoon. Silva is tasked with the challenge of dragging Hull out of the relegation zone and a win against fellow strugglers Swansea could give them the necessary momentum to revive their below par season. Silva also faces the challenge of convincing a considerable group of Hull fans who have declared to boycott the matches believing a change in management is not sufficient to improve their current situation.

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3:00 pm

Stoke vs Wolves Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Stoke City had been going through a series of ups and downs this seasons but they will be welcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon on the back of a revitalizing win against Watford on Tuesday night. They ended a dreadful spell of five winless matches as Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch scored for the Potters and brought them three steps up to the 11th position. Stoke is popularly considered to be an intimidating place to visit for opposition teams, but this season, Stoke have managed to win only win four out eleven games at the bet365 stadium. Mark Hughes would hope his team manages to pick up their fifth home victory of the season to pave their road towards Wembley.

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12:30 pm

Manchester United vs Reading Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

Manchester United start their FA Cup title defense on Saturday afternoon against Championship side Reading. Reading manager Jaap Stam will set foot in the turfs of Old Trafford for the first time since his unhappy exit from Manchester United 16 years ago. The Dutchman, a member of the treble winning Manchester United side of 1999, was controversially sold to Lazio in 2001 by Sir Alex Fergusson after he had made some controversial comments on the club in his autobiography. Undoubtedly, Stam would be looking to mark his return to the Old Trafford with a memorable victory over his old club. Stam has done an impressive job in his first managerial role by bringing Reading back in contention for a Premier League return , who finished 17th in the Championships last year. Reading are currently 3rd in the Championship and have infused Dutch flavored pressing and passing into their playing style which saw them averaging an impressive 60% possession per game.

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7:55 pm

West Ham vs Manchester City Betting Tips, Predictions, and Preview

After a hectic run of Premier League fixtures West Ham and Manchester City turn their attention to the FA Cup as the teams are set to lock horns in a FA Cup third round encounter at London Stadium on Friday night. The Hammers lost their winning momentum during the jam packed festive period when they lost back to back games against Leicester(0-1) and Manchester United(0-2). Slaven Bilic’s men had to play with 10 men for 75 minutes in their 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester United on Monday. Sofiane Fehgouli was harshly shown a straight red by match official Mark Dean for his challenge on Phil Jones. Feghoulli, however, will be eligible to play against Manchester City on Friday as he had his suspension rescinded by the FA on Wednesday. Substitutes Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata made combined impact to break the Hammers’ resistance in the second half as the youngster brilliantly evaded a number of challenges before cutting back the ball to Mata. The Spaniard made no mistake to hit the target before Zlatan Ibrahimovic added a controversial second to see off the Hammers.

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