Premier League and FA Cup Bet Builder tips and predictions: Assist aces to shine at Wembley

When to bet

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa
BBC One, 5.15pm Saturday

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
ITV, 4.30pm Sunday

Liverpool vs Tottenham 
Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Premier League, 5.30pm Sunday

Best bets

Eberechi Eze over 0.5 assists
1pt 11-2 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes

Youri Tielemans over 0.5 assists
1pt 13-2 Coral, Ladbrokes

Matheus Nunes to be booked
1pt 15-4 bet365

Mohamed Salah to score two or more goals
1pt 16-5 Betfair, Paddy Power 

FA Bet Builder player tips

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa

FA Cup semi-finals can often come down to fine margins and set-pieces may provide the most obvious route to goal for Crystal Palace or Aston Villa, who have dominated from such situations this season. 

Villa’s Premier League tally of 14 set-piece goals is only topped by Palace’s 15, and the pair’s dead-ball specialists could come to the fore at Wembley. 

Only two players have created more chances from corners than Youri Tielemans’ 18 in the Premier League and he could notch a fifth assist in seven games, and his 11th of the season, against Palace. 

However, the Belgian will not be the only set-piece specialist on the pitch. Much of Palace's play tends to go through Eberechi Eze and the England star should shine on Saturday, just as he did when notching an assist in Palace’s 4-1 rout of Villa in February. 

Eze has 11 assists this season and has created a Premier League-high 12 chances from indirect free-kicks, making him another appealing assister selection in the weekend’s first semi-final. 

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Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

The second of the weekend’s Wembley showdowns will see two vastly contrasting styles on show, with Nottingham Forest facing Manchester City. 

Forest’s 39.3 per cent average possession per game is the lowest in the Premier League while City’s 61.6 per cent marks the highest in the division. 

The Citizens will look to dominate the ball on the vast Wembley pitch but, as they commit bodies forward in a bid to break down a stubborn Forest defence, they could become vulnerable on the break. 

Matheus Nunes, City’s match-winner against Aston Villa on Tuesday, has done well at right-back this term but he could be caught out of position on occasion, especially as 45 per cent of Forest's attacks have come down their left flank. 

The Portuguese has picked up three bookings in his last six matches and with one of those coming at the City Ground last month, he looks a big price for a card in the capital on Sunday.

Premier League Bet Builder player tips

Liverpool vs Tottenham

Having gone six games without a goal, Mohamed Salah is enduring an uncharacteristic dry spell but he can bounce back in style against an opponent he loves to face, Tottenham. 

Since joining Liverpool, Salah has netted 13 goals in 18 appearances against Spurs and he has a great opportunity to add to that tally – and his league-high 27 goals – as the Merseysiders look to win the Premier League in swashbuckling style. 

Tottenham will have one eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt and may rest players accordingly, opening the door for the Egyptian goal machine to net a couple of goals, just as he did in Liverpool’s 6-3 rout in the reverse fixture. 

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Premier League player stats

Stats refer to Premier League games only

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