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Free Premier League football tips for Saturday's 3pm matches

Chelsea can shut out Newcastle | Norwich may crash at Bournemouth

Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham (right) have seized their opportunity at Chelsea
Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham (right) have seized their opportunity at ChelseaCredit: Catherine Ivill

Free Premier League football tips for Saturday's 3pm matches: Aston Villa v Brighton, Bournemouth v Norwich, Chelsea v Newcastle, Leicester v Burnley, Tottenham v Watford and Wolves v Southampton.

Best bets

Draw in Aston Villa v Brighton
1pt 12-5 general
Back this tip with William HillBournemouth
3pts 8-11 general
Back this tip with bet365
Chelsea to win 2-0
1pt 6-1bet365, Betfred, BoyleSports
Back this tip with bet365
Leicester and both teams to score
1pt 13-5 bet365, BoyleSports, Coral
Back this tip with CoralTottenham and both teams to score
1pt 9-5Betway, BoyleSports
Back this tip with Coral
Southampton or draw double chance
1pt Evs Hills
Back this tip with William Hill

Aston Villa v Brighton

Team news

Aston Villa
Jota is unavailable after undergoing hernia surgery.

Brighton
Leandro Trossard (groin) and Shane Duffy (calf) are back in contention but Jose Izquierdo and Bernardo remain sidelined.

Verdict

Aston Villa and Brighton have spent the last two weeks basking in the afterglow of impressive victories - Villa won 5-1 at Norwich and while the Seagulls beat Tottenham 3-0 -but both remain at risk of relegation and might be happy to settle for a draw this week.

Brighton are playing more expansively and fully deserved their victory over Spurs.

Seagulls manager Graham Potter has the option of restoring fit-again centre-back Shane Duffy to the line up and his improving side can hold their own against the Villans, who have drawn their last two home fixtures.

Key stat

Brighton have won just one of their last eight away league games.

Bournemouth v Norwich City

Team news

Bournemouth
Adam Smith (hamstring) and Dan Gosling (hip) are back in contention but David Brooks (ankle), Charlie Daniels and Junior Stanislas (both knee) are out.

Norwich
Tom Trybull (ankle), Alex Tettey (groin), Tim Krul (back), Mario Vrancic (calf) and Onel Hernandez (knee) are back in training but Christoph Zimmermann (foot) and Timm Klose (knee) are out long-term.

Verdict

Norwich pulled off one of the shocks of the season when defeating Manchester City 3-2 last month but they are set for a fourth successive defeat when facing mid-table Bournemouth on the south coast.

The international break has allowed a few Norwich players to return to full training but Daniel Farke's side still look suspect at the back without key centre-back Christoph Zimmermann.

The Canaries were torn apart by Aston Villa a fortnight ago and could suffer a similar fate against a slick Cherries side spearheaded by Callum Wilson and Josh King.

Key stat

Norwich have not kept a clean sheet in their last 14 league games.

Chelsea v Newcastle

Team news

Chelsea
N'Golo Kante (muscle injury) is back in contention and Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger (both groin) are doubts but Emerson (thigh) misses out.

Newcastle
Matt Ritchie (ankle) remains sidelined and Isaac Hayden continues his suspension.

Verdict

Chelsea have kept just one Premier League clean sheet this season but have a great chance to make it two against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

This season was supposed to be a tricky one for the Blues but confidence is on the rise after back-to-back league wins, which have lifted the Londoners to fifth.

The international break can be energy-sapping but Chelsea's youthful side have bags of energy and should eventually find a way past the Magpies, who are much better in defence than attack.

Key stat

Chelsea have won their last seven home fixtures against Newcastle.

Leicester City v Burnley

Team news

Leicester
James Maddison has recovered from illness and no fresh injuries are reported.

Burnley
Johann Berg Gudmundsson (hamstring) and Danny Drinkwater (ankle) are out, Ashley Barnes (groin) and Jack Cork (shoulder) are doubts and Erik Pieters (ankle) is available.

Verdict

Losing out to an injury-time penalty at Anfield was tough to take for Leicester but the two-week break has given them some mental breathing space and they can respond with a victory over Burnley.

Despite playing four of their eight matches against big-six clubs Leicester are fourth and have an easier bunch of matches coming up.

The Foxes have netted ten goals in their last three home games and might have to score at least twice against the Clarets, who have scored in seven of eight league matches this term.

Key stat

Burnley have scored in eight of their last nine league games.

Tottenham Hotspur v Watford

Team news

Tottenham
Giovani Lo Celso (hip) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) are back in training but Christian Eriksen (dead leg) is a doubt. Hugo Lloris (elbow) is out long-term.

Watford
Troy Deeney (knee), Sebastian Prodl (muscle injury) and Etienne Capoue (back) are ruled out.

Verdict

Few teams in the top flight are lower on confidence that Tottenham and Watford, who go head-to-head in a key game in north London.

Watford's survival hopes are diminishing as they still chase a first league win of the season and Spurs are under huge pressure after dismal losses at home to Bayern Munich and at Brighton.

Tension in the stands could contribute to mistakes on the pitch but Spurs look the likelier winners in a match with plenty of goal potential.

Key stat

Tottenham have kept one clean sheet in their last 11 games.

Wolves v Southampton

Team news

Wolves
Diogo Jota (foot) and Morgan Gibbs-White (back) are in contention but Leander Dendoncker (stomach), Romain Saiss (hamstring) and Pedro Neto (foot) are doubts.

Southampton
Moussa Djenepo (tendon) and Cedric Soares (calf) are out.

Verdict

Wolves continue to excel against the biggest teams but they remain vulnerable against the lesser lights and may struggle to justify odds-on favouritism against Southampton.

Nuno Espirito Santo sets his side up to play counter-attacking football and his tactics worked a treat against Manchester City 13 days ago with Wolves chalking up a hugely impressive 2-0 victory.

However, Wolves are far less astute at breaking down organised defences and may have their problems against the Saints, who have won two of their last three away league games.

Key stat

Southampton have won four of their last five away fixtures.


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Dan ChildsRacing Post Sport

Published on 18 October 2019inPremier League

Last updated 15:34, 18 October 2019

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