'Arsenal's wingers must be licking their lips at the prospect of going up against Manchester City's inexperienced full-backs' – Coral's Chris Wood joins our Expert Jury
Racing Post Sport experts Phil Agius, Warren Ashurst and Ian Wilkerson are joined by Coral's Chris Wood to discuss this week's big football talking points
What’s your best bet for this weekend?
Phil Agius, Racing Post Sport: There's a danger that League Two Grimsby's excellent results in the EFL Cup will affect their league performances, but the Mariners look a fair price to win at Barnet. The Bees won at Crewe last Saturday but that was only their third success in ten games this season.
Warren Ashurst, Racing Post Sport: There are 12 places and seven points separating Stevenage and Exeter and the hosts look a solid bet to take the victory. Alex Revell’s men are unbeaten in their last three games and have won all three of their league matches at Broadhall Way. Stevenage have also enjoyed a free midweek while Exeter lost 1-0 to Cardiff in the EFL Trophy, which made it three defeats on the bounce for the Grecians.
Ian Wilkerson, Racing Post Sport: Manchester United were overrun in midfield in the derby against City last week and Ruben Amorim’s stubbornness means the situation may not be rectified against Chelsea, who should be in for a much more comfortable time at Old Trafford than they endured at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Chris Wood, Coral: Chris Richards and/or Marc Guehi to score against West Ham. The Hammers have struggled massively defending set-pieces this season while Palace have clearly been working on them. Richards was on the scoresheet after coming on as sub in midweek and Guehi is always a threat and both look attractive prices to find the net.
£50 In Free Acca Bets When You Place A £10 Acca (5+ legs)
- Freeze a winning score and win a leg of your acca early with AccaFreeze
Who are the most vulnerable favourites?
PA: Ange Postecoglou usually needs time to turn his teams into trophy winners and his Nottingham Forest side look short as favourites to win on the road at Burnley. The Clarets have battled well against Manchester United and Liverpool in their last two games and won't lie down easily.
WA: I wouldn’t feel confident backing Brighton to beat Tottenham at the Amex, especially when you consider Thomas Frank’s recent record against the Seagulls. In his time in charge of Brentford, Frank lost just one of the last six meetings with Brighton and now takes an in-form Spurs team to the south coast.
IW: Aston Villa have endured a poor start and I’m in no rush to back them at Sunderland. The Midlanders are struggling for goals and the Black Cats will fancy their chances having already beaten West Ham and Brentford on their own patch.
CW: Plymouth's results have improved slightly but Tom Cleverley's team still don't look like a cohesive unit and I'm not sure they should be odds-on against any other League One side at the moment.
Who will be the next Premier League manager to go?
PA: West Ham have conceded three goals in four of their five matches this season and after a poor end to last season with only two wins in their last 11 games, time has to be running out for Graham Potter.
WA: Graham Potter seems to be pushing water up a hill and there’s no sign of any respite, with Crystal Palace at home, Everton away and Arsenal away in the next three league fixtures. West Ham’s board are normally patient with their manager but, with the pressure mounting on them from outraged fans, Potter may find he is given less time than his predecessors.
IW: There are plainly problems at West Ham but it seems the clock is ticking for Amorim. The more his record gets compared to Gary Neville’s at Valencia, the greater the pressure will be and I think he’ll be gone before Christmas.
CW: Graham Potter looks absolutely doomed with another poor display this weekend but that is a fairly dull answer. Of the bigger prices, Marco Silva has been looking increasingly unhappy – even by his standards – in recent weeks and wouldn't take a lot of convincing if the right job came up.
Where's the value in Arsenal vs Manchester City?
PA: Given Arsenal's injury problems, the value has to lie with the away side. The schedule doesn't help Pep Guardiola's team, who will have had two fewer days to rest and prepare, but Manchester City should be much closer to full strength than their hosts.
WA: I think there’s every chance this will be cagey, with both teams know a defeat will be a big early setback to their title hopes. Erling Haaland is back firing on all cylinders and Arsenal are likely to try to shackle the Norwegian and keep City at arm's length. I think the evens on offer for under 2.5 goals is good value - the same bet has landed in three of the last five meetings.
IW: Arsenal have impressed so far but they don’t seem able to go for the throat in the big league games. City have had their issues but they looked strong enough against United to suggest that they can get something from their Emirates trip, so I’ll go for the visitors in the double-chance market.
CW: Arsenal's wingers must be licking their lips at the prospect of going up against Manchester City's inexperienced full-backs. Depending on which of them starts, Noni Madueke and/or Gabriel Martinelli both appeal in the scorer markets.
Give us your Europa League winner
PA: Roma missed out on Champions League qualification by only one point after a slow start to last season. New manager Gian Piero Gasperini needs to settle after spending the last nine years with Atalanta but they have the quality required to go deep in the competition.
WA: Nottingham Forest offer good value for me, especially when you consider their new manager lifted the trophy last season. Forest are set up tactically to be able to hit teams quickly on the break, especially away from home and, at 10-1, I think they are a good bet to go deep in the competition.
IW: Aston Villa look fragile favourites and it could pay to look a bit further down the list. Lille have enjoyed a strong start in Ligue 1 and they may be able to build on that and put together a strong run.
CW: I think Fenerbahce are the most interesting option after a very active transfer window. Jhon Duran, Ederson, Milan Skriniar and Marco Asensio are all smart signings who should still be playing in a top-five league and 33-1 could be made to look a mammoth price.
£50 In Free Acca Bets When You Place A £10 Acca (5+ legs)
- Freeze a winning score and win a leg of your acca early with AccaFreeze
Read more top football tips from the Racing Post:
Middlesbrough vs West Brom predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder
The Early Bird: Weekend football predictions & free betting accumulator tips from James Milton
Football accumulator tips for Friday September 19: Back our acca at 9-1 with bet365
Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post
Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.
Published on inOpinion
Last updated
Copy- Star-studded Real Madrid are still struggling to work as a team
- Weekend Jury: 'At 7-1, he’s a big runner to be named Player of the Match in the FA Cup final'
- From Bruno to Blundell – the incredibly unofficial awards for the 2025-26 football season
- Weekend Jury: 'It’s hard to argue that they should be 10-11 to beat any Premier League team'
- Better the Red Devil you know? Mark Langdon thinks United should stick with Carrick
- Star-studded Real Madrid are still struggling to work as a team
- Weekend Jury: 'At 7-1, he’s a big runner to be named Player of the Match in the FA Cup final'
- From Bruno to Blundell – the incredibly unofficial awards for the 2025-26 football season
- Weekend Jury: 'It’s hard to argue that they should be 10-11 to beat any Premier League team'
- Better the Red Devil you know? Mark Langdon thinks United should stick with Carrick