Welcome to Tipster Picks!
We all need a bit of help sometimes, and our tipping trio are always on hand to share their wisdom in our games. They are:
- The Mailman – Better service than De Bruyne
- The Teacher – Giving lessons on a weekly
- Incognito Pro – The best spy since Bielsa
Will you follow their advice, or go your own way?
Ahead of the Football Survivor and Big5 2023/24 season opener this August 12, the tipsters have been mining the data once again:
The Mailman says…
- My pick: “Arsenal have recovered in style and got their title charge back on track since their Champions League exit and loss to Villa in the league; with back-to-back wins against both Wolves and Chelsea. The Gunners put five away against Chelsea in a dominant performance and will be looking to put another London rival to the sword when they travel to Tottenham on Sunday. Arsenal won this fixture 2-0 last season and will be confident of a similar result as the top scorers of the season with 82 goals, and also leading the way defensively with 16 clean sheets!“
- Potential pick: “Palace are on a roll with three impressive wins in a row against Liverpool, West Ham, and Newcastle and have distanced themselves nicely from the relegation battle at the bottom of the table. Mateta has been on fire recently, scoring 5 goals in his last four games, and with the returns of Olise and Eze, they will fancy scoring more against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday who conceded 3 goals at home in their last league outing.“
- Risky pick: “Chelsea were woeful in their 5-0 loss against Arsenal on Tuesday night, and seemed to greatly miss their playmaker and top scorer Cole Palmer. The Blues had been on an unbeaten 9-game run, but have now lost two in a row in all competitions after also being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City last Saturday. Chelsea travel to Villa Park this weekend to face an in-form Villa side with back-to-back wins in the Premier League against Arsenal and Bournemouth, and looking to cement their top-four Champions League spot.“
The Teacher says…
- My pick: “The rewards on offer in this game suggest it’s virtually 50-50 but, for me, that’s wrong. Villa are 19 points better off and have already beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. At home, they’ve won 12 and lost just three of 17 and scored a league-high 43 times. You never know what you’ll get from Chelsea but they were awful again at Arsenal on Monday, losing 5-0. Villa are the better team and can prove it.“
- Potential pick: “With Oliver Glasner’s feet now fully under the table at Selhurst Park, Palace have found some form, winning their last three. Significantly, their expected-goals (xG) figure is up from 1.23 pre-Glasner to 1.65 under the Austrian. Fulham’s season appears to be petering out with just one win in their last five. The Cottagers also have a poor recent record against Palace, winning just one of the last eight league meetings.“
- Risky pick: “ This United side is hard to trust and short prices about them always worry me. They struggled past Sheffield United in midweek and that was their first win in five in the league. Burnley have lost just once in seven and are fighting for their lives – victory here would pull them level with 17th-placed Forest. United have the fourth-highest expected goals against tally so Burnley should get chances…“
Incognito Pro says…
- My pick: “Aston Villa take on a Chelsea side on Saturday evening that were comprehensively beaten 5-0 by Arsenal in their mid-week Premier League game. Villa head into this fixture looking to make it three wins in a row in the league, and to widen the gap between them and their top-four rivals Tottenham who have a tricky fixture against Arsenal. Villa have only lost three times at home this season, and all were at the hands of teams higher in the league than Chelsea!“
- Potential pick: “Manchester United did struggle slightly in their victories in both the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry, and in their league win against Sheffield United on Wednesday night. However, they are undefeated in their last three league games and have scored an impressive 8 goals in those games. United face Burnley who also beat Sheffield United in their last league game, but the Clarets have not beaten anyone in the top ten this season and have not beaten United in their last six meetings.“
- Risky pick: “Fulham host Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, and worryingly have only beaten West Ham in their last five league games. This is in contrast to their opponents Palace who will be aiming to make it four wins in a row at Craven Cottage, which would incidently equal the two team’s points tally so far for the season. Alarmingly, you have to go back to 2005 to see the last time that the Cottagers beat Palace at home!“
Good luck!
