SOCCER Betting News, Match-Ups and Trends For Saturday 3/2/19

A full slate of games mid-week followed by a full slate of games on the weekend? Awesome feeling.

Quick Recap of Round 28 Best Bets: We went 2&0 on our best bets for 2.5U. The additional picks went 4&2 for an added 0.65U. The fade of Huddersfield backfired, but that game played out similarly to how most thought, but wrong team with the goal. Leicester got the win, but it wasn’t as clean as I expected. Fulham continue to let in goals and not get results, we tested whether this would hold true with Southampton and won both. Arsenal team total FLEW over, but City could not find the back of the net, which limited any chance we had at hitting the o2.5. Man United game went exactly as expected nabbing both half-time and full-time results. Lastly, Liverpool dominated Watford, but it happened to be TOO dominant. We won the larger portion of the best bet with the win to nil, but u3 got toasted which is always a risk in a Liverpool game.

All teams are coming in on short rest, but not all teams have mid-week games to look forward to. Four of the top 6 will all play mid-week European fixtures, so perhaps there’s a chance for teams to be in lookahead spots. Also, this weekend consists of Derby Matches which always creates added excitement. With that said, let’s take a look at this weekend’s best bets. Warning: I like a lot this weekend, so please perform smart bankroll management and stick to unit sizing.

West Ham vs Newcastle (Sat. March 2nd, 12:30PM)

West Ham: during the midweek, West Ham lost 1-0 to Manchester City. They were dominated, but at the same time put up a resilient effort. A few normal starters got the game off to rest, and this could provide value this weekend. It is expected that West Ham have Arnautovic back to start up top. The Hammers have been in good home form with a record of 6-2-2 in their last 10.

Newcastle: a spark has been lit, perhaps? The team is coming in off of two straight home wins by the score of 2-0. These wins came against Burnley and Huddersfield, so take it with a grain of salt, but the offense is looking more fluid and Miguel Almiron has added a needed spark. They have not won an away game in the Premier League in their last 5.

The Bet: Perhaps you expect me to bet West Ham considering how good their home form is and how porous Newcastle have been on the road? But I am taking a different direction. I see goals in this game. Like I mentioned, the Hammers are returning their best striker and are in good home form. They will be good for at least one. On the other side, Newcastle have looked “lively” lately and West Ham are no wall on defense. I see BTTS in this game, but I am going to believe one of these teams bag a second. The over 2.5 at +100 is spicy to me and I could see this game ending 2-2, 3-2.

Best Bet: West Ham vs Newcastle O2.5 (+100) 2U

Fulham vs Chelsea (Sun. March 3rd, 9:05am)

Fulham: a 2-0 defeat..to Southampton? Head Coach Ranieri was deservedly sacked. This squad has lost 8 of they last 9 games, with the lone win coming against Brighton. They are falling farther and farther into the relegation zone and showing little signs of life. The team has some scoring talent up-front which makes me think they can compete here. In 13 games at home, they have 17 goals.

Chelsea: well, they got the result they needed and even got two goals with only one-shot on goal… quite impressive if you ask me. Their scoring continues to be questionable, but what team would you rather play if that’s the case? The Blues are in a must-win spot if they want to climb back into the Champions League four. They have scored 19 on the road while conceding 20.

The Bet: This game is more of a gut feeling than a numbers don’t lie play. But sometimes it is nice to have a mix of both. I expect Fulham to have a mini-bounce back here with the manager being fired, and it being against a high-level opponent. You would think this would give them some motivation to get a result. On the other side of the pitch, Chelsea are in a must win spot. I do not see either teams defense keeping a shutout, and expect both teams to continually push for goals. This game ends 2-2 or 2-1 Chelsea.

Best Bet: Fulham vs Chelsea BTTS & O2.5 (+120) 2U

Additional Picks

3/2 Tottenham vs Arsenal BTTS & o2.5 @ (-120) 1u

3/2 Harry Kane AGS (-138) 0.5u

3/2 Bournemouth vs Man City BBTS 1h (+333) 0.5u

3/2 Bournemouth +2 vs Man City (-110) 0.5u

3/2 Burnley vs CP BTTS (-125) 1u

3/2 CP ML & BTTS (+450) 0.25u

3/2 Brighton ML (-118) 1u

3/2 Brighton & Under 2.5 (+225) 0.25u

3/2 Glenn Murray FGS (+350) 0.25u

3/2 Wolves win to nil (+130) 0.5u

3/3 Watford vs Leicester BTTS (-143) 1u