Chelsea v Manchester City betting tips and odds plus Romelu Lukaku in a 9/1 striker special and the rest of the Premier League predictions

  • Chelsea host Manchester City in the Premier League game of the weekend
  • You can get 5/1 that Alvaro Morata and Gabriel Jesus are both on target 
  • Manchester United are at home to rock-bottom Crystal Palace 
  • Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku is 10/1 to bag his first hat-trick for United 

It was the joy of six for the big boys last weekend and after half a dozen games the top of the table has a familiar feel - it’s beginning to look a lot like the Premier League.

Arsenal haven’t joined the party just yet but they’re just one place outside in seventh with Watford keeping their seat warm.

Manchester United, City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and the Gunners all won last time out but there’s no chance of a repeat as something has to give at Stamford Bridge in the game of the weekend.


Free-scoring City lead the standings on goal difference, head the betting for the title (they’re 19/20 to be champions) but, without Sergio Aguero, are a bigger price than Chelsea. You can get 9/5 they win Saturday’s late game while a home victory is on offer at 33/20 with the draw 27/10.

Gabriel Jesus (above) will carry the goalscoring responsibility in the absence of Sergio Aguero

Gabriel Jesus (above) will carry the goalscoring responsibility in the absence of Sergio Aguero

Alvaro Morata has scored six Premier League goals for Chelsea and is joint-top of the charts

Alvaro Morata has scored six Premier League goals for Chelsea and is joint-top of the charts

Season at a glance

  • Premier League
  • Premier League
  • Championship
  • League One
  • League Two
  • Scottish Premiership
  • Scottish Div 1
  • Scottish Div 2
  • Scottish Div 3
  • Ligue 1
  • Serie A
  • La Liga
  • Bundesliga

After a big win at Stoke and a much more impressive one at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea are back on their own patch where they’ve dropped their only points of the season – the opening-day defeat by Burnley and goalless draw with Arsenal.

But they did the double over City last season and Pep Guardiola is yet to get the better of them in seven attempts as a manager, drawing four and losing three.

City are flying and scoring for fun but, the Liverpool game aside, Chelsea have faced the stiffer tests this season - taking a point from Arsenal’s best display of the season, and beating Tottenham and Atletico.

The draw looks the best bet here and if the star strikers on show keep doing what they’re doing it could be an entertaining one.

Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata has six Premier League goals, the same mark Aguero who was injured in a car accident in Holland last night, and United star Romelu Lukaku. Gabriel Jesus has four in five games having missed last week's rout of Crystal Palace and he's set to get straight back in. Sky bet have price-boosted Morata and Jesus both to score to 5/1.

We keep waiting on Eden Hazard opening his account for the season and he's partial to a goal against City - three in his last five. He's 9/4 at any time while Kevin De Bruyne on the other side is a shade under 4/1. 

You can get 12/1 with several bookies this one finishes 2-2.

We're still waiting on Eden Hazard to open his account for the season for the Blues

We're still waiting on Eden Hazard to open his account for the season for the Blues

Hotshots have been burning up the top flight over the past few weeks and Harry Kane and Alexandre Lacazette also have their shooting boots on. Liverpool do too but they’re still breaking them in as seven goals from 121 shots in their last six games is a miserable return for the Merseysiders.

But the division's men at their title rivals are raising the bar with every shot that flies under it and into the net – Kane has 25 Premier League goals in 2017 which is the highest ever by a player in a calendar year before October.

Lukaku has now scored 10 in nine games for United in all competitions and that’s the best start by a United player with the Belgian flying out of the traps quicker than the likes of Bobby Charlton (nine in nine) and Wayne Rooney (six in nine). 

In 11 games for club and country this season he’s drawn a blank just once – against Leicester. Unlike Kane, he’s yet to claim a treble but with Crystal Palace the visitors to Old Trafford he might fancy his chances. He’s no better than 10/1 for a hat-trick.

Romelu Lukaku has been banging them in since the minute he arrived at Manchester United

Romelu Lukaku has been banging them in since the minute he arrived at Manchester United

Kane has already gone home with the match ball once this week after demolishing Apoel Nicosia, following his double to down West Ham, and his odds range from 5/1 to 14/1 (shop around if you fancy it) to score three times against Huddersfield - who have conceded just one goal in three games at home. Bet Victor offer the biggest price on a home win - 17/2.

One of Betway’s specials this week is the on-fire quadruple – Lacazette (Arsenal host Brighton), Morata, Lukaku and Kane all to score is 9/1.

For the second week in a row Spurs are involved in the lunchtime kick-off and while West Ham’s Andy Carroll didn’t score for us last time out, we did get an away win with both teams on target and over 3.5 total goals in the game. Four aways at just over 8/1 also came in later in the day.

So, where to reinvest - Carroll’s Hammers can get a win at home to a shot-shy Swansea side who have had just 10 efforts on target all season.

Harry Kane has hit a purple patch - he's scored five goals in his last last two games

Harry Kane has hit a purple patch - he's scored five goals in his last last two games

BEST WEEKEND BETS 

HOMES: Cardiff, Aston Villa, Preston, Blackburn, Southend 15/1 Bet Victor

AWAYS: Watford, Sheff Utd, Notts County 35/1 with several firms

DRAWS: Bournemouth v Leicester, Fleetwood v Charlton, Dunfermline v Dundee Utd around 40/1

Win with both teams scoring: Tottenham, Everton, Sheff Utd 69/1 Stan James

From oddschecker.com

Advertisement

Bournemouth at home to Leicester has the look of a stalemate as the hosts are a point worse off at this stage than they were in their previous two seasons in the division while the four points the Foxes have gathered equals their worst start to a campaign. Avoiding defeat is the plan for both.

There’s also little to choose between Stoke and Southampton while Watford appeal at an attractive price at West Brom. They were slaughtered by City a couple of weeks ago but that is their only defeat and they’ve won all three games on the road. You can get 11/4 (Unibet) they make it four on the spin and stay above Arsenal heading into the international break.

On Sunday, Arsenal should take care of Brighton. Elsewhere, Everton are 11/1 (Ladbrokes, Coral, Sky Bet) to come from behind and beat Burnley. Ronald Koeman’s side have been trailing in Premier League matches for more minutes than every team except rock-bottom Palace.

And on Tyneside, Liverpool can’t keep missing, can they? Over 3.5 total goals at Newcastle is 9/5 and both teams to score in both halves (it’s worth a nibble) is 12/1 with Sky Bet.

*Prices from oddschecker - correct at time of publication - subject to change