12 Expert Picks
Nottingham Forest are turning things around. ...
Forest are keeping things cagey in Premier League play. ...
Manchester United are playing Bundesliga footy. ...
I think Frank Ilett will be cutting his hair soon. ...
Matchday 24 was bizarre for both Bournemouth and Aston Villa. ...
This is a crucial 6-point relegation scrap. ...
West Ham have impressed me as of late. ...
Chelsea have scored nine goals in their last three matches. ...
Liam Rosenior has this Chelsea squad firing on all cylinders. ...
Everton love playing for draws. ...
Everton have had five unders in a row. ...
I'm going to say it, Liverpool is back. ...
If someone told you before the EPL season began in August that the only side that would be unbeaten at home into February would be promoted Sunderland, you'd have been laughed out of the room. Especially noting how many players the Black Cats would be without during AFCON. Yet here we are and Sunderland is still unbeaten at the Stadium of Light. Still, it's just one win in seven and midfield pilot Granit Xhaka is iffy with an ankle injury for Monday. Meanwhile, promoted Burnley is in danger of a quick return to the Championship, but Scott Parker's side has grinded out a couple of results lately and won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Turf Moor in August. Play Burnley on Spread
This is a perfect storm for a high scoring Monday match. Sunderland like to keep things cagey, and love playing for a low scoring match, when on the road. When they play at home, they tend to be a bit more open and tend to press a bit harder for goals. Then we have Burnley, who have 44 goals conceded, and have one of the highest hit rates of over 2.5 goals specifically when playing on the road. Burnley has seen 73% of their road matches clear the over, and I'm backing a high-scoring victory for Sunderland.
Sunderland my beloved we meet again! Sunderland continues to punch way above their weight class their first season back in the Premier League. A big reason they've been so successful and are sitting 11th on the table, is due to their home form. They've now played 11 matches at home this season, and haven't lost a single one of those matches. They've taken points off Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Arsenal when playing at home, and now they paly a Burnley side who hasn't won any of their last 14 matches.