Premier League Table: Odds and Betting Preview for Week 26 EPL Fixtures
Week 26 of the 2014-15 Premier League season will see Tottenham Hotspur take on West Ham United and Southampton host Liverpool on Sunday, the two most high-profile fixtures for punters to play with.
Most of the top clubs will be playing in matches which look fairly straightforward on paper, and oddsmakers have reacted in kind. There may be an upset or two in store, but fans shouldn't go looking for them too much. Here's what the current standings look like:
| 1 | Chelsea | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 55 | 21 | 34 | 59 |
| 2 | Man City | 25 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 51 | 25 | 26 | 52 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 25 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 43 | 24 | 19 | 47 |
| 4 | Southampton | 25 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 46 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 25 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 47 | 28 | 19 | 45 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 25 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 39 | 34 | 5 | 43 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 42 |
| 8 | West Ham | 25 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 38 |
| 9 | Swansea | 25 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 28 | 33 | -5 | 34 |
| 10 | Stoke | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 33 | -5 | 33 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 31 | 37 | -6 | 32 |
| 12 | Everton | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 27 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 35 | -8 | 27 |
| 14 | West Brom | 25 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 24 | 34 | -10 | 26 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 25 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 22 | 36 | -14 | 24 |
| 16 | Hull | 25 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 34 | -11 | 23 |
| 17 | QPR | 25 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 26 | 43 | -17 | 22 |
| 18 | Aston Villa | 25 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 34 | -22 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley | 25 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 24 | 43 | -19 | 21 |
| 20 | Leicester | 25 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 40 | -18 | 17 |
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The complete schedule for Week 26, along with full odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 3 p.m. | Aston Villa 3-2 | 11-5 | Stoke 47-25 |
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 3 p.m. | Chelsea 1-5 | 11-2 | Burnley 12-1 |
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 3 p.m. | Crystal Palace 3-1 | 14-5 | Arsenal 4-5 |
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 3 p.m. | Hull 10-11 | 12-5 | QPR 3-1 |
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 3 p.m. | Sunderland 11-10 | 9-4 | WBA 5-2 |
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 3 p.m. | Swansea 3-1 | 11-4 | Man Utd 5-6 |
| Saturday, Feb 21 | 5:30 pm. | Man City 1-5 | 11-2 | Newcastle 12-1 |
| Sunday, Feb 22 | Noon | Tottenham 11-143 | 11-4 | West Ham 15-4 |
| Sunday, Feb 22 | 2:05 p.m. | Everton 1-2 | 16-5 | Leicester 5-1 |
| Sunday, Feb 22 | 4:15 p.m. | Southampton 8-5 | 23-10 | Liverpool 163-100 |
Tottenham v West Ham
The Hammers are winless in their last three Premier League matches and face the daunting prospect of a trip to White Hart Lane, going up against in-form Tottenham. Spurs lost their last match, 3-2 against Liverpool, but they had won three straight before then.
As shared by West Ham News, the visitors will be boosted by the return of several key contributors, including centre-back Winston Reid:
West Ham's early-season surge was built around the solidity of their back four and great play in the centre of the pitch, and both areas have taken some hits in recent weeks. The Hammers aren't dominating the ugly battle in midfield the way they did before, and strikers are taking full advantage of the spaces near the box.
With Harry Kane in the form of his life, that could be a problem. Supported by Christian Eriksen, the young striker has been lights out in 2015, and his blend of mobility and physicality will serve him well on Sunday against a slightly banged-up defence. Even if Reid plays, he won't be 100 percent.
As shared by Hotspur Related, Stewart Downing is adamant the east Londoners are no worse than their neighbours from the north of the capital:
As far as pure quality goes, the gap is minimal, but Tottenham's excellent form makes me lean toward them.
Southampton v Liverpool
Several former Saints will return to St. Mary's on Sunday, including midfielder Adam Lallana, who apologised for the way his transfer to Liverpool went down, via Goal:
"'I regret nasty Southampton exit,' admits Liverpool ace Lallana http://t.co/izw0FenOiU
— Goal (@goal_intl) February 19, 2015"
Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert haven't been instant-impact players for the Reds so far, but Lallana has been in fine form after a shaky start to his Liverpool career, which can be partly blamed on his injury.
The reception at St. Mary's is likely going to be a cold one for the England international, who, like the rest of us, probably didn't expect the Saints to be competing for a Champions League spot at this stage of the season.
Sunday's clash will have a huge impact on the race for Europe, another factor that will play into the emotions of the fixture. Which teams deals with the pressure best? At this point, we simply don't know.
Sky Football's Matthew Stanger is looking forward to what should be a great contest:
Liverpool currently have the look of a wrecking ball, running through the Premier League schedule, but don't underestimate the impact the home crowd will have. These fans will be on edge and highly energetic, and I'm not sure the younger Reds have the experience to deal with such an atmosphere.
I'm going for an entertaining draw here, which I'll gladly take at odds of 23-10.
Matches to Stay Away From
Aston Villa v Stoke City: Tim Sherwood is a wildcard at this point. The Villans looked excellent in the second half against Leicester City and Stoke are winless in their last two fixtures, but it's too risky to assume anything about the hosts until we see them play several matches under the new manager.
Swansea v Manchester United: A trip to Wales is never easy, and while United have the quality to crush the Swans, they've been far too inconsistent the past few weeks. You just never know which Red Devils you're going to see.
