EPL Soccer Picks, Predictions and Best Bets: Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry reignited
Players return from international duty to enter Week 8 of 38 in this season’s English Premier League.
Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over West Ham allowed them to overtake the Reds’ first place spot after Chelsea tucked home a last-minute game-winner over the former league leaders. Palace suffered their first loss this season against Everton, and Erling Haaland continues to play “catch me if you can” with nine goals in seven matches.
It’ll be one shakeup of a match week this season, with Bournemouth and Tottenham hot on the heels of Liverpool and Arsenal in the standings, so be sure to check out my analysis of this weekend’s best bets and picks for Premier League Week 8.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of EPL match odds, EPL futures and EPL specials and props.
EPL Liverpool vs. Manchester United best bet: Liverpool ML (-160)
We find ourselves amongst another one of the highest-profile inter-city rivalries in English football as the Red Devils of Manchester United head to Anfield to take on Liverpool. They’ve met a total of 216 times throughout history, and in their last five contests (excluding friendlies), Manchester United took one win in the FA Cup Quarter Finals in extra time, while Liverpool won two regular season Premier League meetings, with two ties in the mix. The most recent matchup in January ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Reds haven’t had a three-game losing streak since April 2023, but it’s a reality once again as they slip in both the Champions League and Premier League. Their last match against Chelsea was unfortunate, but a tough one as Chelsea’s Estevao netted a 90+5’ 2-1 game-winner to seal the match. Hugo Ekitike still leads his team with three goals and comes in to score anytime tonight at +120, with Alexander Isak your highest probable goalscorer at +115 and Mohamed Salah (two goals this season) close behind at +135.
The Red Devils reside in a lacklustre 10th place on the standings, although they entered the international break after attaining a 2-0 win over Sunderland. Bruno Fernandes (+435 anytime goalscorer) and Benjamin Sesko (+280 to score anytime) each have two goals a piece, yet United is still marked as +400 underdogs tonight – which goes to show it won’t be easy to outplay the Reds at a noisy Anfield. I expect Liverpool to see out a classy 3-0 win tonight at -160 and bounce back from their shaken form.
EPL Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth best bet: Crystal Palace ML (+120)
Bournemouth head to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace this weekend, and the Cherries are in some of the best form the club has ever seen. After seven games, they sit at fourth place with 14 points, four wins, two draws, and one loss – meaning a win tonight (if Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham lose or draw) could put them in first place. Their last game before the break was victorious 3-1, with Antoine Semenyo (six goals this season) netting two to help Bournemouth push past Fulham. Semenyo enters the match with a chance to score anytime at +270.
While Bournemouth (+235) are in red-hot form, they’ve yet to face true competition in the league, and head to Crystal Palace territory today for a tough scrapper. Crystal Palace still holds sixth place with 12 points after suffering their first loss of the season, 2-1 to Everton. I’m still planning on Palace taking a 2-1 win at +120, especially with Ismailia Sarr (three goals) and Jean-Phillippe Mateta (two goals) set to score anytime at +255 and +155, respectively.
EPL best player prop bet: Erling Haaland Anytime Goalscorer (-135) in Manchester City vs. Everton
The Norwegian striker hasn’t let me down yet, scoring nine goals this season, greater than one goal a game for the last three matches and six in his last five matches in all competitions. He’s sure to score again tonight at home against Everton at -135, and you could even bet on him scoring first at +275 to shake things up a bit.
