Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – February 20th

Eleven weeks remain in the English Premier League’s 2017-18 season. Manchester City did suffer a shocking 1-0 loss to third-division Wigan Athletic last week, but that was part of FA Cup play, so City still have a 23-3-1 record in league competition, and a 16-point lead over Manchester United. There are 14 weeks left in La Liga play, and Barcelona have built a seven-point lead over Atletico Madrid. Let’s take a look at some of your best soccer betting picks for this coming week’s action on the pitch.

Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – February 20th

Officials confirmed for #PL Matchweek 28 (24 Feb-1 Mar): https://t.co/VXmkadOsac pic.twitter.com/qxCe4wffKk

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 20, 2018

Saturday, February 24

West Ham at Liverpool (10:00am ET)

Liverpool come into this game riding high on momentum after delivering a 5-0 rout of Porto on the road on Valentine’s Day to send them in all probability to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Sadio Mane had a breathtaking hat trick on the day, scoring both the first and the last goal for the team. Mohamed Salah put his 30th goal of the season (all competitions) in, and Robert Firmino added a goal as well. Liverpool had not even reached the round of 16 in the Champions League since 2009, so this is already a year of historic proportions. They welcome a West Ham team that is 11 slots and 24 points behind them in the EPL table. In their last match, they took down Watford (the team sitting just above them in the table) at home, 2-0. Despite the fact that Watford held possession for 64% of the game, West Ham was able to find the back of the net twice, with Javier Hernandez tallying in the 38th minute and Marko Arnautovic adding the late insurance goal in the 78th minute. The fact that West Ham were able to defend so well despite a lack of possession is impressive, but West Ham would likely need a more even time of possession to stand a chance against the Reds. Soccer Betting Prediction: Liverpool 3, West Ham 1

Girona at Barcelona (2:45pm ET)

Barcelona delivered a 2-0 win in their last La Liga match over Eibar. The La Liga leaders had stumbled a bit of late, with a pair of draws, but they picked up the win after Eibar opened the match with some aggression. However, Barcelona scored in the 16th minute after a dazzling pass from Messi to Luis Suarez, through three defenders, set up Suarez for the opening goal. Messi’s shot in the 88th minute was saved by Marco Dmitrovic, but the rebound went right to Jordi Alba, who was able to join the scoresheet. Now Barcelona head to Chelsea on Tuesday, and if they can win that, the real danger is that they would view Girona as too easy and come out too flat. Girona are 28 points behind Barcelona in La Liga, but they did deliver a 3-0 home win over Leganes on Friday. Girona just barely won the possession battle (53%), but they opened scoring with a penalty conversion by Cristhian Stuani in the 23rd minute. Portu added a second tally before halftime in the 36th minute, and then Juanpe eliminated all doubt in the 85th minute. So if Barcelona come out without their usual energy, Girona is a team that can take advantage. Soccer Betting Prediction: Barcelona 3, Girona 1

Sunday, February 25

Chelsea at Manchester United (9:05am ET)

Things don’t get any easier for Manchester United after a 1-0 loss at Newcastle two Sundays ago. Despite the fact that they held possession 65% of the time and peppered 13 shots toward the Newcastle goal, it was Newcastle that found the back of the net, as Matt Ritchie scored in the 65th minute, and the frustration could only build for Man U, as they picked up a pair of yellow cards during the match. Now Old Trafford will welcome Chelsea this coming Sunday. Chelsea will face Barcelona on Tuesday in Champions League play before heading to Manchester United. Chelsea demolished West Brom in their last EPL match, sending 20 shots toward the West Brom woodwork and finding the back of the net three times in a shutout. Eden Hazard had goals in the 25th and 71st minutes, and Victor Moses added a goal in between at the 63rd minute. If Man U are still feeling a little slow after Newcastle, Chelsea will make them pay. Soccer Betting Prediction: Manchester United 2, Chelsea 2