December: Manchester City looked positioned to run away with the Premier League title, ahead of Liverpool on points with an insurmountable goal differential.
January: Liverpool appear to have the Premier League title in their grasp, threatening to go 7 clear after City stumbles and Tottenham lose key players.
February: Manchester City are odds-on favorites again, and Liverpool fans are hitting the panic button.
We may look back on Premier League Matchday 26 as the pivotal weekend of the 2018-19 campaign. Will City keep rolling? Can Liverpool get back on track? Will the real Chelsea please stand up? Here’s your matchday 26 Premier League betting preview.
Manchester City vs. Chelsea Betting Preview
| Manchester City -210 | Draw +350 | Chelsea +550 |
Who, exactly, is Chelsea?
Maybe we’ll find out on Sunday at 11am ET as they travel to the Etihad.
Will the Chelsea who lost 2-0 away at Arsenal and got smashed 4-0 at Bournemouth show up? Or is the post-Gonzalo Higuaín offensive juggernaut Chelsea that pounded Huddersfield 5-0 the squad that will arrive at the Etihad?
Chelsea has not been a good away team this campaign, with five league losses. While the current narrative that “City is back!” continues (particularly from paranoid Liverpool fans), keep in mind they JUST LOST TO NEWCASTLE THREE GAMES AGO.
This match is huge for both sides. A win from City puts heaps of pressure on Liverpool to keep pace. As Liverpool has a game in hand, a loss from City opens the door for the Reds to go 6 clear over the coming weeks.
Chelsea is only two clear of Manchester United and three clear of Arsenal for 4th in the table. They can’t afford to drop any points.
Expect this one to be a chippy, intense game that could determine both teams’ fate for the remainder of the season. While the Higuaín addition will help Chelsea create a more prolific attack, their track record on the road (particularly against top flight teams) inspires little confidence that they can pull out a victory in this one.
Liverpool vs. Bournemouth Betting Preview
| Liverpool -550 | Draw +600 | Bournemouth +1200 |
Bournemouth is a mid-table team, currently sitting 10th, ahead of two teams that just tied Liverpool: Leicester City and West Ham. Should they really be +1200?
Also, Bournemouth just humiliated Chelsea 4-0. They’re a legit team.
Liverpool’s recent form should be a major concern. This season has had stretches where the Reds are clicking on defense while struggling to find the net, and times where the offense looked like their ’17-18 form, and only a brief stint where both offense and defense clicked at the same time.
Injuries have certainly hurt Liverpool’s backline. The real problem though is in the attacking third, where the link up play between Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino has rarely been as in sync as last year, and the creativity and ability to generate goals from the midfield is almost non-existent.
Adam Lallana showed signs of life against West Ham, and Fabinho has done well finding open men, but something is off. With a critical Champions League Round of 16 match against Bayern Munich coming in 10 days, Liverpool needs to figure this out–now–if they hope to capture an elusive trophy this campaign.
Still, despite all of the doom and gloom at Anfield right now, as No Grass in the Clouds pointed out, they’re still off to the fourth best Premier League campaign ever. And Liverpool are undefeated at Anfield this Premier League campaign. Expect the Reds to pull out a nervy win that does nothing to calm their anxious fans.
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