Welcome to Tipster Picks!
We all need a bit of help sometimes, and our tipping trio are always on hand to share their wisdom in our games. They are:
- The Mailman – Better service than De Bruyne
- The Teacher – Giving lessons on a weekly
- Incognito Pro – The best spy since Bielsa
Will you follow their advice, or go your own way?
Ahead of the Football Survivor and Big5 2024/25 season, the tipsters have been mining the data once again:
The Mailman says…
- My pick: “Chelsea will travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, hoping to add to the woes of Manchester United after Erik ten Hag’s departure. The Blues have only one away loss so far this season against Liverpool and have notched up some impressive wins on the road against Wolves, Bournemouth, and West Ham. Their opponents this weekend sit in 14th place, having lost to West Ham in their last league outing and only Palace and Southampton have scored less than United’s uninspiring tally of 8 goals this season. This is in stark contrast to the Blues who have scored 19 and only sit one behind table leaders Manchester City in terms of goals scored this season!“
- Potential pick: “Everton started this season poorly, but their 1-1 draw against Fulham was their fifth unbeaten league game in a row. The Toffees are now five points clear of the relegation zone and eight points above their opponents this weekend Southampton, who are firmly at the bottom of the table with just one point. The last time the two sides met at St. Mary’s Stadium was in October 2022 when Everton won 2-1, and Sean Dyche’s side will see this as another opportunity to get all three points away at Southampton as the struggling Saints are still without a win in the league.“
- Risky pick: “Tottenham hosting Aston Villa on Sunday is one of the stand-out fixtures this week, and Spurs will be pleased with their performance in the Caribou Cup against Manchester City where they won 2-1 at home. However, Tottenham have been inconsistent in the League this year with losses to show against both Brighton and Palace in their previous three league outings which makes them a risky pick for me this week. Although Spurs have won 19 of their 30 matches against Aston Villa (4 draws), they have only won one of the last four encounters between the two sides! “
The Teacher says…
- My pick: “Crystal Palace seem to have discovered some much-needed form with back-back wins in all competitions against impressive opposition in both Tottenham and Aston Villa. The Eagles take on Wolves this weekend and will be hoping to recreate their victory at Molineux last season where they won 3-1 with both Eze and Mateta featuring on the score sheet. Wolves did manage to pick up a point against Brighton in their previous league game, but are still without a win and worryingly have conceded 25 goals this season. Palace have won seven from their last eight meetings with Wolves, and in their last three contests, they have scored three goals in each game!“
- Potential pick: “Leicester are a potential pick this week as they travel to Ipswich on Saturday. The Foxes were beaten by Forest last weekend in the league, but this was off the back of a nice run where Leicester beat both Bournemouth and Southampton to pick up their first two wins of the season. They will fancy their chances against Ipswich who have only won one from the last five matches between the two clubs in the Championship, and sit in the relegation zone of the Premier League after three losses in a row and are without a win.“
- Risky pick: “Southampton have lost eight of their nine Premier League games this season, with their solitary point coming a month ago against fellow newly promoted Ipswich. It’s just the second time the Saints have ever failed to win their opening nine matches of a league campaign, and a defeat on Saturday to Everton will make it officially the worst start to a season topping 1998-99. The Saints did manage to stay up that season, but I doubt that would be any consolation to Russell Martin with a quarter of the way through the campaign, and only one point to show for it.“
Incognito Pro says…
- My pick: “With Ruben Amorim’s proposed deal to become Manchester United manager taking up all the headlines this week, there will be a lot of buzz around Old Trafford as they host Chelsea on Sunday. Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Newcastle in the league moved them up to fifth place and only one point behind third-placed Arsenal. Even though Chelsea have not won at Old Trafford since 2020, the head-to-head between the two clubs is fairly even. Manchester United just edge Chelsea’s 15 wins with 16 of their own from 46 games; and after Sunday I expect it to be all square after a potential dominant Chelsea victory!“
- Potential pick: “Aston Villa travel to Tottenham this Sunday off the back of a Caribou Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace, and a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in the League. However, Villa are undefeated away from home this season, having picked up wins on the road against West Ham, Fulham, and Leicester. The Villains will be looking to recreate this fixture last year where they beat Spurs 2-1 with an Ollie Watkins winner in the 61st minute and will fancy their chances against an inconsistent Tottenham side sitting four places behind them in the league.“
- Risky pick: “Ipswich showed some real promise with four draws in late August and September, but since then the Tractor Boys have had three losses on the bounce against West Ham, Everton, and Brentford. Ipswich were unlucky to come away empty-handed in a thrilling 4-3 loss to Brentford where Mbeumo’s injury-time winner was the deciding factor. They take on Leicester on Saturday who although were 3-1 losers in their last league game against Nottingham Forest, had won twice in a row before that match. This is something that Ipswich has failed to do so far since their promotion to the Premier League as they are still chasing that elusive first win this season!“
Good luck!