Premier League
England
Chelsea
Saturday
Man Utd
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Andy's Saturday Accumulator @ 4.53
The initial league meeting between these sides saw BTTS as Wimbledon came away 2-1 winners over Plymouth. Wimbledon find themselves in a very different situation to where they were for that clash, coming into this game having lost each of their last five matches across all competitions - leaving them just three points above the drop zone.
Wimbledon have failed to score in any of these matches, which could be a concern, but they’ve been playing some of the best sides in the division across this recent run - including Stockport, Luton and Lincoln. They take on a Plymouth side who just conceded two goals against another relegation threatened side in Exeter at home, so they should be defensively vulnerable enough for Wimbledon to pose an attacking threat in this must win game for the home side.
Plymouth have seen BTTS in three of their last five matches across all competitions, and have notably conceded 26 goals across their 20 away games in League One this season - also scoring 35 goals themselves, which is more than any other side on the road in League One this season.
The respective clean sheet records for both of these sides also make goals at both ends likely. Only Barnsley (3) have kept fewer clean sheets in League One this season than Wimbledon (7), while Plymouth have only kept 12 shutouts across their 42 matches in the division (28%).
Given where both teams sit in the table, Notts County v Barnet should see goals. County are still firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion, while Barnet are pushing for a play off spot.
Notts County come into this game in patchy form - just 6 points from a possible 15, after being punished by promotion rivals Cambridge last time out in a 4-0 defeat. They need a win to climb back into the automatic places, despite sitting pretty comfortably in the automatic spots just a few weeks.
Goals have flowed in their last five matches, with 16 in total (3.20 per game). However, they’ve been leaky at the back, scoring 6 but conceding 10. Despite being shut out by Cambridge last time, it’s unlikely they’ll draw another blank here. They’ve scored the second most goals in the division (1.65 per game) and face a Barnet side that has managed just one clean sheet in their last eight.
Barnet’s recent matches have been even more goal-heavy - 21 goals across their last five games, averaging 4.20 per match. They’ve also won four of those five, so confidence is high.
With both sides desperate for a result and recent form pointing toward plenty of action at both ends, this game looks primed to produce at least two goals.
This is a big matchup in the battle for Champions League places, especially for Chelsea, who trail Manchester United by seven points heading into kickoff. Liam Rosenior’s side have lost three straight Premier League games without managing a single goal. Two of those defeats came at home, including a flat 3-0 loss to Manchester City most recently.
The first league meeting between these two finished with exactly three goals, as Manchester United won 2-1 against Chelsea - largely because Chelsea had Rob Sanchez sent off within the first three minutes.
Chelsea have seen three or more goals in each of their last four matches across all competitions, conceding three goals in three of those games. They’re really missing Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill, their two best centre-backs, so you’d expect the Chelsea defence to struggle again here against a side that has taken more shots than any other Premier League team this season.
Manchester United’s matches have been pretty chaotic under Michael Carrick as well. They’ve seen three or more goals in each of their last five games heading into this trip to Stamford Bridge, and can put all their focus on qualifying for the Champions League since United are only competing on one front.
Leverkusen have improved as the season has unfolded after struggling in the early parts of the season under Erik Ten Hag, who was swiftly dismissed after a poor start to the campaign. Leverkusen netted six goals in their most recent home game as they battered Wolfsburg, coming away 6-3 winners in that clash - and they have a very appealing record at home to back them to score at least twice here.
Leverkusen have avoided defeat in 11 of their 14 home matches in the Bundesliga this season. They’ve held the likes of Bayern and Arsenal at home over recent weeks, which shows just how hard it is to get a result away at Leverkusen at the moment. They’ve scored 32 goals across these matches, working out to an average of 2.28 goals per game in front of their home fans. They have plenty of motivation here too, they are currently four points behind Leipzig in the race for a Champions League finish, with Hoffenheim also not out of that race yet.
Leverkusen welcome an Augsburg side who have been dreadful on the road in the Bundesliga this season - winning just three of their 14 away matches. They’ve conceded 27 goals across these games, with only four sides conceding more goals on the road in the Bundesliga this season. Augsburg have failed to win any of their last five matches, conceding 2+ goals in four of these games.
