EPL 2021/22 Matchweek 26 odds, predictions & best bets

Tottenham Hotspur will attempt to snap a three-match losing streak facing the EPL’s best team when it visits Manchester City this Saturday in Matchweek 26. That match along with Saturday’s Crystal Palace vs Chelsea and Sunday’s Wolves vs Leicester City matchups are featured in this weekend’s English Premier League best bets.

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea

Chelsea (13-8-3) snapped a four-game winless streak of 0-3-1 with a 2-0 win at home over Tottenham Hotspur on January 23. The club hasn’t played an EPL match since then but has gone 3-0-0 in FA Cup and World Cup play over the last month. Crystal Palace (5-11-8) is 0-3-2 since its last win in December over Norwich City and has lost each of its last two home games to West Ham United and Liverpool.

A draw wouldn’t come as too big of a surprise here, but we think Chelsea is worth a bet as a -150 road favorite here. Chelsea is a perfect 8-0-0 in its last eight matches against Crystal Palace with each of the last three wins in this head-to-head series coming by three goals or more. Perhaps the month-long break from EPL action and this favorable matchup to return to will spark Chelsea to go on a nice run down the stretch here in 2022.

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester City (20-3-2) returned from the international break at the end of January with back-to-back convincing wins of 2-0 over Brentford and 4-0 over Norwich City. The club is unbeaten in its last 15 matches with a 14-1-0 record over that stretch. Tottenham compiled an impressive 6-2-0 run that lasted from late November through mid January, but that run has given way to a three-match losing streak that includes losses of 3-2 to Southampton and 2-0 to Wolves at home.

It would have been nice to see this match a few weeks ago when Tottenham was in good form and Manchester City was looking less dominant than usual. As it stands, City is playing far better than Tottenham, has home field advantage, and will be looking for some revenge after losing 1-0 in Tottenham the last time these two clubs met. Look for a 2-0 or 3-0 result in Manchester City’s favor in this one.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Leicester City

Wolverhampton (11-4-8) has shaken off a 1-4-0 start to the season to climb all the way up to seventh place on the EPL table with a 5-1-1 record over its last seven matches. Leicester City (7-6-9), meanwhile, has sat right near the middle of the standings all season long and is currently mired in a four-match winless streak of 0-2-2. Leicester has also lost three straight matches on the road.

Wolves have allowed only 17 goals in 23 matches this season while Leicester City has allowed 41 goals in 22 matches. While Leicester does have a significantly stronger offense than Wolves, that shouldn’t matter here. The Wolves defense has locked down just about everyone this season, and their offense is playing well enough of late to expect a goal or two against this weak Leicester City defense en route to a win at home.