Graham Ruthven: Something for the weekend

Player to score – Bukayo Saka (Aston Villa v Arsenal) 3/1

Arsenal’s title hopes were dealt a blow on Wednesday as Manchester City claimed a 3-1 win over the Gunners, but Bukayo Saka still found the back of the net. The England international was a threat throughout and will surely have more opportunities to score against an Aston Villa team that has conceded seven goals in their last two games.

Saka has registered a goal contribution in four of his last five Premier League outings. Much of the Gunners’ attacking play flows through the 21-year-old and with Villa prone to leaving space in behind Lucas Digne in the left back area there is real potential for Saka to add to his goal tally on Saturday.

Under 2.5 total goals – Everton v Leeds (10/13)

Sean Dyche made an instant impact as Everton manager, leading the Toffees to a 1-0 win over Arsenal in his first match in charge. Now, Everton are looking to make it successive home victories with Saturday’s match against Leeds United a relegation six-pointer. This, however, might be a match decided by the odd goal.

There have been under 2.5 total goals scored in Everton’s last three Premier League fixtures while no Premier League has under-performed their Expected Goals (xG) as much as Leeds have this season. On top of this, Everton and Leeds have both failed to win nine of their last 10 fixtures in the league.

Match to be a draw – Newcastle v Liverpool (5/2)

Newcastle United remain firmly in contention to finish in the top four, but Eddie Howe’s team must start turning some of their draws into victories. The Magpies have drawn five of their last six Premier League fixtures while Liverpool are without a win in each of their last three away games in the division.

Liverpool regained some confidence with a much-needed Merseyside Derby win over Everton on Monday, but Jurgen Klopp’s team still have problems. The Reds might struggle to break down the strongest defence in the Premier League – Newcastle have conceded 13 goals in 22 games so far this season.

Both teams to score – Sassuolo v Napoli (8/11)

Napoli are marching towards the Serie A title with Luciano Spalletti’s team 15 points clear at the top of the table. Sassuolo are unlikely to stop that march, but they could find the back of the net against the Scudetto favourites such is their attacking threat. This could be one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend.

Indeed, Sassuolo have found the back of the net in six of their last seven matches in Serie A. It was only two weeks ago that Alessio Dionisio’s scored five times in an away match against AC Milan at the San Siro. Napoli have the best defensive record in Serie A, but Sassuolo will pose a threat at home.

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Manchester United enter Sunday’s fixture against Leicester City on the back of winning 13 of their last 14 home matches in all competitions. On top of this, Erik Ten Hag’s team have scored over 1.5 goals in each of their last five matches played at Old Trafford. They will fancy their chances of extending this streak against the Foxes.

Leicester City will likely use a low defensive block against United and look to hit out on the counter attack. This means the hosts could be more dependent on crosses into the middle than usual, making Wout Weghorst a good bet to find the back of the net with the Dutchman currently Ten Hag’s first-choice number nine.

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