Graham Ruthven: Something for the Weekend

Player to score – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa v Fulham) 13/10

With Marcus Rashford out injured until the end of the season, Ollie Watkins is all but certain to start as Aston Villa’s centre forward against Fulham on Saturday. The striker scored and assisted in his last Premier League start and will pose a serious threat as Villa chase a win to boost their top five chances.

Unai Emery’s team enter this weekend’s match on the back of two disappointing defeats. They need three points against Fulham to stand any realistic chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but Watkins is the sort of player who could give them the necessary cutting edge in front of goal.

Under 2.5 total goals – Lecce v Napoli (17/20)

Napoli can take another big step towards the Serie A title this weekend when they face Lecce. Antonio Conte’s team have a three-point advantage at the top of the table with Scott McTominay currently in the form of his life. However, Napoli don’t often score a lot of goals when they’re away from home.

Indeed, the Scudetto leaders have failed to score more than one goal in any of their last four league away games. Meanwhile, Lecce have drawn a blank in two of their last three home matches. This could be a cagey encounter even if Napoli are favourites to get the job done.

Match to be a draw – Leicester v Southampton (13/5)

Leicester City and Southampton’s relegation has been confirmed already, meaning Saturday’s meeting between the two teams is about pride, even if there isn’t much of that to be salvaged from a dreadful campaign for both. Saturday’s game presents an opportunity to rescue some dignity.

The Foxes have failed to score in 10 of their last 11 matches in the Premier League while Southampton have lost 14 of their last 17 matches. Saturday’s encounter might not be the highest quality affair and so it seems most likely that it will end in a draw.

Both teams to score – Real Valladolid v Barcelona (7/10)

Barcelona are the most entertaining team to watch in Europe, as they showed in the Champions League during the week. Hansi Flick will likely rotate his team with the second leg against Inter Milan in mind, but the Catalans still need three points to maintain their lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

It’s been over four months since Barca failed to score in a match. However, their defensive record isn’t the best having conceded eight goals in their last four games. Real Valladolid recently scored twice against Atletico Madrid and will pose a threat on the counter attack. They will have opportunities.

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Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions last weekend, but Arne Slot’s team will still want to finish the season strongly. Meanwhile, Chelsea are scrambling for points to boost their chances of finishing in the top five and qualifying for the Champions League.

The Reds are unbeaten in 19 of their last 20 league matches, pointing them securing at least a point on Sunday. Cody Gakpo could continue his good goalscoring form this season by finding the net. Chelsea have had under 5.5 corners in nine of their last 10 matches against Liverpool. Putting this together, you get a nice 12/1 Bet Builder for Sunday’s meeting at Stamford Bridge.

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