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Can Luton Escape Premier League Relegation Fight?
Last season, Luton Town and Burnley shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor on Matchday Two, whilst the following match saw Ashley Barnes open the scoring for Burnley from the penalty spot in the 78th minute in a 1-0 victory at Kenilworth Road in February. Burnley proceeded to finish atop the Championship with 101 points, scoring 87 goals in 46 matches and securing an immediate return to the Premier League, whilst Luton returned to the top-flight after 31 years.
The Hatters have punched above their weight in their first-ever Premier League season, with Luton ending a four-match losing streak by drawing 1-1 to Wolves before closing out September with a 2-1 win vs. Everton. They wasted an 84th-minute goal by Elijah Adebayo in a 2-1 loss to Burnley and took two points from their next five matches before beating Crystal Palace 2-1.
Luton lost three in a row before bouncing back with a 1-0 win vs. Newcastle and a 3-2 win vs. Sheffield United, with the Blades taking the lead only to score two late own goals in a vital relegation six-pointer. Luton found themselves three goals down only to score twice in the final quarter-hour to force a nervy finale in a 3-2 loss to Chelsea, before drawing 0-0 to Bolton in the FA Cup.
If you’re planning to bet on English soccer, betting on the relegation battle in the Premier League and Burnley’s upcoming match vs. Sheffield United is a no-brainer.
One and Done?
We are on track to see all three promoted sides go straight back down for the first time in 26 years, with Sheffield United sitting bottom of the table, two points behind Burnley, six behind Luton, who have a game in hand, and seven behind Everton. However, it is certainly becoming an increasingly crowded scrap at the bottom and a more tantalizing option for Premier League betting fans.
🏴 | Premier League Standing after Gameweek 20
⚽️ | Scorers’ ranking
🅰️ | Assist Ranking
⛔ | Clean Sheets
💪 | Best Defense
⏭️ | Next game pic.twitter.com/EYNzoSkIFF— ExtraTime (@extraXTime) January 3, 2024
Brentford are in crisis mode for the first time in their Premier League journey, losing seven of their last eight matches in the league, opening December with a 3-1 win vs. Luton before falling to five straight defeats, conceding two or more goals in all but one – a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United. After closing out the year with a 3-1 defeat to Palace, Brentford drew 1-1 in the FA Cup vs. Wolves despite playing with an extra man for 90 minutes following Joao Gomes’ sending-off.
It’s little wonder that the sportsbooks are starting to cast doubt on Thomas Frank’s side, who are +800 to suffer relegation, ahead of Crystal Palace (+1200) and behind Nottingham Forest (+400), Luton (-350), Burnley (-450) and Sheffield United (-2500).
Can Bournemouth Continue Impressive Form?
Despite guiding Bournemouth to safety with time to spare in their return to the Premier League, Gary O’Neil was sacked after eight months at the helm, with Andoni Iraola taking charge of the club. The Spaniard suffered a shaky start to life in the Premier League with the Cherries, who found themselves in the relegation zone after taking six points from 11 matches, kicking off November with a 6-1 defeat at Manchester City.
It seems that hammering at the Etihad may have been a blessing rather than a curse: Bournemouth would respond with back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Sheffield United before drawing 2-2 at home vs Aston Villa. They beat Crystal Palace (2-0) and Manchester United (3-0) before edging Nottingham Forest 3-2 via a hat trick from Dominic Solanke. The Englishman found the back of the net from the penalty spot in a 3-0 win vs. Fulham but was kept under wraps in their following match, a 3-1 loss at Tottenham.
At 26 years of age, Solanke is enjoying the best form of his career at Bournemouth and proving a reliable option for soccer betting fanatics. A highly rated youth talent for Chelsea, he managed just one first-team appearance for the Blues before heading to Liverpool in 2017, where he found himself behind Roberto Firmino in the pecking order. A move to Bournemouth followed in January 2019, where he has gradually emerged as a reliable threat at the center forward position, leading them to promotion in 2021-22 with 29 goals in the Championship.
Solanke has racked up 12 goals in 19 Premier League appearances – only Erling Haaland (14) and Mohamed Salah (14) have more – and he is certainly a strong addition to your player prop bets. After a well-deserved three-week rest, Solanke will be looking to find the back of the net for the fourth straight home match against his former side Liverpool on Sunday.
Whilst Bournemouth have climbed to 12th in the Premier League after a stellar run of form, Liverpool sit atop the league with 45 points, three points above Aston Villa, five above Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and five above Arsenal.
The odds may not be in Bournemouth’s favor with Liverpool being valued at -149, but one thing’s for sure: If they are to secure their eighth win in 10 matches, Solanke will have to be on top of his game.
Question Of The Day
Who are the under-the-radar Premier League players ready to explode in the second half of the season?
Dominic Solanke is in red-hot form, and we’re backing him to continue his goal-scoring heroics as he looks to break the 20-goal mark with Bournemouth.
