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Arsenal's Bukayo Saka. Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

Premier League best bets: Wolves and West Ham bring chaos up north

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 2/28/24

It's been a long time since we've had a three-horse Premier League title race this close. Just two points separate Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the table as we cruise into Matchday 27. Each of the three teams had its bonafides questioned over the past few weeks; each went on to answer those questions in dramatic fashion.

For Liverpool, the question was one of the future: with beloved manager Jurgen Klopp announcing his resignation at the end of the season, could Liverpool hold together and deliver amid all that change? Yes, as it turns out. Liverpool won the League Cup, its first trophy of the season, last weekend ... and it did so with an inexperienced squad of Klopp acolytes filled with promise.

For Manchester City, the question revolved around Erling Haaland. The Norwegian cyborg, fresh off crushing the Premier League debut season goalscoring record in 2022-23, spent much of 2024 struggling in front of the net. Could he regain his form without assists from the injured Jack Grealish on the wing? Just ask Luton Town. Haaland hammered five goals past it in the FA Cup this week while barely breaking a sweat.

For Arsenal, the question was all about consistency. Arsenal had challenged for Premier League titles before only to fall apart in the dreary winter months as its thin, youthful squad grew tired. Could it keep its swashbuckling spirit clear through the mid-season doldrums? With 18 goals scored and just two conceded in its last four Premier League games — against dangerous teams like Liverpool, Newcastle and West Ham to boot — that answer appears to be a resounding yes.
Three questions asked, three answers delivered, three gauntlets thrown. The Premier League title race remains tight as we push through Matchday 27. But where are the best bets hiding in all of it?

Newcastle vs. Wolves, March 2, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock — Poor Newcastle hasn't had a nice time of it recently: it conceded 12 goals in its last four Premier League games. Worse, three of those four games were against Luton, Forest and Brentford, three teams who are lovable in their own ways but hardly a terrifying prospect for a squad as strong as Newcastle's. It's all gone a bit pear-shaped at St. James' Park.

How unfortunate, then, that Newcastle's make-or-break match this week is against Wolves. Wolves, the chaos monkeys of the Premier League, the team with so many faces and identities it's simply impossible to prepare for it. Wolves beat treble-winning Manchester City and then turned around and lost to last-place Sheffield United. Wolves are an enigma.

Newcastle is the home team in this fixture, and it's ranked just a bit higher in the table. But with one team ebbing away and the other capable of just about anything, we're backing Wolves in this one at +260.

Everton vs. West Ham, March 2, 10 a.m. ET, USA Network — Here's a fascinating matchup: a team that looks dirty versus a team that actually plays dirty. Everton is surprisingly clean when it comes to yellow and red cards this season, but you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise; under gruff manager Sean Dyche Everton is gritty, aggressive and militant on the field. West Ham, meanwhile, plays beautiful attacking soccer when it's in the mood, but it's stats don't lie. Edson Alvarez is the second-most carded player in the league and his teammates aren't far behind.

Despite having a far superior Premier League record this season, West Ham is at +250 to win this one. We think it's worth backing at those odds ... even with all those dirty tackles.

Sheffield United vs, Arsenal, March 4, 3 p.m. ET — Look away now, Blades fans: with Arsenal in scintillating goalscoring form, this one smells like a blowout from days away. The question isn't if Arsenal will win, it's how, and when, and by just how many goals, considering it put six past eighth-placed West Ham. Arsenal is at +120 to be ahead at the end of both halves; we think that's a steal. And while Arsenal will likely play its reserve squad against Sheffield to save legs, we've learned that coach Mikel Arteta hates resting Bukayo Saka even in situations like these. Betting on him to rattle off more than 3.5 shots is interesting at +125.