PL predictions: How may he assist you? Back Bruno again for Man Utd

Our football betting expert Jones Knows offers his insight ahead of another exciting weekend of Premier League action.

Liverpool vs Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm

Enzo Maresca is becoming a better manager by the day since leaving Chelsea.

The players just don't look like they know what they are anymore. There's no clear structure, no rhythm and too many individuals going through the motions. Throw in the distraction of an upcoming FA Cup final and a summer World Cup and it's not hard to see why focus levels might not be where they need to be.

That's a dangerous mix heading to Anfield.

Liverpool have been typically strong at home, losing just once in their last 11 there. It's still one of the toughest assignments in the league when the crowd gets behind them and Liverpool tend to smell vulnerability.

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And Chelsea, right now, look there for the taking.

So rather than overcomplicate things, I'm happy to side with the obvious but with a bit of value built in.

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Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals at 11/8 with Sky Bet looks a winner in waiting.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-1

Brighton vs Wolves, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6!

There aren't too many angles you'd immediately trust when it comes to Wolves but drawing fouls and winning cards is definitely one of them.

They've got some very streetwise operators in that frontline. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, in particular, is excellent at putting defenders under pressure and Matheus Mane looks wise beyond his years when it comes to drawing fouls.

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Mats Wieffer is likely to be operating in those central areas from his hybrid right-back role where Wolves look to engage physically and draw fouls. And there's a bit of history here too, he's been booked in his last two starts against Wolves and carries a 0.4 cards per 90 ratio with him this season, meaning the 11/4 with Sky Bet for a card has a huge amount of potential.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-0

Fulham vs Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6!

This one has a proper end-of-season edge to it.

It might not scream "headline fixture" at first glance, but dig a little deeper and it's absolutely massive in the race for Europe. A win for Fulham would move them to within a point of Bournemouth, who are right in the thick of the top-six conversation and refusing to go away. The Cherries are unbeaten in 16 matches in all competitions inside 90 minutes - a run built on resilience, attacking intent and a growing belief that they belong in this fight.

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Sky Sports senior reporter Rob Dorsett explains the complicated scenario whereby Brentford or Brighton may be better off LOSING on the final day of the season to qualify for the Champions League.

Fulham, though, won't see this as anything other than an opportunity. At home, with the gap there to be closed, they have every incentive to go for it. Sitting back and settling isn't really an option when the prize is this big. They are 16/1 with Sky Bet for a top six finish. Win this and then it's Wolves next.

That's what makes the goals angle so appealing. Both sides know the value of a win here - not just psychologically, but in shaping the European picture. The over 3.5 goals line at 11/8 with Sky Bet has a chance.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-2 | JONES KNOWS' BEST BET: Over 3.5 goals (11/8 with Sky Bet)

Sunderland vs Manchester United, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6!

Bruno Fernandes to register an assist at 11/8 with Sky Bet looks a standout angle again - and it's a bet that should feel familiar after it landed in this column last week.

It's paying to follow the conductor rather than the finishers.

Now, officially, Opta didn't award Fernandes an assist vs Liverpool. But Sky Bet settle assist markets using Fantasy Football rules based off the official Premier League account, which defines assists differently to Opta. The important thing for Sky Bet punters? It paid out.

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Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick discusses his future at the club and what is his main focus is for the final games of the season.

Fernandes is sitting on 19 Premier League assists for the season - just one behind the all-time single-season record jointly held by Thierry Henry in 2002/03 and Kevin De Bruyne in 2019/20.

Fernandes is actively looking to create. The first instinct now is the slide-rule pass, the clipped cross or the early release into runners. He's playing like a man hunting history.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2 | JONES KNOWS' BEST BET: Bruno Fernandes assist (11/8 with Sky Bet)

Manchester City vs Brentford, Saturday 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports - PLAY SUPER 6!

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There's no margin for error now for Manchester City.

Every game is a must-win if they're going to keep the heat on Arsenal at the top and you'd usually expect them to swat aside most visitors at the Etihad when the pressure is this high. But there are just a few cracks appearing that make this a little more interesting from a betting perspective.

City conceded chances worth 2.72 expected goals at Everton - the fifth-most they've allowed in a Premier League match under Pep Guardiola and their worst defensive output in a game since 2024. That's not something you see often and it hints that teams are finding ways to get at them.

Igor Thiago has been a revelation this season scoring 22 Premier League goals, the most ever by a Brazilian in a single campaign, and he's right in the mix for the Golden Boot. More importantly, he's the focal point for everything Brentford do well in attack.

If Brentford create, he's the one getting on the end of it.

At 2/1 with Sky Bet for Thiago to score anytime, that looks a big price.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-2

Burnley vs Aston Villa, Sunday 2pm, live on Sky Sports

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It's not about style now for Aston Villa, it's about getting over the line.

With Premier League fixtures running out, Villa know that any kind of win here takes them a big step closer to locking in Champions League football for next season. Performances become secondary at this stage, it's all about outcome.

That mindset is important when assessing how this game might play out against Burnley.

Villa aren't a team that tend to blow sides away regularly anyway. In fact, 12 of their 17 league wins this season have come by a one-goal margin. That tells you everything about how they manage matches when they get in front.

So while the temptation might be to just back Villa to win at 4/7 with Sky Bet, the smarter angle is to lean into this one-goal margin trend and back it to land again at 5/2.

SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1

Crystal Palace vs Everton, Sunday 2pm, live on Sky Sports

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Crystal Palace's issues defending set-pieces have become impossible to ignore. They've shipped 17 goals from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season - only Bournemouth, with 19, have conceded more.

So, when assessing Everton's routes to goal here, the focus immediately shifts towards the two centre-backs. Splitting stakes on Michael Keane to score first at 16/1 with Sky Bet and James Tarkowski to score first at 25/1 with Sky Bet makes plenty of appeal in what could be a bruising, low-margin encounter.

Keane, in particular, is always a major threat. His 1.1 shots per game average is an eye-catching figure for a central defender and highlights just how involved he becomes when Everton load the box from corners and wide free-kicks. Tarkowski isn't far behind at 0.9 shots per game either and often attacks the first-contact zones aggressively.

SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1

Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle, Sunday 2pm, live on Sky Sports - PLAY SUPER 6!

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There are certain players whose importance goes way beyond the eye test and Bruno Guimaraes falls firmly into that category for Newcastle.

The numbers around him scream about his importance.

Since the start of last season, Newcastle have won just 18 per cent of their Premier League matches without Guimaraes in the side. With him? That figure rockets to 50 per cent.

His return was obvious in the victory over Brighton last week where he completely dictated the rhythm of the game. Newcastle suddenly looked like themselves again - aggressive in the press, sharper in transition and far calmer when building attacks through midfield.

He was the driving force behind everything good they produced.

That makes Newcastle on the draw no bet market at 10/11 with Sky Bet look a smart angle against a Nottingham Forest side that could be running on fumes.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2

West Ham vs Arsenal, Sunday 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports - PLAY SUPER 6!

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Arsenal are now trading around 1/5 with Sky Bet to get the job done in the Premier League title race and after what's been a proper emotional rollercoaster of a season, they've put themselves in a position where it's theirs to lose - again.

A trip to West Ham in their predicament is exactly the kind of setting where the game can become tight, scrappy and decided by small margins rather than free-flowing football. One goal may settle it and Viktor Gyokeres could be the man to get it.

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Sky Sports' Nick Wright explains how Arsenal's success this season could make them the richest club in England.

He is absolutely flying. He's the top-scoring Premier League striker over the last three months with nine in his last 12 league appearances. But it's not just the numbers. There's a real edge to his game right now. The physicality, the movement, the way he's engaging defenders. He's reminding me of Diego Costa.

Combative, aggressive and a constant problem for his marker. The 9/2 on him scoring the opening goal is an angle to consider.

SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1 | JONES KNOWS' BEST BET: Viktor Gyokeres to score first (9/2 with Sky Bet)

Tottenham vs Leeds, Monday 8pm, live on Sky Sports

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Tottenham's performance at Aston Villa didn't receive the credit it deserved.

Yes, Villa were poor. Yes, they looked miles off their usual levels. But what Spurs produced in that environment, under that pressure, was seriously impressive.

For a team with confidence on the floor and relegation danger hanging over them, to go to Villa Park and execute Roberto De Zerbi's demanding style with that level of bravery and aggression was extraordinary.

The control they established was the real eye-opener.

Villa didn't register a shot until the 61st minute and had just one touch in the Spurs penalty area before then. That's not smash-and-grab football or chaotic counter-attacking. That's complete territorial domination - the kind of control usually associated with Manchester City or Arsenal when they're at their suffocating best.

If they reproduce anything close to that level here, Leeds could get overwhelmed quickly.

The market certainly expects another strong showing with Spurs available at 4/5 with Sky Bet and it's difficult to argue against that price if the psychological corner has genuinely been turned.

SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0

Jones Knows' best bet...

1pt treble on: Over 3.5 goals in Fulham vs Bournemouth, Bruno Fernandes +1 assist & Viktor Gyokeres to score first (33/1 with Sky Bet)

Jones Knows' Profit & Loss record 25/26

| | Best Bet singles (1 unit) | Best Bet multiples | Total P+L | | Matchday One | 0 | -1 | -1 | | Matchday Two | 0 | -1 | -2 | | Matchday Three | 0 | -1 | -3 | | Matchday Four | 0 | -1 | -4 | | Matchday Five | +2.75 | -1 | -2.75 | | Matchday Six | -1 | -1 | -4.75 | | Matchday Seven | -1 | 0 | -5.75 | | Matchday Eight | -3 | 0 | -8.75 | | Matchday Nine | 0 | -1 | -9.75 | | Matchday 10 | -1 | -1 | -11.75 | | Matchday 11 | -1 | 0 | -12.75 | | Matchday 12 | -1 | -1 | -14.75 | | Matchday 13 | -2 | 0 | -16.75 | | Matchday 14 | -1 | -2 | -19.75 | | Matchday 15 | 0 | -1 | -20.75 | | Matchday 16 | 0 | -1 | -21.75 | | Matchday 17 | 0 | -1 | -22.75 | | Matchday 18 | 0 | -1 | -23.75 | | Matchday 19 | 0 | -1 | -24.75 | | Matchday 20 | -1 | 0 | -25.75 | | Matchday 21 | -4 | 0 | -29.75 | | Matchday 22 | 0 | -1 | -30.75 | | Matchday 23 | 0 | -1 | -31.75 | | Matchday 24 | -1 | -1 | -33.75 | | Matchday 25 | -1 | -1 | -35.75 | | Matchday 26 | -1 | -1 | -37.75 | | Matchday 27 | -2 | -1 | -40.75 | | Matchday 28 | -1 | -1 | -42.75 | | Matchday 29 | -1 | 0 | -43.75 | | Matchday 30 | -1 | 0 | -44.75 | | Matchday 31 | -1 | 0 | -45.75 | | Matchday 32 | -1 | 0 | -46.75 | | Matchday 33 | -1 | 0 | -47.75 | | Matchday 34 | -1 | 0 | -48.75 | | Matchday 35 | -1 | 0 | -49.75 |

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