Football Accumulator Tips: Saturday's 14/1 FavFour backs Brentford win

Aston Villa vs Bournemouth – Aston Villa

The first game of our FavFour this weekend sees last weekend’s shock winners Bournemouth travel to Villa Park to play Unai Emery’s side.

Villa have been inconsistent of late, having been unbeaten in their last three, after a run of three defeats in a row. Just two league home wins since the return of the Premier League is a worry, but they are 11 points clear of the drop zone, which they won’t be anywhere near come the end of the season. 12 games left for them means they can push for a top half spot, with the hope of a better finish next season.

As for Bournemouth, their 3-2 defeat at Arsenal - having taken a two goal advantage - did not kill their spirit, and their unlikely win against a Liverpool side fresh off a 7-0 win over rivals Manchester United just highlights that. They could be underestimated with them sitting in 18th, but their last two games have shown glimpses of real quality.

We do think that this is a tight one, but with the home advantage and goalscoring form of Ollie Watkins, we think Aston Villa get the win here.

Brentford vs Leicester – Brentford

The Foxes travel to West London to face the Bees in the second of our four selections from this weekend’s fixtures.

Brentford lost their 12 match unbeaten run away to Everton last weekend, but bounced back with a clean sheet in a 2-0 midweek win away to Southampton. They’re battling off the second season syndrome shouts and are flying high in 8th position, with a real chance of European football.

Ivan Toney added another goal to take his personal tally up to 16 goals this season, higher than the likes of Marcus Rashford and Mohamed Salah.

As for Leicester, their defeat by a classy Chelsea side last weekend confirmed their fifth straight defeat in all competitions, four of those coming in the Premier League. Only Southampton have lost more games than Brendan Rodgers’ side in the league, and only promoted sides Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have a higher goals conceded tally this campaign.

They have been dragged into a relegation dogfight, but the international break may come at a good time, with a trip to out of form Crystal Palace followed by home games against Aston Villa and Bournemouth could help them steer clear of the bottom.

For now, however, they are in a real tough spot, and a trip to high flying Brentford is the last of their wishes. We think the home side take this one.

Southampton vs Tottenham – Tottenham

Antonio Conte’s Tottenham travel to the South Coast to play Southampton, with both teams desperate for a win to boost their ambitions at either end of the table.

For the hosts, a stalemate at Old Trafford followed by a midweek defeat to Brentford leaves them bottom having played a game more than the teams above them. However, it is incredibly tight at the bottom, with just five points separating them and 12th place Crystal Palace. Despite this, they will be hard pushed for anything against Tottenham.

The reverse fixture on the opening day of the season saw Tottenham win comfortably 4-1, but St Mary’s is a tougher trip for Conte’s side. They have only won their once in their last six visits going back to 2018. They bounced back after two defeats and a disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of AC Milan by beating Nottingham Forest, but have really struggled away from home, losing their last four.

Against a desperate Southampton side, we should see Tottenham take all three points to boost their Top Four credentials, but we may see the “Spursy” tag live up to expectations. We’ll back Tottenham in this one.

Wolves vs Leeds – Wolves

A big game at the bottom end of the table, Wolves welcome Leeds to Molineux, with both teams in need of points.

Wolves have been relatively consistent at home in 2023, winning three of their four home league games this calendar year. Their 1-0 win over Tottenham two weeks ago and 3-0 battering of Liverpool were real highlights, but they did also lose to Bournemouth a month ago.

Leeds have been dire away from home this season, with just a single league win on the road. They have blanked in three of their last four away games and Wolves have been defensively solid at home recently.

With that in mind, we think the trends for either side will continue, moving Wolves further away from danger and throwing Leeds right into peril. A home win for Julen Lopetegui is our prediction.