Burnley v Leicester (Saturday, 15:00)
David Nugent has scored in eight of his last 11 league appearances against his former team Burnley
Admit it, you didn’t think it was possible that the one-cap-one-goal England striker could hold a 0.72-goals-per-game strike rate against a side. However, while Burnley’s far more lauded talisman Danny Ings has gone eight outings without notching when his employers need him most, “The Nuge” has grabbed three in four road trips. All that can stop him is injury, as a calf problem renders him “touch and go”.
Recommended Bet: Back Nugent to score @ [4.0]
QPR v West Ham (Saturday, 15:00)
Charlie Austin has had a hand in the highest proportion of his side’s Premier League goals this season (55%)
Chelsea are the only of Austin’s previous three opponents who were able to keep him from scoring, and the former Kintbury Rangers forward has netted 17 times already in his first Premier League campaign. The 25-year-old seems to be particularly fond of derbies, firing at Stamford Bridge and in both clashes with Arsenal. West Ham have leaked at least twice in five straight away matches.
Recommended Bet: Back Austin to score @ [2.5]
Stoke v Sunderland (Saturday, 15:00)
Mame Biram Diouf has scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances at the Britannia Stadium
The Senegalese front man is a perfect fit for the “goes about his business quietly” cliché, converting at a two-every-five-league-games rate across the last four seasons for mid-table Bundesliga and Premier League clubs and attracting minimal attention in the process. Mark Hughes recognises his worth though and has been rewarded recently. Goals past Everton, Crystal Palace and Southampton have lifted Diouf to double figures in his debut year at Stoke.
Recommended Bet: Back Diouf to score @ [3.3]
Everton v Man United (Sunday, 13:30, Sky Sports 1)
Romelu Lukaku is one of only four players to have scored a Premier League hat-trick versus Man United
The consensus seems to be that Lukaku has flopped at Everton this term, a conclusion that many pundits probably predetermined when they spent £28 million on an attacker with a mere two years’ experience as a Premier League starter. The figures suggest that it is a simplistic verdict though, as he has achieved a creditable 18 goals in all competitions, three of them in his latest five matches. As well as Man United are performing at present, they haven’t shut anyone out in four fixtures.
Recommended Bet: Back Lukaku to score @ [3.5]
